CONTENTS
Wednesday 28 April 1993
Election of Chair
Election of Vice-Chair
Appointment of subcommittee
Committee business
STANDING COMMITTEE ON ESTIMATES
*Chair / Président: Jackson, Cameron (Burlington South/-Sud PC)
Vice-Chair / Vice-Présidente: Arnott, Ted (Wellington PC)
*Abel, Donald (Wentworth North/-Nord ND
*Bisson, Gilles (Cochrane South/-Sud ND)
*Carr, Gary (Oakville South/-Sud PC)
Elston, Murray J. (Bruce L)
*Haeck, Christel (St Catharines-Brock ND)
*Jamison, Norm (Norfolk ND)
*Lessard, Wayne (Windsor-Walkerville ND)
Mahoney, Steven W. (Mississauga West/-Ouest L)
*Ramsay, David (Timiskaming L)
*Wiseman, Jim (Durham West/-Ouest ND)
*In attendance / présents
Clerk / Greffiére: Grannum, Tonia
Staff / Personnel: Nishman, Robert, research officer, Legislative Research Service
The committee met at 1529 in committee room 2.
ELECTION OF CHAIR
Clerk of the Committee (Ms Tonia Grannum): Honourable members, it is my duty to call upon you to elect a Chair. Could I have nominations? Mr Carr.
Mr Gary Carr (Oakville South): Yes. I'd like to nominate Cam Jackson, the member for Burlington South, as the Chair.
Clerk of the Committee: Are there any further nominations? Okay, seeing no further nominations, I declare the nominations closed and Mr Cam Jackson be elected as Chair.
Mr Carr: In a landslide.
Mr Jim Wiseman (Durham West): They've muzzled you now, Cam. They put you in the chair.
Mr Gilles Bisson (Cochrane South): Never stopped him before.
The Chair (Mr Cameron Jackson): Although we have an agenda, as my first duty it's a pleasure to welcome our new clerk, Tonia Grannum. I understand, although she's not immediately new, this is her first full sessional assignment. We're delighted and honoured that she's been assigned to work with us, and I'd officially like to welcome you on behalf of the committee. She's very, very approachable and supportive and her office is always open, so please take advantage of that kindness and that support.
ELECTION OF VICE-CHAIR
The Chair: The second item on the agenda will be the election of a Vice-Chairman. I'm open to any nominations. The Chair recognizes Mr Carr again.
Mr Carr: Yes. I would like to nominate Ted Arnott as the Vice-Chair.
The Chair: Are you sure Mr Arnott is willing to serve in this capacity?
Mr Carr: He sure is.
The Chair: Are there any further nominations for the position of Vice-Chair?
Mr Bisson: Let's have an election. I would like to nominate Mr Carr.
The Chair: Mr Carr, are you willing to stand for the position?
Mr Carr: I would love to. Unfortunately, I sit on another committee, so I'll have to thankfully decline. It was nice of you to offer.
The Chair: A final call for nominations for Vice-Chair. Seeing none, the Chair declares Mr Ted Arnott as our Vice-Chair.
Mr Wayne Lessard (Windsor-Walkerville): Where is Ted? I'd like to congratulate him.
The Chair: Ted is doing his 125 ceremonies in his riding today and expresses his regrets at being unable to be with us.
APPOINTMENT OF SUBCOMMITTEE
The Chair: The third item of business is the Chair would appreciate receiving nominations of persons for the subcommittee so that we can proceed with ordering up our business fairly soon.
Mr Carr: I would like to move that a subcommittee on committee business be appointed to meet from time to time at the call of the Chair or at the request of any member thereof to consider and report to the committee on the business of the committee; that substitution be permitted on the subcommittee; that the presence of all members of the subcommittee is necessary to constitute a meeting; and that the subcommittee be composed of the following members: Mr Jackson as the Chair, Mr Arnott as the Vice-Chair, Mr Bisson and Mr Ramsay.
The Chair: That's an interesting way of doing it, and the Chair will receive it since it is in order. Is there any discussion on the motion?
Mr Carr: I'm just doing what I'm told.
The Chair: Maybe he should have been Vice-Chair. That was the easy way of doing it.
Mr Carr: It'd be less work if I was.
Mr Wiseman: Is this a slate? Should we be offering up another slate here?
The Chair: The Chair is open to any amendments to the aforementioned motion. Mr Bisson.
Mr Bisson: Just a question of procedure, in regard to the subcommittee having the authority to meet, is it always necessary that all parties be there? That's in the standing orders?
The Chair: The clerk suggests that it is possible to amend the motion as it relates to the point you've just raised, Mr Bisson, but when I look at it, "that the presence of all members of the subcommittee is necessary to constitute a meeting," that is how the motion is before us. If you should choose to change that -- our standing order 123(b) suggests that you can order up the number constituting a quorum if you so wish. We'll give Mr Bisson a moment.
Mr Bisson: I guess the question I was asking the clerk is, is it always the practice that all members of the subcommittee have to be there in order for the subcommittee to do its business? I know on a committee I was on previously we had gone ahead at one time without a particular party being there.
The Chair: The standing orders suggest that the committee responds to that point. The motion before us clearly sets out what a quorum constitutes. It means full attendance of the four aforementioned individuals in the motion. It's a standard motion but it is amendable, so your experience that you are referencing was probably ordered up in an amended fashion.
Mr Bisson: Okay. I support the motion.
The Chair: Are there any further questions or comments with respect to the motion? If not, I'd like to call the question. All those in favour? Opposed, if any? Carried.
COMMITTEE BUSINESS
The Chair: Earlier I had requested that the clerk prepare a summary of the estimates that had been considered by this committee in the last three estimates years. That is being circulated now as an assist to committee members as you return to your caucuses to consider your selections, which will be the order of the day at one of our earliest meetings following the Treasurer's budget tabling.
I'd also like to introduce the committee to Mr Robert Nishman, who has been assigned as our research officer. We're quite comfortable, Robert, for you to join us here at the table. I'm further guided by the clerk that the package I was referring to was sent to your offices earlier but what is now before you is just the immediate preceding estimates year. Are there any questions about the document or any questions for Robert or any other new business for the committee?
Then I would suggest, simply by way of information, that the most significant announcement we as a committee anticipate at the moment is the Treasurer advising us of a date on which he will bring forward the budget. The standing orders will guide us in terms of the requirement of our standing orders that after five sessional days the estimates have to be tabled. This does not impede us in making the selection process, but I think it's convention and preferred that we see the estimates before making that determination.
However, caucuses know the order in which we make the selections and you can be putting your minds around that between now and whenever. The subcommittee will meet soon, but we as a committee will probably not meet until we're ready to do our selection. Sort of as information, are you comfortable with that? Because that's what the Chair will accept as your guidance. Very good. If there's no other business, then the Chair will entertain a motion to adjourn.
Mr Bisson: I would like to make a motion that we adjourn until after the budget.
The Chair: Mr Bisson has moved that we adjourn today's committee hearing. All those in favour? Opposed, if any? Carried.
The committee adjourned at 1539.