37th Parliament, 1st Session

No. 108

No 108

Votes and Proceedings

Procès-verbaux

Legislative Assembly
of Ontario

Assemblée législative
de l'Ontario

Monday
November 27, 2000


Daytime Meeting - Sessional Day 166
Evening Meeting - Sessional Day 167

Lundi
27 novembre 2000


Séance de l'après-midi - jour de session 166
Séance du soir - jour de session 167

1st Session,
37th Parliament

1re session
37e législature

Prayers
1:30 P.M.

Prières
13 H 30

The Speaker delivered the following ruling:-

On November 14, 2000 the Member for Hamilton Mountain (Mrs. Bountrogianni) raised a point of privilege with respect to recruitment of members for the Post-secondary Education Quality Assessment Board. I have now had an opportunity to review the matter, and the relevant procedural precedents and authorities.

According to the Member for Hamilton Mountain there are two issues. The first is that the Public Appointments Secretariat is "seeking members for the Post-secondary Education Quality Assessment Board" in advance of the passage of Bill 132. The Member asserts that Bill 132 "creates" the board and since it is still being considered by this House the Secretariat is in contempt of the House for acting upon legislation which has not yet passed. In reviewing our precedents, I find many in which various Speakers have made it clear that the Public Service has a responsibility to prepare itself and stand in readiness for the possible passage of legislation. Let me cite just one such ruling dated December 20, 1989. In it, Speaker Edighoffer said:

"It is perfectly valid for the Public Service to proceed with plans based on a bill that is already in the system in order to be able to act swiftly, once that bill becomes law. It goes without saying that if the bill is amended during the legislative process, then the Public Service must take note and act accordingly."

I find this to be within that category of due diligence on the part of the Public Service in preparation for pending legislation.

The Member also indicated, however, that her office had been informed that the "quality assessment board was created by Order-in-Council in September." In her view, if this is the case, then the Order-in-Council itself serves to leave the impression that the legislative consideration of the bill is meaningless.
I did take some time to review both the Order-in-Council and the Bill with respect to this point. First, my reading of Bill 132 is that it "continues" the Post-secondary Education Quality Assessment Board, it does not "create" it. If that is not the case however and if the Order-in-Council was passed without the proper legislative authority then it may be ruled invalid in a court of law, but it is not a procedural matter and does not constitute a contempt of the House.

I find therefore that a prima facie case of privilege has not been made out.

I thank the Member for her submission and would add one footnote. When a Member raises a point of privilege or order in this House and refers to materials not of this Chamber, such as the Internet announcement in this case, it would be helpful to the Chair and greatly expedite my response if the materials in question could be provided at the time the point is raised.

The Speaker delivered the following ruling:-

Last Wednesday, the Member for Don Valley East (Mr. Caplan) raised a point of order concerning the fact that certain portions of Bill 119, the Red Tape Reduction Act, appear in the Bill only in the English language.

The unilingual amendments in question are found in Section 3 of Schedule A to the Bill, which amends the Chartered Accountants Act, 1956.

I want to inform the House that the Chartered Accountants Act, 1956 is a statute that exists only in English and therefore can only be amended in English. The reason it exists only in English is because the Legislature has granted by statute, to successive commissioners responsible for consolidating and revising the public general statutes of Ontario, the authority to omit from the list of public general statutes those Acts which in the commissioners' view are not of general application.

The Chartered Accountants Act, 1956 has been so designated, and it therefore falls outside the list of general statutes and appears in the Table of Unconsolidated and Unrepealed Acts.

Since the Chartered Accountants Act, 1956 was enacted prior to the coming into force of the Revised Statutes of Ontario, 1980, and did not appear as a public general statute in them, it was not required under the French Language Services Act, 1986 to be translated into French and legally remains a unilingual English statute today.

The relevant portion of Bill 119, therefore, is properly before the House in unilingual English form.

I thank the Member for bringing this matter to my attention.

Introduction of Bills

Dépôt des Projets de Loi

The following Bill was introduced and read the first time:-

Le projet de loi suivant est présenté et lu une première fois:-

Bill 148, An Act to amend the Highway Traffic Act with respect to photo-radar. Mr. Hoy.

Projet de loi 148, Loi modifiant le Code de la route à l'égard du radar photographique. M. Hoy.

Motions

Motions

On motion by Mr. Sterling,

Sur la motion de M. Sterling,

Ordered, That, pursuant to Standing Order 9(c)(i), the House shall meet from 6:45 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Monday, November 27, Tuesday, November 28, and Wednesday, November 29, 2000, for the purpose of considering government business.

Petitions

Pétitions

Petitions relating to the Northern Health Travel Grant program / Programme de subventions accordées aux résidents du nord de l'Ontario (Sessional Paper No. P-1) Mr. Bartolucci and Mr. Gravelle.

Petition relating to Re-instating photo radar (Sessional Paper No. P-146) Mr. Hoy.

Petition relating to Vintage Automobiles (Sessional Paper No. P-152) Mr. O'Toole.

Petition relating to Hand-held cellular phones (Sessional Paper No. P-153) Mr. O'Toole.

Petition relating to Funding allocations to the Developmental Services Section in Sarnia-Lambton, Chatham Kent and Windsor-Essex (Sessional Paper No. P-181) Mr. Crozier.

