Assemblée législative de l'Ontario

The committee met at 0901 in committee room 1 and by video conference.

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

We have the following members in the room: MPP Bouma and MPP Fraser. The following members are participating remotely: MPP Lindo, MPP Martow, MPP Lorne Coe, MPP Miller, MPP Dave Smith, MPP Jaime West and MPP Billy Pang.

The staff from Hansard, broadcast and recording, and legislative research join us remotely today as well.

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.

Subcommittee report

The Chair (Mr. Deepak Anand): On the agenda is a report from the subcommittee on committee business. Would a member of the subcommittee like to read the report into the record and move its adoption? MPP Bouma.

Mr. Will Bouma: Yes, I’m not in the subcommittee but our member from the subcommittee is driving, so I will read in the report.

This is a Standing Committee on Regulations and Private Bills subcommittee on committee business draft report to the subcommittee.

Your subcommittee on committee business met on Tuesday, October 6, 2020, to consider the method of proceeding on Bill 201, An Act to proclaim Magna Carta Day, and recommends the following:

(1) That the committee conduct public hearings on Bill 201 on Wednesday, October 14, 2020, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.

(2) That the Clerk of the Committee be authorized to immediately post notices regarding the hearings on the Ontario parliamentary channel and on the Legislative Assembly’s website.

(3) That the deadline for requests to appear shall be Friday, October 9, 2020, at 5 p.m.

(4) That the Chair, on behalf of the committee, invite MPP Jane McKenna to speak for up to 15 minutes, followed by 15 minutes of questioning with five minutes apportioned to each of the recognized parties and five minutes to the independent member.

(5) That witnesses be scheduled in groups of three for each one-hour time slot, with seven minutes each for their presentations and 39 minutes for questioning for all three witnesses, divided into two rounds of seven and a half minutes for the government members, two rounds of seven and a half minutes for the official opposition members and two rounds of four and half minutes for the independent member.

(6) That the Clerk be authorized to schedule witnesses on a first-come, first-served basis.

(7) That the deadline for filing written submissions be 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 14, 2020.

(8) That the research officers provide the committee with a summary of witness presentations by 12 p.m. on Thursday, October 15, 2020.

(9) That the deadline for filing proposed amendments to the bill with the Clerk of the Committee shall be 5 p.m. on Thursday, October 15, 2020.

(10) That the committee meet on Friday, October 16, 2020, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. for clause-by-clause consideration.

I present that report and would move its adoption.

The Chair (Mr. Deepak Anand): Thank you, MPP Bouma. Any comments? Any debate? I’m going to give a minute to read it. If anyone wants to read it, you can read it for a minute or two and then I can ask the question again.

If you’ve read it, can you give me a signal with a thumbs-up? Good, most of the thumbs are up. Thanks. Perfect. Thank you so much.

I’m going to ask again: Any comments or any debate? MPP West? Yes, go ahead, sir.

Mr. Jamie West: Thank you, Chair. I was just waiting to unmute.

I’m skimming it. We had a discussion about how, because of the tight deadline, the summary would be only for verbal presentations where they didn’t provide a written presentation. I’m fine if it’s not in here; I was just trying to save the Clerk some work.

And the second thing is just a request: I don’t know if it meets with the procedure, but it would be helpful to have this ahead of time, even if it was sent to us as a draft as part of the attachments, just to help prepare.

On number 8, it said “That the research officers provide the committee with a summary of witness presentations by 12 p.m.” In the subcommittee meeting we had yesterday, we had discussed that, because of the tight timeline, we felt that as long as we had the written submissions, if somebody had a verbal presentation but didn’t provide written submissions, then we would ask the research officers to summarize those for us.

And then I’ll mute myself.

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

Does anyone else has any other comment? Are we just going to have a conversation on this? Yes, MPP Fraser?

Mr. John Fraser: I don’t know if you need to write that in the subcommittee report, if it’s an understanding. If the research officers just simply resubmit this as submissions with the submissions that they have, which are not necessarily a summary, I don’t know if you have to write it in there for that to happen. That would just be my suggestion. I think it could just be an understanding, but that’s my take. Thank you.

The Chair (Mr. Deepak Anand): MPP West, we’re not sure whether their written statements will reflect their remarks, as MPP Fraser is saying. In the past, we’ve considered it, but it doesn’t have to be written in. Any other comment?

Mr. Jamie West: No, I’m fine. Thank you.

The Chair (Mr. Deepak Anand): I appreciate it.

Any other comment? And thank you, MPP Fraser, for that clarification and support.

Seeing no other comment, are members ready to vote? Show your support with a thumbs-up or hands up, whichever. All in favour? Seeing all in favour, the motion is carried.

That’s pretty much the end of the day. Thank you, everyone, for joining. The committee is now adjourned until 9 a.m. on Wednesday, October 14, 2020. See you at that time. I appreciated you coming.

The committee adjourned at 0910.

STANDING COMMITTEE ON REGULATIONS AND PRIVATE BILLS

Chair / Président

Mr. Deepak Anand (Mississauga–Malton PC)

Vice-Chair / Vice-Président

Mr. Will Bouma (Brantford–Brant PC)

Mr. Deepak Anand (Mississauga–Malton PC)

Mr. Toby Barrett (Haldimand–Norfolk PC)

Mr. Will Bouma (Brantford–Brant PC)

Mr. Stephen Crawford (Oakville PC)

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

Ms. Laura Mae Lindo (Kitchener Centre / Kitchener-Centre ND)

Mrs. Gila Martow (Thornhill PC)

Mr. Paul Miller (Hamilton East–Stoney Creek / Hamilton-Est–Stoney Creek ND)

Mr. Billy Pang (Markham–Unionville PC)

Mr. Dave Smith (Peterborough–Kawartha PC)

Mr. Jamie West (Sudbury ND)

Substitutions / Membres remplaçants

Mr. Lorne Coe (Whitby PC)

Mr. Norman Miller (Parry Sound–Muskoka PC)

Clerk / Greffier

Mr. Isaiah Thorning

Staff / Personnel

Ms. Monica Cop, research officer,
Research Services