LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO

ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DE L’ONTARIO

Wednesday 28 November 2007 Mercredi 28 novembre 2007

ELECTION OF SPEAKER /
ÉLECTION DU PRÉSIDENT

The first day of the first session of the 39th Parliament of the province of Ontario commenced at 1400 pursuant to a proclamation of His Honour David C. Onley, Lieutenant Governor of the province.

His Honour the Lieutenant Governor entered the chamber and took his seat upon the throne.

Hon. David C. Onley (Lieutenant Governor): Pray be seated.

Hon. Michael Bryant: 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

The Clerk of the Assembly (Ms. Deborah Deller): 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.

Mr. Jean-Marc Lalonde: I, Jean-Marc Lalonde, move, seconded by Laura Albanese, that Michael A. Brown, member for the electoral district of Algoma–Manitoulin, do take the chair of the House as Speaker.

Je, Jean-Marc Lalonde, propose, appuyé par Laura Albanese, que Michael A. Brown, député de la circonscription d’Algoma-Manitoulin, prenne le fauteuil en tant que Président de l’Assemblée législative.

The Clerk of the Assembly (Ms. Deborah Deller): Does the member for Algoma–Manitoulin accept the nomination?

Mr. Michael A. Brown: I do.

The Clerk of the Assembly (Ms. Deborah Deller): Are there any further nominations?

Mr. Khalil Ramal: I move, seconded by Mr. Brownell, that Mr. Peters, member for the electoral district of Elgin–Middlesex–London, do take the chair of the House as Speaker.

The Clerk of the Assembly (Ms. Deborah Deller): Does the member for Elgin–Middlesex–London accept the nomination?

Mr. Steve Peters: I do.

The Clerk of the Assembly (Ms. Deborah Deller): Are there any further nominations?

Mr. Kim Craitor: I, Kim Craitor, move, seconded by Bob Delaney, that David Zimmer, member for the electoral district of Willowdale, do take the chair of the House as Speaker.

The Clerk of the Assembly (Ms. Deborah Deller): Does the member for Willowdale accept the nomination?

Mr. David Zimmer: I do.

The Clerk of the Assembly (Ms. Deborah Deller): Are there any further nominations?

Mr. Kevin Daniel Flynn: I, Kevin Flynn, the member for Oakville, move, seconded by Dave Levac, the member for Brant, that Lorenzo Berardinetti, member for the electoral district of Scarborough Southwest, do take the role of Chair.

The Clerk of the Assembly (Ms. Deborah Deller): Does the member for Scarborough Southwest accept the nomination?

Mr. Lorenzo Berardinetti: Yes, I do.

The Clerk of the Assembly (Ms. Deborah Deller): Are there any further nominations?

Mrs. Julia Munro: I move, seconded by Laurie Scott, that Ted Arnott, member for the electoral district of Wellington–Halton Hills, do take the chair of the House as Speaker.

The Clerk of the Assembly (Ms. Deborah Deller): Does the member for Wellington–Halton Hills accept the nomination?

Mr. Ted Arnott: To serve the House, I will.

The Clerk of the Assembly (Ms. Deborah Deller): Are there any further nominations? There being none, I declare the nominations closed.

Please prepare the voting booths. The list of candidates will soon be posted in the voting booths. Once that is done, I’m going to ask you to please proceed away from the dais toward the main entrance. You have to go around behind the benches to the under-gallery area, where you will pick up your ballots from the committee clerks at the tables. They will be registering you and giving you a ballot. Then you will proceed here to wait for the direction of one of the table officers to take an empty ballot.

The balloting can begin. Please proceed that way around behind the benches.

1421

The Clerk of the Assembly (Ms. Deborah Deller): Has every member who wishes to vote done so? The ballot is closed. Remove the ballot box.

When the count is complete, I will cause the bells to ring for five minutes, following which I will announce either that a Speaker has been elected or that there is need for a subsequent ballot.

1438

The Clerk of the Assembly (Ms. Deborah Deller): Honourable members, we have need of a second ballot. The following names, alphabetically, remain on the ballot: Mr. Arnott, Mr. Brown, Mr. Peters, Mr. Zimmer.

Prepare the voting booths.

1448

The Clerk of the Assembly (Ms. Deborah Deller): Has every member who wishes to vote done so?

This ballot is closed. Remove the ballot box.

1504

The Clerk of the Assembly (Ms. Deborah Deller): Honourable members, we have need of a third ballot. The following names, alphabetically, remain on the ballot: Mr. Arnott, Mr. Brown, Mr. Peters.

Prepare the voting booths.

1514

The Clerk of the Assembly (Ms. Deborah Deller): Has every member who wishes to vote done so?

This ballot is closed. Remove the ballot box.

1528

The Clerk of the Assembly (Ms. Deborah Deller): Honourable members, we have need of a fourth ballot. The following names, alphabetically, remain on the ballot: Mr. Brown, Mr. Peters. Prepare the voting booths.

1540

The Clerk of the Assembly (Ms. Deborah Deller): Has every member who wishes to vote done so?

This ballot is closed. Remove the ballot box.

1554

The Clerk of the Assembly (Ms. Deborah Deller): It is my honour to declare that the member for Elgin–Middlesex–London has been elected Speaker of the 39th Parliament of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.

Applause.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Mister Premier, leader of Her Majesty’s loyal opposition, leader of the third party, members, I want to thank you very much for the honour and privilege that you have bestowed on me today. I say farewell to my Liberal caucus as I assume a non-partisan role, and I’m going to be extremely conscious of that, that as Speaker I don’t represent any one party; I represent all 106 members of this House, and I thank you.

I want to take this opportunity especially to say thank you to Mike Brown. Mike, thanks for your work in this chair over the past two years. I wish you all the best. And to everyone else who participated—

Applause.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): To Ted and to David and to Lorenzo, I say thank you as well. This was an opportunity for all of us to participate and play a role in the important parliamentary process that exists and has existed since virtually time immemorial. Thank you very much, all of you.

Hon. Michael Bryant: I move that the House do now adjourn until 2 p.m. tomorrow, Thursday, November 29, 2007.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? Carried. This House stands adjourned until 2 p.m. tomorrow.

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): The fun begins.

All those in favour will say “aye.”

All those opposed will say “nay.”

In my opinion, the ayes have it.

This House stands adjourned until 2 p.m. tomorrow.

The House adjourned at 1558.