The committee met at 0900 in committee room 1 and by video conference.

The Chair (Mr. Logan Kanapathi): Good morning. The Standing Committee on Regulations and Private Bills will now come to order. We have the following member in the room: MPP Billy Pang. The following members are participating remotely: MPP John Fraser, MPP Vincent Ke, MPP Paul Miller, MPP Jeremy Roberts, MPP Dave Smith, MPP Jamie West, MPP Norm Miller and MPP Michael Parsa.

We are also joined by staff from legislative research, Hansard, and broadcast and recording.

Please speak slowly and clearly, and 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.

Are there any questions before we begin? MPP Paul Miller.

Mr. Paul Miller: I just want to make sure everybody put their clock forward today, especially Jeremy Roberts.

The Chair (Mr. Logan Kanapathi): Thank you for that reminder.

Committee business

The Chair (Mr. Logan Kanapathi): On the agenda is committee business. Are there—

Interjection.

The Chair (Mr. Logan Kanapathi): MPP Norman Miller, you have a question?

Mr. Norman Miller: No, I’d like to move a motion, please, Chair.

The Chair (Mr. Logan Kanapathi): Yes.

Mr. Norman Miller: 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. Logan Kanapathi): Mr. Miller has moved the motion. Any discussion or comments? MPP Jamie West.

Mr. Jamie West: I’m concerned that we go in camera on a regular basis. I know we can’t discuss what happens in camera, but I feel like the public has a right to an open dialogue about what’s happening and how decisions are made. I would just call for a recorded vote for this and put on record that I’m against regularly going in camera and hiding what we’re doing from the public.

The Chair (Mr. Logan Kanapathi): I see that MPP Paul Miller also has a question. Please go ahead.

Mr. Paul Miller: I also support MPP West’s statement because, obviously, I don’t understand why these types of bills are being put into closed session. This is unheard of, unacceptable. I don’t understand why the public can’t be exposed to these types of bills. So I also want to go on record, and I also ask for a recorded vote on this, please.

The Chair (Mr. Logan Kanapathi): Any discussion or comments? MPP Norm Miller.

Mr. Norman Miller: Thank you to my colleagues for their comments. This basically is about organizing committee business, and that’s usually done in subcommittee, which is done in camera. When the whole committee is also just doing organization of business, that should also be done in camera. That’s what has been the norm for the past year.

The Chair (Mr. Logan Kanapathi): MPP Paul Miller, do you have questions?

Mr. Paul Miller: Yes. I’d like to say that MPP Norm Miller is correct; it has been going on for a few months. But as he knows, being a veteran like me, subcommittees were never done like this. Subcommittees, as you call in camera, were always done informally with the three groups—the way it used to be, the Liberals, the NDP and the Conservatives. A member from each party would meet, sit down and discuss what would go forward to the main committee.

This is unheard of. It’s not normal. I have to disagree with MPP Miller, because he knows this has only been going on for a few months, and for the last—I don’t know—60 years it hasn’t been like that.

The Chair (Mr. Logan Kanapathi): Any other discussion? If none, I will now put the question.

Shall the motion carry? All those in favour, please raise your hand. Anyone opposed? The motion is carried.

We’re going to the closed session—

Interjection.

The Chair (Mr. Logan Kanapathi): MPP Jamie West?

Mr. Jamie West: I just want to confirm that was a recorded vote.

The Chair (Mr. Logan Kanapathi): Thank you. MPP Paul Miller, do you have any—

Mr. Paul Miller: I also want to know if that’s a recorded vote. I didn’t hear anything.

Interjection.

The Chair (Mr. Logan Kanapathi): You didn’t ask for a recorded vote at the beginning, and now, we can’t do the recorded vote. But we are going into closed session.

Mr. Jamie West: Chair?

The Chair (Mr. Logan Kanapathi): MPP Jamie West.

Mr. Jamie West: Chair, both myself and MPP Paul Miller asked for recorded votes. Those were the two things that we said.

The Chair (Mr. Logan Kanapathi): Okay. I’ll confirm with the Clerk. Thank you.

We will go into closed session.

The committee continued in closed session from 0906 to 0910.

The Chair (Mr. Logan Kanapathi): Could I ask for the recorded vote now? This is the time to ask, please. MPP Norman Miller.

Mr. Norman Miller: Yes, I vote in favour of a recorded vote, of passing this motion.

The Chair (Mr. Logan Kanapathi): MPP Jamie West.

Mr. Jamie West: Chair, I vote against this motion.

The Chair (Mr. Logan Kanapathi): In order to get the recorded vote, then—all those in favour, please raise your hand. We have to record it here. Thank you.

Ayes

Ke, Norman Miller, Pang, Parsa, Roberts, Dave Smith.

Nays

Fraser, Paul Miller, West.

The Chair (Mr. Logan Kanapathi): This motion is carried.

We are going into closed session.

The committee continued in closed session at 0911.

STANDING COMMITTEE ON REGULATIONS AND PRIVATE BILLS

Chair / Président

Mr. Logan Kanapathi (Markham–Thornhill PC)

Vice-Chair / Vice-Président

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

Mr. Will Bouma (Brantford–Brant PC)

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

Mr. Logan Kanapathi (Markham–Thornhill PC)

Mr. Vincent Ke (Don Valley North / Don Valley-Nord PC)

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

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

Mr. Billy Pang (Markham–Unionville PC)

Mr. Jeremy Roberts (Ottawa West–Nepean / Ottawa-Ouest–Nepean PC)

Mr. Dave Smith (Peterborough–Kawartha PC)

Mrs. Daisy Wai (Richmond Hill PC)

Mr. Jamie West (Sudbury ND)

Substitutions / Membres remplaçants

Mr. Norman Miller (Parry Sound–Muskoka PC)

Mr. Michael Parsa (Aurora–Oak Ridges–Richmond Hill PC)

Clerk / Greffier

Mr. Isaiah Thorning

Staff / Personnel

Ms. Monica Cop, research officer,
Research Services