MINISTRY OF THE ENVIRONMENT

CONTENTS

Wednesday 14 June 2000

Ministry of the Environment

STANDING COMMITTEE ON ESTIMATES

Chair / Président
Mr Gerard Kennedy (Parkdale-High Park L)

Vice-Chair / Vice-Président
Mr Alvin Curling (Scarborough-Rouge River L)

Mr Gilles Bisson (Timmins-James Bay / Timmins-Baie James ND)
Mr Sean G. Conway (Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke L)
Mr Alvin Curling (Scarborough-Rouge River L)
Mr Gerard Kennedy (Parkdale-High Park L)
Mr Frank Mazzilli (London-Fanshawe PC)
Mr John O'Toole (Durham PC)
Mr R. Gary Stewart (Peterborough PC)
Mr Wayne Wettlaufer (Kitchener PC)

Substitutions / Membres remplaçants
Mr Toby Barrett (Haldimand-Norfolk-Brant PC)

Clerk / Greffière
Ms Anne Stokes

Staff / Personnel
Ms Anne Marzalik, research officer, Research and Information Services

The committee met at 1552 in room 228.

MINISTRY OF THE ENVIRONMENT

The Chair (Mr Gerard Kennedy): We have a quorum. We're going to start the meeting.

Mr Alvin Curling (Scarborough-Rouge River): On a point of order, Mr Chair: I understand that section 59(e), which is on page 48-we are considering the same policy field being considered in the House today, meeting on the same matter of discussing the water. The section reads, "No estimates shall be considered in the committee while any matter, including a procedural motion, relating to the same policy field is being considered in the House." I just wonder if you could rule on that, whether we could have consideration that since it's being discussed there now, we could then adjourn ourselves to the House.

The Chair: I will address that point of order, Mr Curling.

The standing order does state, "No estimates shall be considered in the committee while any matter, including a procedural motion, relating to the same policy field is being considered in the House."

A want of confidence motion is on the orders and notices paper for today, and I understand it has been called for debate simultaneously with the scheduled sitting of the committee. Although the motion refers to the provincial government and the matter for debate is that the government no longer has the confidence of this House, I find that the matter does lie in the policy field of the Ministry of the Environment. Both the text of the motion itself and the Minister of the Environment's statement yesterday that he could not attend today's session of the estimates committee because of the want of confidence motion clearly indicate that the matters are of direct concern to the Ministry of the Environment.

I therefore rule that the meeting today of the estimates committee would contravene standing order 59(e). The meeting is cancelled.

Thank you, members. We will reconvene next Tuesday after orders of the day.

The committee adjourned at 1554