Assemblée législative de l'Ontario

The committee met at 0904 in committee room 1.

Subcommittee report

The Chair (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Good morning, members. The Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs will now come to order. Our first item of business is consideration of the subcommittee report. Would a member like to read it into the record and move its adoption?

Ms. Christine Hogarth: I’ll be reading it.

The Chair (Ms. Jennifer K. French): MPP Hogarth.

Ms. Christine Hogarth: Your subcommittee on committee business met on December 5, 2022, to consider the method of proceeding on its study of the lifespan of and deficiencies with the building systems in the legislative precinct and the need for rehabilitation and restoration, and recommends the following:

(1) That the committee travel to Ottawa during the winter adjournment, subject to authorization from the House.

(2) That the Clerk of the Committee look into the feasibility of organizing a tour for committee members on the renovations being conducted at the House of Commons, specifically of the Centre and West Blocks.

(3) That the Clerk of the Committee explore the feasibility of the committee holding hearings in the House of Commons committee rooms for the purpose of hearing from House of Commons staff and other relevant parties on their renovations progress.

(4) That the committee consider the possibility of visiting other public buildings and hearing from individuals from other public buildings that have been, or are currently, under renovations.

(5) That members of the House of Commons’s Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs committee be invited to appear before the committee and provide the committee with information pertaining to the ongoing renovations at the House of Commons.

(6) That the Chair, on behalf of the committee, write letters to the House leaders of the recognized parties to request that a motion be presented to the House authorizing the committee to meet for up to five days during the winter adjournment.

The Chair (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Okay, with one minor correction: Is this a subcommittee report that has been moved by us? Or did you move it?

Ms. Christine Hogarth: Oh, I didn’t move it. Would you like me to move it? I move that what I just read is adopted.

The Chair (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Okay. Thank you. Is there any debate on the subcommittee report? Mr. Harris.

Mr. Mike Harris: Thank you, Madam Chair. I’d like to move a couple of amendments to the report, if I may:

I move that in point 6 of the report, the words “for up to five days” be struck out; and

That the following point be added to the report:

“(7) That the Clerk of the Committee be authorized to arrange travel to and from Queen’s Park for members of the committee or substitute members, for committee staff, and for up to two staff to be designated by the government member of the subcommittee on committee business, up to two staff to be designated by the official opposition member of the subcommittee on committee business, and one staff to be designated by the independent member of the committee, or that the committee reimburse reasonable travel expenses for those members and staff travelling with the committee from other locations in Ontario.”

The Chair (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Okay. Thank you. I saw just one minor change there; it’s just a typo, for the record. But beyond that, is there debate of the subcommittee report, as amended—

The Clerk of the Committee (Mr. Christopher Tyrell): The motion.

The Chair (Ms. Jennifer K. French): The motion; I’m sorry. Okay, if there is no debate on the subcommittee report—

The Clerk of the Committee (Mr. Christopher Tyrell): On the motion.

The Chair (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Right, you have moved the amendment. So there’s no discussion on the amendment. Are members ready to vote on the motion? Not the report; on the motion. All those in favour? All those opposed? Carried.

Now I believe that we are back to discussing the report, as amended. Is there any discussion on the report of the subcommittee? Okay. So everyone is good to go to Ottawa, and there’s no discussion; wonderful. Are members ready to vote? All those in favour of the adoption of the subcommittee report? All those opposed? That is carried.

We will now move into closed session for the remainder of our meeting this morning.

The committee continued in closed session at 0909.

STANDING COMMITTEE ON PROCEDURE AND HOUSE AFFAIRS

Chair / Présidente

Ms. Jennifer K. French (Oshawa ND)

Vice-Chair / Vice-Président

Mr. Matthew Rae (Perth–Wellington PC)

Ms. Jessica Bell (University–Rosedale ND)

Ms. Jennifer K. French (Oshawa ND)

M^me Dawn Gallagher Murphy (Newmarket–Aurora PC)

Mr. Mike Harris (Kitchener–Conestoga PC)

Ms. Christine Hogarth (Etobicoke–Lakeshore PC)

Mr. Ted Hsu (Kingston and the Islands / Kingston et les Îles L)

Mr. Graham McGregor (Brampton North / Brampton-Nord PC)

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

Mr. Matthew Rae (Perth–Wellington PC)

Mr. Amarjot Sandhu (Brampton West / Brampton-Ouest PC)

Mr. Stéphane Sarrazin (Glengarry–Prescott–Russell PC)

MPP Jamie West (Sudbury ND)

Substitutions / Membres remplaçants

Mr. Rick Byers (Bruce–Grey–Owen Sound PC)

Clerk / Greffier

Mr. Christopher Tyrell

Staff / Personnel

Ms. Joanne McNair, Table Research Clerk,

Table Research