L001 - Tue 26 Sep 1995 / Mar 26 Sep 1995
ELECTION OF SPEAKER / ÉLECTION DU PRÉSIDENT
The First Session of the 36th Parliament of the province of Ontario opened at 3 pm for the dispatch of business pursuant to a proclamation of His Honour, Henry N.R. Jackman, Lieutenant Governor of the province.
His Honour the Lieutenant Governor entered the chamber and took his seat upon the throne.
Hon Ernie L. Eves (Deputy Premier, Minister of Finance and Government House Leader): I am commanded by His Honour the Lieutenant Governor to state that he does not see fit to declare the causes of the summoning of the present Legislature of this province until a Speaker of this House shall have been chosen according to law; but tomorrow, at 2 o'clock in the afternoon, His Honour will declare the causes of the calling of this Legislature.
His Honour was then pleased to retire.
ELECTION OF SPEAKER / ÉLECTION DU PRÉSIDENT
Clerk of the House (Mr Claude L. DesRosiers): Members of the Legislative Assembly, it is my duty to call upon you to elect one of your number to preside over your deliberations as Speaker. Therefore, I ask for nominations for the office of Speaker.
Mrs Lyn McLeod (Fort William): I, Mrs McLeod, move, seconded by Mr Laughren, that Mr Morin, member for the electoral district of Carleton East, do take the chair of the House as Speaker.
Je, Madame McLeod, propose, appuyée par M. Laughren, que M. Morin, député de la circonscription de Carleton-Est, prenne le fauteuil en tant que Président de l'Assemblée législative.
Clerk of the House: Does the honourable member for Carleton East accept the nomination?
M. Gilles E. Morin (Carleton-Est) : Oui, Monsieur le greffier, j'accepte. I accept.
Clerk of the House: Are there any further nominations?
Mr Frank F. Klees (York-Mackenzie): I, Frank Klees, the member for York-Mackenzie, move, seconded by Frances Lankin, the member for Beaches-Woodbine, that Margaret Marland, member for the electoral district of Mississauga South, do take the chair of the House as Speaker.
Clerk of the House: Does the member for Mississauga South accept the nomination?
Mrs Margaret Marland (Mississauga South): I do accept the nomination.
Clerk of the House: Are there any further nominations?
Mr Leo Jordan (Lanark-Renfrew): I, Leo Jordan, the member for Lanark-Renfrew, move, seconded by Tony Ruprecht, the member for Parkdale, that Allan K. McLean, member for the electoral district of Simcoe East, do take the chair of the House as Speaker.
Clerk of the House: Does the honourable member accept the nomination?
Mr Allan K. McLean (Simcoe East): Yes, I accept the nomination.
Clerk of the House: Are there any further nominations?
There being no further nominations, I declare the nominations closed.
We will now go into a short period while the list of candidates is being prepared, and it'll be prepared shortly. The ballot boxes will be brought out and the voting booths will be set up on the table and we'll be getting into the voting procedure very shortly.
As has been outlined in the various kits that have been provided, members on the right of the House should file behind and go through the desk there and come and vote on the right-hand side of the table. Members on the left-hand side of the House should follow the same route, register at the table and come and vote on the left-hand side of the table and deposit their ballots at the end of the table.
The first ballot's colour will be yellow. During the voting, as the voting is nearing its end, I will advise that we're closing the voting in about five minutes. Once the voting is terminated, the clerk assistants will retire to a room with the scrutineers, will count the ballots, and then when they are ready to come back in to announce the results of the first ballot, we will ring the bells for five minutes.
As you know, there won't be a result published, but either the first ballot will give us a new Speaker or there will be a need for a second ballot in which one of the members will be removed from the list of candidates. If we need a second ballot, then the same procedure will be followed.
Could we get the voting booths on the table, please.
Now let the voting begin. I would ask everybody to proceed to register at the tables and come by and vote.
1530
Clerk of the House: Any member who has not yet voted, this would be the right time to do it.
By our count, every member who is in the chamber has voted, so we are about to remove the voting booths, if that could be done, please.
I would now invite the two clerk assistants and the Sergeant at Arms to retire with the scrutineers for the counting of the ballots, please. Five minutes before the count is announced, the bells will ring. In the meantime, if you want to go on with the conversations you were having before and relax, you will be advised five minutes before the result is announced.
1600
Clerk of the House: There will be a second ballot. The two candidates remaining after the first ballot are the member for Mississauga South, Mrs Marland, and the member for Simcoe East, Mr McLean. Does any candidate wish to withdraw at this time? If not, we will go on with a second ballot, following the same procedure we followed in the first ballot.
1635
Clerk of the House: I declare that you have elected Mr Allan McLean, the member for Simcoe East, as your next Speaker.
The Speaker (Hon Allan K. McLean): For those of you who thought the summer was short, there are others of us who thought the summer was long, and to be here today and to be elected as your Speaker is an honour bestowed upon me that I will never forget. It is an honour, and I hope that, over the period of time I have the opportunity to sit in the Speaker's chair, I will be fair and honest with every member of this Legislature, that I will fulfil my duties to the best of my ability, and I would hope at the end of my term of office that you will consider it a job well done. I hope I fulfil that commitment, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the opportunity to be elected as your Speaker.
Today I'm honoured to have several members of my family in the gallery to see this occasion. Thank you, members of the Legislature.
Applause.
Mr Peter Kormos (Welland-Thorold): On a point of order, Mr Speaker: As the House appropriately applauds and congratulates you, I think it's also appropriate that the House, being assembled as it is, thank and applaud and congratulate your predecessor, Speaker Warner, for his service to this assembly for the last four and a half years.
Applause.
Hon Ernie L. Eves (Deputy Premier, Minister of Finance and Government House Leader): Mr Speaker, I move that the House now adjourn until 2 pm tomorrow, Wednesday, September 27, 1995.
The Speaker: Is it the pleasure of this House that the motion carry? Agreed.
This House stands adjourned until 2 pm tomorrow, Wednesday, September 27, 1995.
The House adjourned at 1640.