Legislative Assembly of Ontario

The first day of the first session of the 43rd Parliament of the province of Ontario commenced at 1300 pursuant to a proclamation of Her Honour Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of the province.

Her Honour the Lieutenant Governor entered the chamber and took her seat upon the throne.

Hon. Elizabeth Dowdeswell (Lieutenant Governor): Pray be seated.

Hon. Paul Calandra: I am commanded by Her Honour the Lieutenant Governor to state that she 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 1 o’clock in the afternoon, Her Honour will declare the causes of the calling of the Legislature.

Her Honour was then pleased to retire.

Election of Speaker / Élection de la présidence

The Clerk of the Assembly (Mr. Todd Decker): Honourable members, the standing orders provide that it is my duty to preside over the election of the Speaker of the House. Are there any nominations for the position? Ms. Kusendova.

M^me Natalia Kusendova: Je, Natalia Kusendova Bashta, propose, appuyée par Vijay Thanigasalam, que Nina Tangri, députée de la circonscription de Mississauga–Streetsville, prenne le fauteuil en tant que Présidente de l’Assemblée législative.

I, Natalia Kusendova Bashta, move, seconded by Vijay Thanigasalam, that Nina Tangri, member for the electoral district of Mississauga–Streetsville, do take the chair of the House as Speaker.

The Clerk of the Assembly (Mr. Todd Decker): Ms. Kusendova, seconded by Mr. Thanigasalam, moves that Nina Tangri, member for the electoral district of Mississauga–Streetsville, do take the chair of the House as Speaker. Does the member for Mississauga–Streetsville accept the nomination?

Mrs. Nina Tangri: I humbly accept. Thank you.

The Clerk of the Assembly (Mr. Todd Decker): Are there further nominations for the position of Speaker? Ms. Fife.

Ms. Catherine Fife: I, Catherine Fife, move, seconded by Lucille Collard, 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 (Mr. Todd Decker): Ms. Fife moves, seconded by Ms. Collard, that Ted Arnott, member for the electoral district of Wellington–Halton Hills, do take the chair of the House as Speaker. Does the member from Wellington–Halton Hills accept the nomination?

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

The Clerk of the Assembly (Mr. Todd Decker): Are there any further nominations for the position of Speaker? Seeing none, I will declare nominations closed and ask that the ballot boxes be put on the table and the list of candidates for this first round of balloting be put in the voting booths. Once the table is ready, I will ask members to proceed to the far end of the chamber, around behind the benches. On either side of the dais, there is a table where Clerks will be issuing you your ballots. You will be able to vote for the candidate of your choice in the voting booth and deposit the ballot in the voting box that will be put on the table by the Sergeant-at-Arms. I will ask that the Clerks now populate the voting booths.

Members may proceed to the far end of the chamber again, around behind the benches, to either side, to receive a ballot and vote in the booths and place your ballot in the ballot box.

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The Clerk of the Assembly (Mr. Todd Decker): Have all members who wish to vote received and cast a ballot? Are there any members who have not yet voted? Seeing none, I will declare this ballot closed.

I will ask the Sergeant-at-Arms, accompanied by the Deputy Clerk and Clerk of Procedural Services, together with the scrutineers of the two recognized parties—the government House leader, Mr. Calandra; and the chief opposition whip, Mr. Vanthof—to count the ballots in the corner office. When I receive word that the ballot has been counted and the result is available, I will have the bells rung for five minutes, so that members will know to be back in the chamber at that point for the announcement of the result of the first ballot.

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The Clerk of the Assembly (Mr. Todd Decker): Honourable members, I am going to have the bells rung for five minutes to summon members who are not in the chamber to return to the chamber. At the expiry of the five minutes, we will have the results of this round of balloting for the office of Speaker.

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The Clerk of the Assembly (Mr. Todd Decker): Honourable members, you have elected a Speaker. Mr. Arnott, the member for Wellington–Halton Hills, has been elected.

Applause.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Thank you very much. Do I get to give a speech?

I’m going to begin by acknowledging that the Legislative Assembly of Ontario is situated on the traditional land of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, the Huron-Wendat, the Anishinaabe and the Haudenosaunee peoples. Today, Ontario is home to many Indigenous people, and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work and live on this land.

I want to begin my remarks by thanking the member for Mississauga–Streetsville for putting her name forward as Speaker.

Applause.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I want to especially thank the member for Waterloo and the member for Ottawa–Vanier for moving and seconding my nomination. As you could see, I had no choice once their combined muscle put me in the chair again. Thank you so much.

I want to express my thanks to all the members for participating in this important Speaker’s election today and for your support as we move forward over the next four years.

I want to express my thanks to my staff colleagues in the Speaker’s office and in my Wellington–Halton Hills provincial riding office, and all the staff of the Legislature, from the cleaners to the Clerks—the 450 staff who make this place work and without whom we could not function as a provincial Parliament.

Applause.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I should say a word about my constituents in Wellington–Halton Hills who have supported me through the many years and to again reaffirm my commitment to put my constituents first, notwithstanding any role that I might be privileged to serve in the Legislature.

My wife, Lisa, is here. Thank you, Lisa, for coming and for your support.

Applause.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Lisa just retired as a teacher from the Upper Grand District School Board after 36 years of service. She was the longest-serving teacher at the Upper Grand District School Board when she retired.

I’ll tell a quick story. On Saturday, I had the opportunity to drive up to Owen Sound to visit Bill Murdoch, who many of you will know is a former member of this Legislature. He served as a member from 1990 till 2011, representing Grey and Grey-Bruce-Owen Sound. We had a very good chat, a long chat. Some of you will know that Bill was a bit of a renegade member and was quite proud of it. I hope he’s watching as I have this chance to say hello to him. I asked him, “Bill, if I have a chance to speak to the members on Monday, what should I say?” He said, “Tell them to represent their constituents and the people of Ontario.” Thank you, Bill.

Applause.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I want to conclude by pointing out once again the Seven Grandfather Teachings carving that we have above the main door, Garrett Nahdee’s outstanding piece of art that was unveiled last year. I recognize, again:

—the eagle, reminding us to love one another unconditionally;

—the beaver, reminding us to cherish knowledge for the good of all people;

—the turtle, reminding us to speak the truth and not to deceive others;

—the wolf, reminding us to lead lives filled with humility and work alongside others with co-operation;

—the bison, reminding us that, in order to receive respect, you must give respect;

—the bear, reminding us to have the courage to face down our foes with integrity and do what’s right;

—the raven, reminding us all to be honest in all our words and actions.

There is no better reminder of how we can not only lead a good life but be good legislators. Let’s keep that in mind as we enter into this 43rd Parliament.

It’s a pleasure to serve you. Thank you very, very much for giving me the chance to serve again as your Speaker.

Applause.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I’ll next recognize the government House leader.

Hon. Paul Calandra: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and congratulations.

With that, I move the adjournment of the House.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The government House leader has moved the adjournment of the House. Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? Carried.

This House stands adjourned until 1 p.m. tomorrow, August 9, 2022.

The House adjourned at 1346.