Petition relating to Incentives for veterinarians (Sessional Paper No. P-185) Mrs. Dombrowsky.

Petition relating to the Ramsey Industrial Road (Sessional Paper No. P-186) Mr. Brown.

During the presentation of "Petitions",
Mr. Bartolucci moved the adjournment of the House, which motion was lost on the following division:-

Pendant la période réservée à la présentation des «Pétitions», M. Bartolucci propose l'ajournement des débats de l'Assemblée et cette motion est rejetée par le vote suivant:-

Ayes - 19 Nays - 44

Pour - 19 Contre - 44

Petition relating to the Northern Health Travel Grant program / Programme de subventions accordées aux résidents du nord de l'Ontario (Sessional Paper No. P-1) Mr. Bradley.

Petition relating to Hand-held cellular phones (Sessional Paper No. P-153) Mr. O'Toole.

Orders of the Day

Ordre du Jour

A debate arose on the motion for Third Reading of Bill 69, An Act to amend the Labour Relations Act, 1995 in relation to the construction industry.

Il s'élève un débat sur la motion portant troisième lecture du projet de loi 69, Loi modifiant la Loi de 1995 sur les relations de travail en ce qui a trait à l'industrie de la construction.

After some time, the Acting Speaker (Mr. Brown) interrupted the proceedings and put the question, and declared his opinion that the ayes had it, and a recorded vote having been demanded,

Après quelques temps, le président par intérim, M. Brown interrompt les délibérations, met la motion aux voix, et déclare qu'à son avis les voix favorables l'emportent et un vote par appel nominal a été demandé,

The Acting Speaker directed that the Members be called in, for which purpose the division bells were rung.

Le Président par intérim donne des directives pour convoquer les députés et la sonnerie d'appel se fait entendre.

During the ringing of the bells, the Acting Speaker addressed the House as follows:-

Pendant la sonnerie d'appel, le Président par intérim s'adresse à l'Assemblée en ces mots:-

I have received a request from the Chief Government Whip, under Standing Order 28(h), that the vote on the motion for Third Reading of Bill 69, An Act to amend the Labour Relations Act, 1995 in relation to the construction industry, be deferred until November 28, 2000.

J'ai reçu une requête du Whip en chef du gouvernement, conformément à l'article 28(h) du Règlement, que le vote sur la motion portant troisième lecture du projet de loi 69, Loi modifiant la Loi de 1995 sur les relations de travail en ce qui a trait à l'industrie de la construction, soit différé jusqu'au 28 novembre 2000.

Therefore the vote is accordingly deferred.

En conséquence, le vote est différé.

The House then adjourned at 6:00 p.m.

À 18 h, la chambre a ensuite ajourné ses travaux.

6:45 P.M.

18 H 45

Orders of the Day

Ordre du Jour

A debate arose on the motion for Second Reading of Bill 144, An Act to establish accountability in correctional services, to make offenders demonstrate that they are drug-free, to set rules for offenders to earn their release, to give the Board of Parole a say in earned release decisions, and to change the name of the Board of Parole.

Il s'élève un débat sur la motion portant deuxième lecture du projet de loi 144, Loi visant à instituer la responsabilisation au sein des services correctionnels, à obliger les délinquants à démontrer qu'ils ne font pas usage de substances intoxicantes, à fixer les règles que doivent suivre les délinquants pour mériter leur libération, à permettre à la Commission des libérations conditionnelles d'intervenir dans les décisions en matière de libération méritée et à changer le nom de la Commission des libérations conditionnelles.

After some time, Mr. Levac moved the adjournment of the House, which motion was lost on the following division:-

Après quelques temps, M. Levac propose l'ajournement des débats de l'Assemblée et cette motion est rejetée par le vote suivant:-

Ayes - 8 Nays - 17

Pour - 8 Contre - 17

After some time, pursuant to Standing Order 9(a), the motion for the adjournment of the debate was deemed to have been made and carried.

Après quelque temps, conformément à l'article 9(a) du Règlement, la motion d'ajournement du débat est réputée avoir été proposée et adoptée.

The House then adjourned at 9:30 p.m.

À 21 h 30, la chambre a ensuite ajourné ses travaux.

le président

GARY CARR

Speaker

Sessional Papers Presented Pursuant to Standing Order 39(A):-

Documents Parlementaires Déposés Conformément à l'Article 39(A) du Règlement

Part-time appointments re intended Order-in-Council dated November 22, 2000 (No. 220) (Tabled November 24, 2000).

Science North / Science Nord, Annual Report 1998 to 1999 (No. 218) (Tabled November 24, 2000).

Science North / Science Nord, Annual Report 1999 to 2000 (No. 219) (Tabled November 24, 2000).

Questions Answered (See Sessional Paper No. 5):-

Final Answer to Question Number: 35.

Responses to Petitions

Réponses aux Pétitions

Petition relating to Preventing exposure of minors to pornography in retail establishments (Sessional Paper No. P-19):

(Tabled September 28, 2000) Mr. Stewart.

Petition relating to the Upper Canada District School Board (Sessional Paper No. P-119):

(Tabled June 12, 2000) Mr. Cleary.