Assemblée législative de l'Ontario

The committee met at 1301 in room 151.

Subcommittee report

The Chair (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Good afternoon, members. The Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs will now come to order.

On the agenda today, we have the consideration of a report from the subcommittee on committee business. Would a member care to read it into the record and move its adoption? MPP West.

MPP Jamie West: Thank you, Chair. The whole thing?

The Chair (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Yes.

MPP Jamie West: Okay. I just wasn’t sure if I started and then I’d go on line by line.

Your subcommittee on committee business met on November 22, 2022, and recommends the following:

(1) That the committee conduct a study of the lifespan of and deficiencies with the building systems in the Legislative precinct and the need for rehabilitation and restoration; and

(2) That the committee meet on Tuesday, November 29, 2022, from 9 a.m. to 10:15 a.m., and that the Clerk of the Assembly and the director of the Precinct Properties branch be requested to appear to brief the committee and take questions on the current state of the building and discuss the need for restoration or rehabilitation of building systems or the building as a whole; and

(3) That the committee request that the Clerk and director of the Precinct Properties branch provide the committee with a list of appropriate staff who may be able to provide the committee with relevant testimony to assist the committee in its study; and

(4) That the committee meet on Thursday, December 1, 2022, at 1 p.m. to tour the entirety of the building and that the Clerk of the Committee arrange for this tour; and

(5) That the committee meet on Tuesday, December 6, 2022, from 9 a.m. to 10:15 a.m., and that the assembly staff suggested by the Clerk and director of Precinct Properties branch be invited to appear to make deputations, and for question and answer on those deputations, with allocation of time to be determined by the Chair; and

(6) That the Tuesday, December 6, 2022, meeting occur in closed session if needed; and

(7) That the subcommittee on committee business meet on Monday, December 5, 2022, to develop and recommend to the committee further business related to the study.

The Chair (Ms. Jennifer K. French): MPP West has moved adoption of this report. Is there any—oh, I beg your pardon. He has not moved adoption, so the member has read the motion and has some—

MPP Jamie West: And I so move.

The Chair (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Okay. So now, MPP West has moved that the report of the subcommittee be adopted. Is there any discussion? Okay. Are members, then, ready to vote? All those in favour, please raise your hand. All those opposed, please raise your hand. The motion is carried.

Am I allowed to add something here, as Chair, with my prerogative? Having attended the subcommittee and the discussion, there was no discussion today, but just so folks are aware, the closed session was recommended because some of the staff of the Legislature are not generally public-facing, so that was for them.

The other thing is, there is not an end time to the tour. So I would recommend that all members take a look at their schedules and ensure that they are available for the entirety of the tour, as much as that can be arranged.

Committee business

The Chair (Ms. Jennifer K. French): So, there being no further business—

Mr. Graham McGregor: Sorry, Chair—

The Chair (Ms. Jennifer K. French): I recognize MPP McGregor.

Mr. Graham McGregor: Thank you. I move that, pursuant to standing order 110(g), Mike Civil, director of the legislative protective service and prospective Sergeant-at-Arms, be invited to appear before the committee in closed session at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, November 29, 2022; and

That Mr. Civil be allotted 20 minutes to make an opening statement respecting his qualifications, experience, vision and priorities for policing and security in the legislative precinct, followed by 50 minutes of questioning, divided into two rounds of 10 minutes for the official opposition members, five minutes for the independent member and 10 minutes for the government members.

The Chair (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Okay. Could I have a copy of that?

Mr. Graham McGregor: Absolutely.

The Chair (Ms. Jennifer K. French): While that’s being distributed, Mr. McGregor has moved—

Interjection.

The Chair (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Okay. While we make arrangements and make copies—

Mr. Amarjot Sandhu: We can share it.

The Chair (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Okay. Then if folks have what they need and can follow along, Mr. McGregor has moved that, pursuant to standing order 110(g), Mike Civil, director of the legislative protective service and prospective Sergeant-at-Arms, be invited to appear before the committee in closed session at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, November 29, 2022; and

That Mr. Civil be allotted 20 minutes to make an opening statement respecting his qualifications, experience, vision and priorities for policing and security in the legislative precinct, followed by 50 minutes of questioning divided into two rounds of 10 minutes for the official opposition members, five minutes for the independent member and 10 minutes for the government members.

