The committee met at 1301 in committee room 1.

Committee business

The Vice-Chair (Ms. Bhutila Karpoche): Good afternoon, everyone. The Standing Committee on Social Policy will now come to order. As always, please wait to be recognized by myself before speaking. All questions and comments will need to go through the Chair.

On the agenda is committee business. Are there any motions? MPP Anand has a motion.

Mr. Deepak Anand: Before I start with the motion, I just want to acknowledge that I have Nabiha and Ryan Whealey in the room. As I always say, I don’t know what I would do without you, Ryan.

Over to my motion: Madam Chair, I move that the committee shall enter closed session for the purposes of organizing committee business.

The Vice-Chair (Ms. Bhutila Karpoche): Any discussions or comments? MPP Burch.

Mr. Jeff Burch: I just want it on the record that we’re opposed to going into closed session for business, and we request a recorded vote.

The Vice-Chair (Ms. Bhutila Karpoche): Any more questions and discussions? MPP Fraser.

Mr. John Fraser: I don’t believe we have to go into closed session to do it either—no need.

The Vice-Chair (Ms. Bhutila Karpoche): Further comments?

Mr. Deepak Anand: Absolutely, Chair. I can comment a little bit. What we’re trying to do next is not committee business. We’re just going to be talking about—it’s like a subcommittee, and when we have a subcommittee, it is done in closed session. We are doing exactly what we do usually as a protocol.

So with that, I move the motion that we should enter closed session for the purposes of organizing committee business, not the committee business.

The Vice-Chair (Ms. Bhutila Karpoche): MPP Fraser.

Mr. John Fraser: No, it’s not like a subcommittee, because inside a subcommittee, we would actually have three parties that would have to come to an agreement, and that was a way of negotiating it. Because there are only two parties right now, you’re not having that kind of negotiation.

I think for it to be out in the open and negotiated, there’s nothing wrong with that and we don’t really need to go in. That’s all I’m going to say—nothing else.

The Vice-Chair (Ms. Bhutila Karpoche: Any further comments? MPP Sattler.

Ms. Peggy Sattler: I just wanted to add my objection to proceeding to closed session to organize committee business. I think that the public has a right to hear the discussion that’s going to take place around the business of a committee that’s supposed to be looking at issues that the public is very keenly interested in, so I think that that discussion should be held in public.

The Vice-Chair (Ms. Bhutila Karpoche): Thank you.

Any further comments? All those in favour, please raise your hand.

Ayes

Anand, Oosterhoff, Pang, Sabawy, Scott, Skelly.

Nays

Burch, Fraser, Sattler.

The Vice-Chair (Ms. Bhutila Karpoche): The motion is carried.

Moving into a closed session, we’re going to recess now for five minutes to allow the Clerk to confirm that the committee is ready to proceed. Thank you.

The committee recessed at 1304 and later continued in closed session.

STANDING COMMITTEE ON SOCIAL POLICY

Chair / Présidente

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

Vice-Chair / Vice-Présidente

Ms. Bhutila Karpoche (Parkdale–High Park ND)

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. Bhutila Karpoche (Parkdale–High Park ND)

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

Mrs. Robin Martin (Eglinton–Lawrence PC)

Mr. Jim McDonell (Stormont–Dundas–South Glengarry PC)

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

Substitutions / Membres remplaçants

Mr. Deepak Anand (Mississauga–Malton PC)

Mr. John Fraser (Ottawa South / Ottawa-Sud L)

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

Mr. Billy Pang (Markham–Unionville PC)

Mr. Sheref Sabawy (Mississauga–Erin Mills PC)

Ms. Peggy Sattler (London West / London-Ouest ND)

Ms. Laurie Scott (Haliburton–Kawartha Lakes–Brock PC)

Ms. Donna Skelly (Flamborough–Glanbrook PC)

Clerk / Greffière

Ms. Vanessa Kattar

Staff / Personnel

Ms. Heather Conklin, research officer,
Research Services