LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO
ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DE L'ONTARIO
Wednesday 19 November 2003 Mercredi 19 novembre 2003
ELECTION OF SPEAKER /
ÉLECTION DU PRÉSIDENT
MEMBERS' SEATING /
PLAN DE LA CHAMBRE
The First Session of the 38th Parliament of the province of Ontario opened at 3 pm for the dispatch of business pursuant to a proclamation of His Honour James K. Bartleman, Lieutenant Governor of the province.
His Honour the Lieutenant Governor entered the chamber and took his seat upon the throne.
Hon James K. Bartleman (Lieutenant Governor): Pray be seated.
Hon Dwight Duncan (Minister of Energy, 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 3 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.
M. Jean-Marc Lalonde (Glengarry-Prescott-Russell): C'est avec plaisir que je, Jean-Marc Lalonde, député de Glengarry-Prescott-Russell, propose, appuyé par la députée de Toronto-Danforth, Marilyn Churley, que M. Alvin Curling, député de la circonscription de Scarborough-Rivière Rouge, prenne le fauteuil en tant que Président de l'Assemblée législative.
It is with great honour that I, Jean-Marc Lalonde, MPP for Glengarry-Prescott-Russell, move, seconded by the member for Toronto-Danforth, Marilyn Churley, that Alvin Curling, member for the riding of Scarborough-Rouge River, do take the chair of the House as Speaker.
Clerk of the House: Does the honourable member for Scarborough-Rouge River accept the nomination?
Mr Alvin Curling (Scarborough-Rouge River): Yes.
Clerk of the House: Are there any more nominations?
Mr Norman W. Sterling (Lanark-Carleton): Mr Clerk, I would like to nominate a man of great integrity, a former Deputy Speaker. I would like to nominate, seconded by Mr Cam Jackson, Michael Brown.
Clerk of the House: Does the member for Algoma-Manitoulin accept the nomination?
Mr Michael A. Brown (Algoma-Manitoulin): Mr Clerk, I decline.
Clerk of the House: Are there any further nominations?
Mr Howard Hampton (Kenora-Rainy River): I, Howard Hampton, member for Kenora-Rainy River, move, seconded by Rosario Marchese, member for Trinity-Spadina, that Kuldip Kular, member of the electoral district of Bramalea-Gore-Malton-Springdale, do take the chair of the House as Speaker.
Clerk of the House: Does the honourable member from Bramalea-Gore-Malton-Springdale accept the nomination?
Mr Kuldip Kular (Bramalea-Gore-Malton-Springdale): I decline.
Clerk of the House: Are there any other nominations?
Mr Peter Kormos (Niagara Centre): I, Peter Kormos, New Democrat MPP for Niagara Centre, move, seconded by Gilles Bisson, New Democrat MPP for Timmins-James Bay, that Mike Colle, Liberal member of the electoral district of Eglinton-Lawrence, do take the chair of the House as Speaker.
Clerk of the House: Does the honourable member from Eglinton-Lawrence accept the nomination?
Mr Mike Colle (Eglinton-Lawrence): I respectfully decline the nomination.
Mr Rosario Marchese (Trinity-Spadina): I, Rosario Marchese, move, seconded by Shelley Martel from Nickel Belt, that Caroline Di Cocco, member of the electoral district of Sarnia-Lambton, do take the chair of the House as Speaker.
Clerk of the House: Does the honourable member for Sarnia-Lambton accept the nomination?
Ms Caroline Di Cocco (Sarnia-Lambton): I decline.
Clerk of the House: Are there any more nominations?
Mr Hampton: I, Howard Hampton, move, seconded by Peter Kormos of Niagara Centre, that Shafiq Qaadri, member of the electoral district of Etobicoke North, do take the chair of the House as Speaker.
Clerk of the House: Does the honourable member for Etobicoke North accept the nomination?
Mr Shafiq Qaadri (Etobicoke North): I thank the honourable member for his extreme confidence, but I respectfully decline this nomination.
Clerk of the House: The honourable member.
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Mr Kormos: I, Peter Kormos, New Democrat and member for Niagara Centre, move, seconded by Rosario Marchese, well-known New Democrat and member for Trinity-Spadina, that Donna Cansfield, member of the electoral district of Etobicoke Centre, do take the chair of the House as Speaker and contest this important position to make it truly democratic in its selection.
Clerk of the House: Does the honourable member from Etobicoke Centre accept the nomination?
Mrs Donna H. Cansfield (Etobicoke Centre): I thank you two for your confidence, but I respectfully decline.
Clerk of the House: Any further nominations?
Mr Marchese: I, Rosario Marchese, a good and proud New Democrat, move, seconded by Howard Hampton from Kenora-Rainy River, that Vic Dhillon, member of the electoral district of Brampton West-Mississauga, do take the chair of the House as Speaker.
Clerk of the House: Does the honourable member for Brampton West-Mississauga accept the nomination?