Would the MPP who moved it like to comment?

Mr. Graham McGregor: Yes, just in terms of the idea behind it: I understand that the House leaders and representatives of the independent members received a memo from the Speaker dated November 22, 2022, informing him that he had made this appointment and that Mr. Civil will formally commence his duties on January 1, 2023. Given that this is a committee that oversees House administration as one of its core functions, on our side we felt it was appropriate for all members of the committee to be able to get to know Mr. Civil and hear about his experience in taking on the new job.

The Chair (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Is there any discussion? MPP West.

MPP Jamie West: I’m not opposed to having the meeting. I just don’t know if it’s within our normal committee sitting time, and I don’t know how it works for schedules on short notice like that.

The Chair (Ms. Jennifer K. French): It’s my understanding that it is outside of the regularly scheduled time, because we have Tuesday morning and Thursday afternoon; however, and the Clerk will correct me, but I believe that this committee can make decisions outside of their scheduled time. I’m not sure if that’s something that requires a vote or if the committee decides—

Interjection.

The Chair (Ms. Jennifer K. French): If the committee decides, it is.

Is there any further discussion? Yes, MPP Bell?

Ms. Jessica Bell: I’m not opposed to it either. It seems like a very formal process for an individual who has already got the job, right? It seems like it’s a little bit interrogatory as opposed to a meet-and-greet.

The Chair (Ms. Jennifer K. French): MPP McGregor?

Mr. Graham McGregor: I appreciate that. I think one of the important parts of the motion as well—we see closed session at 3 p.m. The intention here is not to get overly political or theatrical. It’s just to allow the members of the committee who oversee the House affairs to have a chance to get to know our incoming Sergeant-at-Arms.

The Chair (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Is there any further discussion? MPP West.

MPP Jamie West: Just for the record, because I don’t want any disrespect to Mr. Civil: We have a lot of committee business coming up shortly. I’m booked during this time already, and I have very little time to move around appointments that I have on short notice. So I would vote against having the meeting at that time. I’m open to having the meeting another time, but I don’t know how I’d make that work in my schedule.

The Chair (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Is there any other discussion? MPP Bell.

Ms. Jessica Bell: Can we propose a friendly amendment that we have this introduction to Mr. Civil happen at a time of regularly scheduled business for this committee?

The Chair (Ms. Jennifer K. French): MPP Bell is asking if we could amend this motion in terms of the time, to be at a regularly scheduled committee slot. Is the government amenable to that? I would say while you’re conferring that with the subcommittee report that we have in front of us, there are some considerations. It would be a matter—I would recommend that we do come up with a date that—

Mr. Graham McGregor: Yes, and I just think—

The Chair (Ms. Jennifer K. French): I’m sorry. Just a second, please.

Mr. Graham McGregor: Oh, of course.

The Chair (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Just for clarification, if we the committee were to adopt any changes, they would have to be formally moved.

MPP McGregor.

Mr. Graham McGregor: I would just put forward, given the business of this committee and the fact that Mr. Civil takes it on in January, that “sooner rather than later” is the desired outcome. I would move that we maintain the original date, as outlined in the motion.

The Chair (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Without another formal motion, this current motion is before us. Is there any other further discussion? Yes, MPP Hsu?

Mr. Ted Hsu: Just for the record, I would prefer a regularly scheduled time as well.

The Chair (Ms. Jennifer K. French): And as Chair, I will have to check my schedule. I don’t believe that I am available either, so I will perhaps have to look to Mr. Rae. However, we will confer with the Clerk and figure this out.

Is there further discussion? No? In that case, are members ready to vote? All those in favour, please raise your hand. All those opposed, please raise your hand. The motion is carried.

There being, I’m going to assume, no further business—I should ask: Is there any further business? Are there any further surprises? Okay. There being no further business, this committee is adjourned until Tuesday, November 29, at, I will say, as per the subcommittee report that was adopted, 9 a.m.

The committee adjourned at 1313.

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

Ms. Natalie Pierre (Burlington PC)

Clerk / Greffier

Mr. Christopher Tyrell

Staff / Personnel

Ms. Joanne McNair, Table Research Clerk,
Table Research