The committee met at 1301 in committee room 1.

Assignment of ministries

The Chair (Ms. Jane McKenna): Good afternoon. The Standing Committee on the Legislative Assembly will now come to order.

The first item of business on the agenda is the draft report, pursuant to standing order 111(b), which you have in front of you. In the last meeting, a memo was provided which explained the changes. Is there any discussion? Mr. Coteau.

Mr. Michael Coteau: We’re talking about the Standing Committee on General Government, the changes to the ministries, is that correct?

The Chair (Ms. Jane McKenna): Yes. It should be in front of you.

Mr. Michael Coteau: Okay, so I would like to move an amendment to this document. The reason I’d like to move the amendment, and I’d like to speak to the members opposite, is I just want them to be aware of what’s taking place here.

The proposal that has come forward eliminates the Anti-Racism Directorate. If you notice, on the document that’s in front of you, there’s a section there where it says that the Anti-Racism Directorate is removed. What that means is that the five members opposite and the two members here have a decision to make today and this decision goes directly, as a report, to the Legislature and it is adopted.

We have the responsibility today as seven—eight, including the Chair—members to either keep the Anti-Racism Directorate or remove it. Its removal today would mean that it would dissolve as a stand-alone directorate and it would become a file within some government. Back in the 1990s, under the Harris government, the same thing was done.

In the Legislature, the current minister who is responsible for the directorate has assured us publicly that the Anti-Racism Directorate would not be dissolved, and I would ask for members here in this committee to agree with the amendment today to keep the Anti-Racism Directorate.

So, Chair, through you, my question would be, if I move a motion to remove the recommendation to remove the Anti-Racism Directorate, would that be in order?

Miss Amanda Simard: I just have a question.

The Chair (Ms. Jane McKenna): Go ahead.

Mr. Michael Coteau: Can I get the answer? I still have the floor, Madam Chair.

The Chair (Ms. Jane McKenna): Oh, sorry.

Miss Amanda Simard: Oh, sorry.

The Chair (Ms. Jane McKenna): Yes, I think we’ll recess for five minutes.

The committee recessed from 1304 to 1316.

The Chair (Ms. Jane McKenna): Yes, we took a little bit longer than five minutes, but we’re going to continue.

Mr. Coteau has moved a motion: “I move that the Anti-Racism Directorate not be removed from under the Standing Committee on General Government.”

Mr. Michael Coteau: Point of order. Madam Chair, I’d like to withdraw the motion.

The Chair (Ms. Jane McKenna): Thank you.

Further discussion? If not, members are ready to vote? Shall the draft report carry? Carried.

Shall I present the report to the House? So ordered.

Committee business

The Chair (Ms. Jane McKenna): Our second item of business is to discuss the committee schedule. In the last meeting, the committee talked about inviting the Financial Accountability Officer for a briefing on his mandate and office, in response to the letter he sent to the committee.

Do we have agreement to invite the Financial Accountability Officer for a closed-session briefing at a subsequent meeting?

Mr. Robert Bailey: Madam Chair—

The Chair (Ms. Jane McKenna): Mr. Bailey.

Mr. Robert Bailey: I’d like to move an amendment that it be open to the public, not in camera.

The Chair (Ms. Jane McKenna): Do we have agreement?

Interjection.

The Chair (Ms. Jane McKenna): Mr. Coteau.

Mr. Michael Coteau: I think that for the first meeting, it would be under the regular process, which would be in camera. I would disagree with the amendment, I think, for the initial meeting. And then we set the parameters and have a discussion, and then after that we can go into public. It would just be nice to get confidential advice from an officer of the Legislature.

The Chair (Ms. Jane McKenna): Any other discussion?

Mr. Robert Bailey: I’d like to ask the Clerk if she could respond to that. Would that be customary, to bring them in for an in camera meeting at first, and then—?

The Chair (Ms. Jane McKenna): Yes, other committees are doing that.

The Clerk of the Committee (Ms. Valerie Quioc Lim): Mr. Bailey, it is up to the committee, either by agreement or by majority, how they’d like to proceed. In the past, some briefings have been in camera and some were not. It is up to the committee how they would like to proceed on this.

The Chair (Ms. Jane McKenna): Any other discussion? Just to clarify, do we agree that we’re going to have a closed session?

Mr. Robert Bailey: For the initial meeting. Then after that, maybe open.

The Chair (Ms. Jane McKenna): For the initial meeting, and moving after that to open. Do we agree?

Mr. Robert Bailey: I would agree with that.

The Chair (Ms. Jane McKenna): Okay.

There was also discussion on inviting the Ombudsman for a briefing on his mandate and office. Do we have an agreement to invite the Ombudsman for a closed-session briefing at another subsequent meeting? Any discussion? Agreed? Okay.

There is no further business on the agenda. The committee stands adjourned.

The committee adjourned at 1319.

 

 

 

STANDING COMMITTEE ON THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY

Chair / Présidente

Ms. Jane McKenna (Burlington PC)

 

Vice-Chair / Vice-Président

Mr. Vijay Thanigasalam (Scarborough–Rouge Park PC)

 

Mr. Robert Bailey (Sarnia–Lambton PC)

Ms. Rima Berns-McGown (Beaches–East York ND)

Mr. Michael Coteau (Don Valley East / Don Valley-Est L)

Mr. Mike Harris (Kitchener–Conestoga PC)

Mr. Faisal Hassan (York South–Weston / York-Sud–Weston ND)

Ms. Jane McKenna (Burlington PC)

Miss Christina Maria Mitas (Scarborough Centre / Scarborough-Centre PC)

Mr. Sam Oosterhoff (Niagara West / Niagara-Ouest PC)

Miss Amanda Simard (Glengarry–Prescott–Russell PC)

Mr. Gurratan Singh (Brampton East / Brampton-Est ND)

Mr. Vijay Thanigasalam (Scarborough–Rouge Park PC)

 

Substitutions / Membres remplaçants

Mrs. Belinda Karahalios (Cambridge PC)

Mr. Jeremy Roberts (Ottawa West–Nepean / Ottawa-Ouest–Nepean PC)

 

Clerk / Greffière

Ms. Valerie Quioc Lim

 

Staff / Personnel

Ms. Erin Fowler, research officer,
Research Services