The committee met at 0935 in room 151 and by video conference.

Occupational Safety and Health Day Act, 2021 Loi de 2021 sur la Journée de la sécurité et de la santé au travail

Consideration of the following bill:

Bill 152, An Act to proclaim Occupational Safety and Health Day / Projet de loi 152, Loi proclamant la Journée de la sécurité et de la santé au travail.

The Chair (Mr. Deepak Anand): Good morning, everyone. I’ll call the meeting to order.

We are meeting today to consider the method of proceeding with respect to Bill 152, An Act to proclaim Occupational Safety and Health Day.

We have MPP Robin Martin in the room, and we have MPP Aris Babikian, MPP Jeff Burch, MPP Joel Harden, MPP Mike Harris, MPP Christine Hogarth, MPP Bhutila Karpoche, MPP Natalia Kusendova, MPP Jane McKenna and MPP Effie Triantafilopoulos on Zoom.

Staff from Hansard, broadcast and recording, and legislative research join us remotely today.

To make sure that everyone can understand what is going on, it is important that all participants speak slowly and clearly. Please wait until I recognize you before starting to speak. Since it could take a little time for your audio and video to come up after I recognize you, please take a brief pause before beginning. As always, all comments should go through the Chair.

At this time, are there any questions? I do see—

Mrs. Robin Martin: I’m going to bring a motion.

The Chair (Mr. Deepak Anand): Go ahead, MPP.

Mrs. Robin Martin: I move that the committee enter closed session for the purposes of organizing committee business and that broadcasting staff be permitted to remain in the closed session meeting for the purposes of operating the electronic meeting technology.

The Chair (Mr. Deepak Anand): Thank you, MPP Martin.

Before I go to MPP Martin’s motion, I want to welcome Ashton from my office, who is here for the first time at Queen’s Park.

MPP Martin has moved a motion that the committee enter closed session for the purposes of organizing committee business and that broadcasting staff be permitted to remain in the closed session meeting for the purposes of operating the electronic meeting technology. As we are waiting for technology staff—

Interjection.

The Chair (Mr. Deepak Anand): Absolutely. Yes, MPP Harden, I’m going to that.

At this moment, does anyone want to comment or debate? MPP Harden.

Mr. Joel Harden: I think this is a very important discussion around occupational health and safety at a critical time, given the virus. I think the people of Ontario deserve to have every possible record of our discussions on this important matter. As much as I respect my colleague the parliamentary secretary, I would strongly encourage my colleagues to ensure that we do not move into closed session. This is an important subject that needs to be debated out in the open, and the members of the public who want to research the veracity of our conversations on this really important public policy matter should be given every single opportunity to do so. So I’m strongly and collegially encouraging all of my colleague members to not support this motion.

The Chair (Mr. Deepak Anand): Any comments? MPP Martin.

Mrs. Robin Martin: I would just say that the substance of consideration of this bill will, of course, be in open session when we have the hearings, but this is scheduling of committee business. It’s always done in closed session. It has been happening this way since we took government, I think. The public record should focus on the substantive debate.

The Chair (Mr. Deepak Anand): At this time, does anyone else want to comment? MPP Harden.

Mr. Joel Harden: If there is no other debate, I would just ask that we have a roll call vote on this matter, please.

Interjection.

The Chair (Mr. Deepak Anand): MPP Harden, would you like to have a recorded vote or would you like to have a vote?

Mr. Joel Harden: I would like to have a recorded vote.

The Chair (Mr. Deepak Anand): Okay. At this time, we’re going to conduct the vote through a roll call, and it will be recorded. I’ll start by asking: Are the members ready to vote?

Ayes

Babikian, Harris, Hogarth, Kusendova, Martin, McKenna, Triantafilopoulos.

Nays

Burch, Harden, Karpoche.

The Chair (Mr. Deepak Anand): Based on the number, I would say the motion is carried.

At this time, we’re going to go into a recess for five minutes, and we’ll be in a closed session after five minutes. Thank you so much.

The committee recessed at 0944 and later continued in closed session.

STANDING COMMITTEE ON SOCIAL POLICY

Chair / Président

Mr. Deepak Anand (Mississauga–Malton PC)

Vice-Chair / Vice-Présidente

Ms. Bhutila Karpoche (Parkdale–High Park ND)

Mr. Deepak Anand (Mississauga–Malton PC)

Mr. Aris Babikian (Scarborough–Agincourt PC)

Mr. Jeff Burch (Niagara Centre / Niagara-Centre ND)

Ms. Amy Fee (Kitchener South–Hespeler / Kitchener-Sud–Hespeler PC)

Mr. Michael Gravelle (Thunder Bay–Superior North / Thunder Bay–Supérieur-Nord L)

Mr. Joel Harden (Ottawa Centre / Ottawa-Centre ND)

Mr. Mike Harris (Kitchener–Conestoga PC)

Ms. Christine Hogarth (Etobicoke–Lakeshore PC)

Mrs. Belinda C. Karahalios (Cambridge NBP)

Ms. Bhutila Karpoche (Parkdale–High Park ND)

Ms. Natalia Kusendova (Mississauga Centre / Mississauga-Centre PC)

Mrs. Robin Martin (Eglinton–Lawrence PC)

Ms. Effie J. Triantafilopoulos (Oakville North–Burlington / Oakville-Nord–Burlington PC)

Substitutions / Membres remplaçants

Ms. Jane McKenna (Burlington PC)

Clerk / Greffière

Ms. Tanzima Khan

Staff / Personnel

Ms. Sandra Lopes, research officer,
Research Services