Mr Vic Dhillon (Brampton West-Mississauga): I do not.
Clerk of the House: Any further nominations?
Ms Shelley Martel (Nickel Belt): Mr Chair, I, Shelley Martel, NDP MPP for Nickel Belt, move, seconded by Rosario Marchese, NDP MPP for Trinity-Spadina, that Mario Sergio, member of the electoral district of York West, do take the chair of the House as Speaker.
Clerk of the House: Does the honourable member for York West accept the nomination?
Mr Mario Sergio (York West): It is an honour for any member to be Speaker, but I kindly decline.
Clerk of the House: Any further nominations?
Mr Kormos: Of course there are.
Interjections.
Mr Kormos: Please, please. This is important. I was here in 1990 when we first elected a Speaker. It would be nice to elect one again, rather than have one appointed by the Premier.
I, Peter Kormos, move, seconded by Howard Hampton, leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party, that Kathleen Wynne, member of the electoral district of Don Valley West, do take the chair of the House as Speaker.
Clerk of the House: Does the honourable member for Don Valley West accept the nomination?
Ms Kathleen O. Wynne (Don Valley West): Thank you for the honour of your nomination, but I decline.
Clerk of the House: Further nominations?
Mr Kormos: In the interest of true electoral democracy, I, Peter Kormos, MPP for Niagara Centre and lifelong New Democrat, move, seconded by Shelley Martel, member for Nickel Belt and heir of the NDP dynasty of Nickel Belt, that Dominic Agostino, member of the electoral district of Hamilton East, overlooked for cabinet, do take the chair of the House as Speaker.
Clerk of the House: Does the honourable member for Hamilton East accept the nomination?
Mr Dominic Agostino (Hamilton East): I appreciate the confidence of the independent member from Niagara Centre, but I decline.
Clerk of the House: Further nominations?
Ms Martel: I, Shelley Martel, NDP MPP for Nickel Belt, seconded by Mr Gilles Bisson, NDP MPP for Timmins-James Bay -- two northerners -- move that Michael Brown, another northerner, member of the electoral district of Algoma-Manitoulin, do take the chair of the House as Speaker. Northerners are supporting you.
Clerk of the House: The member for Algoma-Manitoulin has already declined the nomination.
Are there any further nominations?
There being no further nominations, I declare the nominations closed.
It is my honour to declare the honourable member for Scarborough-Rouge River elected as your Speaker.
Applause.
The Speaker (Hon Alvin Curling): Thank you very much. It's indeed an honour. I first want to thank the member for Glengarry-Prescott-Russell, who nominated me, and the member for Toronto-Danforth, who seconded that motion, to be the Speaker of the House.
To the people of Scarborough-Rouge River, who put me here, I want to thank them also for the commitment they have made, and to have demonstrated that I can represent them and also represent the people of the province of Ontario. I want to thank them too.
I also want to thank my family who are here today, my daughters and my son and brothers. I simply want to say how much I appreciate their support over the long, dragging years. I also want to thank some wonderful friends who are here today to witness this.
It's important, I know; it's a very important job. I know that this job cannot be done successfully unless I have the full co-operation of the entire House. I know the responsibility is to be fair and to be disciplined in a manner to make sure that we carry out the duties of the people of Ontario. My job is to make sure that every individual member here gets the opportunity to do so.
What an honour has been bestowed upon me. The challenges that are before us are huge. The government has set forth its agenda. The opposition and the independent members do have their perspectives to be heard in this House, and it will be my delight and my honour to do so.
I would ask of you all to assist me during this time to make this House an example for the democratic arena that we have in the world. Thank you very much.
MEMBERS' SEATING /
PLAN DE LA CHAMBRE
Mr Peter Kormos (Niagara Centre): On a point of order, Mr Speaker: This is not the time to pose the argument, but with respect, I advise you that it is our intention to raise at the earliest reasonable opportunity and to argue a point of order regarding the seating arrangements in this House, which we will put to you are not only unconventional but defy parliamentary convention and tradition and constitute a contempt of this Parliament because they contradict that convention and tradition. We will be calling upon you to address that.
As I say, I want to put you on notice in that regard. I don't want there to be any sense of acquiescence on the part of the seven New Democrats to this seating arrangement.
M. Gilles Bisson (Timmins-Baie James): Sur un point d'ordre, monsieur le Président: Comme membre de l'Assemblée, comme néo-démocrate, j'aimerais vous féliciter pour votre acclamation, mais j'aurais bien mieux aimé avoir une élection comme Président. Tout de même, on va travailler avec vous comme notre Président.
The Speaker (Hon Alvin Curling): I want to thank the member. I've listened carefully and I'm looking forward to the point of order to be raised at the appropriate time, as the member said.
Hon Dwight Duncan (Minister of Energy, Government House Leader): I move adjournment of the House.
The Speaker: Is it the pleasure of the House that we adjourn? Agreed. We're adjourned until 3 o'clock tomorrow.
The House adjourned at 1521.