The committee met at 0900 in committee room 1 and by video conference.

The Chair (Mr. Peter Tabuns): Good morning, everyone. The estimates committee is in order. Before we proceed further, I gather MPP Crawford has joined us by Zoom. MPP Crawford, good morning. For the roll call, if you could state your name and that you’re in Ontario, that would be great.

Mr. Stephen Crawford: Good morning, Chair. It’s MPP Crawford. I’m here in Oakville.

The Chair (Mr. Peter Tabuns): Great. Thank you very much.

Organization

The Chair (Mr. Peter Tabuns): As you know, the Lieutenant Governor has transmitted the estimates of certain sums required for the services of the province for the year ending March 31, 2021, to the Legislative Assembly. Pursuant to standing order 62, these printed estimates, upon tabling, are deemed to be referred to the Standing Committee on Estimates. All committee members should have received an electronic copy of the 2020-21 estimates from the Clerk.

The objectives of today’s meeting are: (1) to select estimates of certain ministries or offices for review by the committee; and (2) to determine the date on which the committee will begin the consideration of the selected estimates.

Standing order 63 sets out the process by which the committee makes its selections. Essentially, each of the recognized parties on the committee shall select the estimates of either one or two ministries or offices in each turn. The official opposition selects first, followed by the government. If members of one party decline to make a selection, the selection then passes to the next party in rotation.

In making its selection, each party also determines how much time is to be allocated to the consideration of each ministry or office selected. A maximum of 15 hours is permitted per selection. For example, if only one selection is made in a round, that single selection could be reviewed for a maximum of 15 hours. If two selections are made in a round, both of them could be reviewed for a combined maximum of 15 hours. How the division of those 15 hours takes place is up to the party making the selection.

Pursuant to standing order 63(c), these selections are to be reviewed in the order in which they are chosen, and this can only be changed by an order of the House.

The estimates of those ministries or offices not selected for consideration will be deemed to have been passed by the committee. As Chair, I will report these estimates back to the House, and they will be deemed to be adopted and concurred in by the House.

Any supplementary estimates of selected ministries and offices shall be considered by the committee within the time allocated during the selection process.

In accordance with standing order 66(a), the committee must present a report to the House with respect to the estimates it selected and considered by the third Thursday of November of this year: November 19, 2020. If the committee fails to report by the third Thursday in November, the estimates and supplementary estimates before the committee will be deemed to be passed by the committee and deemed to be reported to and received by the House.

I’d also like to add a note that if members could please look at the list of ministries and offices in the estimates book and give the correct names of the ministries when they select them.

Do members have any questions before we begin? Okay, I see none.

I’ll start with the official opposition for their first-round selection. MPP Gates.

Mr. Wayne Gates: Yes, the first one is long-term care, 10 hours, and education, five hours.

The Chair (Mr. Peter Tabuns): Okay. Thank you.

I will now turn to the government for their first-round selections. Ms. McKenna.

Ms. Jane McKenna: I select the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry for 7.5 hours and the Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries for 7.5 hours.

The Chair (Mr. Peter Tabuns): I turn to the official opposition to make their second-round selection. Mr. Gates.

Mr. Wayne Gates: Yes. The second turn is 15 hours for health.

The Chair (Mr. Peter Tabuns): Health, 15.

Okay. I’ll now turn to the government for their second-round selection. Ms. McKenna.

Ms. Jane McKenna: I select the Ministry of Infrastructure for 7.5 hours and the Ministry of Energy, Northern Development and Mines for 7.5 hours.

The Chair (Mr. Peter Tabuns): Okay. Thank you. And that gives us seven, so we have met the number that can be selected.

Interjection.

The Chair (Mr. Peter Tabuns): Oh, we can select up to 12. All right.

I will go back to the opposition. Mr. Gates?

Mr. Wayne Gates: On the third turn: municipal affairs, 15 hours.

The Chair (Mr. Peter Tabuns): Okay. Ms. McKenna, do you have a third selection?

Ms. Jane McKenna: Yes. Thank you so much, Chair. I select the Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade for 7.5 hours and the Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility for 7.5 hours.

The Chair (Mr. Peter Tabuns): Thank you very much. Mr. Gates, do you have further selections?

Mr. Wayne Gates: I do not.

The Chair (Mr. Peter Tabuns): Okay. Ms. McKenna, do you have further selections?

Ms. Jane McKenna: I do not.

The Chair (Mr. Peter Tabuns): Okay. So we have selected the ministries that will be informed that there will be hearings.

The second matter to be determined is the date on which the committee will begin its consideration of selected estimates. In order to provide ministries and offices sufficient time to prepare, I propose we start on Tuesday, October 6, at 9 a.m.

Is there agreement to commence hearings on Tuesday, October 6, at 9 a.m.? I see no objections. Okay. Fine, that’s when we’ll commence.

There being no further business, I declare this meeting adjourned. Thank you all.

The committee adjourned at 0906.

STANDING COMMITTEE ON ESTIMATES

Chair / Président

Mr. Peter Tabuns (Toronto–Danforth ND)

Vice-Chair / Vice-Président

Mr. Wayne Gates (Niagara Falls ND)

Mr. Lorne Coe (Whitby PC)

Mr. Wayne Gates (Niagara Falls ND)

Mr. Randy Hillier (Lanark–Frontenac–Kingston IND)

Ms. Andrea Khanjin (Barrie–Innisfil PC)

Ms. Jane McKenna (Burlington PC)

Ms. Judith Monteith-Farrell (Thunder Bay–Atikokan ND)

Mr. Michael Parsa (Aurora–Oak Ridges–Richmond Hill PC)

Mr. Randy Pettapiece (Perth–Wellington PC)

Mr. Kaleed Rasheed (Mississauga East–Cooksville / Mississauga-Est–Cooksville PC)

Ms. Donna Skelly (Flamborough–Glanbrook PC)

Mr. Peter Tabuns (Toronto–Danforth ND)

Substitutions / Membres remplaçants

Mr. Stephen Crawford (Oakville PC)

Mr. Vijay Thanigasalam (Scarborough–Rouge Park PC)

Clerk / Greffière

Ms. Thushitha Kobikrishna

Staff / Personnel

Ms. Laura Anthony, research officer,
Research Services