Legislative Assembly of Ontario

The committee met at 1547 in committee room 1.

Organization

The Chair (Ms. Cheri DiNovo): Welcome. Welcome to the estimates committee, and welcome to all of you who hope that your ministry does not get picked.

I’m going to read a statement.

Good morning, committee members. As you know, the Lieutenant Governor has transmitted the estimates of certain sums required for the services of the province for the year ending March 31, 2016, to the Legislative Assembly. Pursuant to standing order 59, these printed estimates, upon tabling, are deemed to be referred to the Standing Committee on Estimates. All members of the House should have received a copy of the 2015-16 printed estimates when they were tabled on Thursday, May 14, 2015.

Earlier today, the Lieutenant Governor also transmitted supplementary estimates to the House. Pursuant to standing order 62, these printed supplementary estimates, upon tabling, are also deemed to be referred to the Standing Committee on Estimates.

The objectives of today’s meeting are: (1) to select the estimates of certain ministries or offices for review by the committee, and (2) to determine the date on which the committee will begin the consideration of the selected estimates.

Standing order 60 sets out the process by which the committee makes its selections. Essentially, each of the recognized parties on the committee shall select the estimates of either one or two ministries or offices in each of the two rounds of selection.

The official opposition selects first, followed by the third party, then by the government. After two rounds of selection, the committee will have selected anywhere from a minimum of six to a maximum of 12 ministries or offices for review.

In making its selection, each party also determines how much time is to be allocated to the consideration of each ministry or office selected. A maximum of 15 hours is permitted per selection. For example, if only one selection is made in a round, that single selection could be reviewed for a maximum of 15 hours. If two selections are made in a round, both of them could be reviewed for a combined maximum of 15 hours. How the division of those 15 hours takes place is up to the party making the selection.

At the conclusion of the two rounds of review, the committee could spend up to a maximum of 90 hours in scrutinizing the estimates of all the selected ministries or offices. Pursuant to standing order 60(c), these selections are to be reviewed in the order that they were chosen, and this can only be changed by an order of the House.

The estimates of those ministries or offices not selected for consideration will be deemed to have been passed by the committee. As Chair, I will report those estimates back to the House, and they will be deemed to be adopted and concurred in by the House.

Any supplementary estimates of selected ministries and offices shall be considered by the committee within the time allocated during this selection process.

In accordance with the motion agreed to in the House on September 14, 2015, the committee must present a report to the House with respect to the estimates it selected and considered by November 26, 2015. If the committee fails to report by that date, the estimates and supplementary estimates before the committee will be deemed to be passed by the committee and deemed to be reported to and received by the House.

I’d also add a note that if members could please look at the list and give the correct names of the ministries when they choose them.

Do the members have any questions before we begin? Okay.

I’ll start with the official opposition: Mr. Harris.

Mr. Michael Harris: Our first selection will be the Ministry of Energy for 15 hours.

The Chair (Ms. Cheri DiNovo): Third party: Mr. Vanthof.

Mr. John Vanthof: Thank you, Madam Chair. Our choice will be economic development, employment and infrastructure for seven and a half hours, and health and long-term care for seven and a half hours.

Mr. Lou Rinaldi: Did you say health and long-term care?

Mr. John Vanthof: Yes.

Mr. Lou Rinaldi: Thank you.

The Chair (Ms. Cheri DiNovo): Government: Mr. Ballard.

Mr. Chris Ballard: Thank you, Chair. Our round one choice will be aboriginal affairs for 15 hours.

The Chair (Ms. Cheri DiNovo): Back to the official opposition: Mr. Harris.

Mr. Michael Harris: We’ll select finance for 15 hours.

The Chair (Ms. Cheri DiNovo): Third party: Mr. Vanthof.

Mr. John Vanthof: Madam Chair: education, please.

The Chair (Ms. Cheri DiNovo): For how long?

Mr. John Vanthof: Fifteen.

Mr. Bas Balkissoon: We missed that. Can I hear—

The Chair (Ms. Cheri DiNovo): Education for 15 hours for the third party.

Government: Mr. Ballard.

Mr. Chris Ballard: Yes. Francophone affairs for 15 hours.

The Chair (Ms. Cheri DiNovo): Okay. My suggestion is that we meet again next Tuesday. We adjourn till next Tuesday at 9 a.m. Is that acceptable to everyone?

Acceptable to everyone, yes. Okay. Wonderful. That was easy.

I declare this meeting adjourned until Tuesday at 9 a.m.

The committee adjourned at 1551.

CONTENTS

Wednesday 23 September 2015

Organization E-407

STANDING COMMITTEE ON ESTIMATES

Chair / Présidente

Ms. Cheri DiNovo (Parkdale–High Park ND)

Vice-Chair / Vice-Présidente

Miss Monique Taylor (Hamilton Mountain ND)

Mr. Bas Balkissoon (Scarborough–Rouge River L)

Mr. Chris Ballard (Newmarket–Aurora L)

Mr. Grant Crack (Glengarry–Prescott–Russell L)

Ms. Cheri DiNovo (Parkdale–High Park ND)

Mr. Han Dong (Trinity–Spadina L)

Mr. Michael Harris (Kitchener–Conestoga PC)

Ms. Sophie Kiwala (Kingston and the Islands / Kingston et les Îles L)

Mr. Todd Smith (Prince Edward–Hastings PC)

Miss Monique Taylor (Hamilton Mountain ND)

Substitutions / Membres remplaçants

Ms. Indira Naidoo-Harris (Halton L)

Mr. Lou Rinaldi (Northumberland–Quinte West L)

Mr. John Vanthof (Timiskaming–Cochrane ND)

Ms. Soo Wong (Scarborough–Agincourt L)

Clerk / Greffier

Mr. Christopher Tyrell

Staff / Personnel

Mr. Jeff Parker, research officer,
Research Services