Legislative Assembly of Ontario

The committee met at 0902 in room 151 and by video conference.

Organization

The Chair (Mr. Peter Tabuns): Good morning. 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, 2022, to the Legislative Assembly. Pursuant to standing order 62, these printed estimates, upon tabling, are deemed to be referred to the Standing Committee on Estimates. All committee members should have received an electronic copy of the 2021-22 estimates from the Clerk.

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 63 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 turn. The official opposition selects first, followed by the government. If members of one party decline to make a selection, the selection then passes to the next party in the rotation.

In making its selection, each party also determines how much time is to be allotted 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.

Pursuant to standing order 63(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 the selection process.

In accordance with standing order 66(a), the committee must present a report to the House with respect to the estimates it selected and considered by the third Thursday of November of this year: November 18, 2021. If the committee fails to report by the third Thursday in November, 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 would also like to add that if members could please look at the list of ministries and offices in the estimates book and give the correct names of the ministries when they select them.

Do members have any questions before we begin? I hear none.

I’m just going to check with the Clerk. Are there any other people? No. So everyone who is supposed to be present is present. We’re set.

I’ll start with the official opposition for their first-round selection. MPP Armstrong?

Ms. Teresa J. Armstrong: Thank you. Just so you know, Chair, I was trying to sign in, but for some reason, my office didn’t get the Zoom link, so I apologize for my tardiness this morning.

I select the Ministry of Health for our first pick, and I would like the 15 hours on the Ministry of Health.

The Chair (Mr. Peter Tabuns): Thank you.

I will now turn to the government for their first-round selection. MPP McKenna?

Ms. Jane McKenna: I select the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry for 15 hours.

The Chair (Mr. Peter Tabuns): Thank you.

I will return to the official opposition to make their second-round selection. Ms. Monteith-Farrell?

Ms. Judith Monteith-Farrell: Good morning, everyone. For the second round, we’d like the Ministry of Long-Term Care for seven hours and the Ministry of Education for eight hours.

The Chair (Mr. Peter Tabuns): Thank you very much.

I will now turn to the government for their second-round selection. MPP McKenna.

Ms. Jane McKenna: I select the Ministry of Infrastructure for seven and a half hours and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs for seven and a half hours.

The Chair (Mr. Peter Tabuns): I’ll go back to the official opposition. Are there any further selections? MPP Armstrong?

Ms. Teresa J. Armstrong: Sorry, I missed what Judith said. Long-Term Care, seven hours, and Ministry of Education, eight hours—is that correct, Chair?

The Chair (Mr. Peter Tabuns): That is correct.

Ms. Teresa J. Armstrong: Thank you.

The Chair (Mr. Peter Tabuns): MPP Monteith-Farrell?

Ms. Judith Monteith-Farrell: The Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services for 15 hours.

The Chair (Mr. Peter Tabuns): Thank you.

I’ll go back to the government. MPP McKenna, any further choices?

Ms. Jane McKenna: I select the Ministry of Energy, Northern Development and Mines for 10 hours and the Ministry of Indigenous Affairs for five and a half.

The Chair (Mr. Peter Tabuns): Thank you very much.

I’ll go back to the official opposition. Any further selections?

Ms. Teresa J. Armstrong: We’re still on round 2. Correct, Chair?

The Chair (Mr. Peter Tabuns): No. If you’ll excuse me for a moment, I have to go back.

MPP McKenna, could you please repeat? The Clerk didn’t quite catch the times that you’d allocated.

Ms. Jane McKenna: Oh, I apologize. I select the Ministry of Energy, Northern Development and Mines for 10 hours and the Ministry of Indigenous Affairs for five hours.

The Chair (Mr. Peter Tabuns): Thank you very much.

I will go back, then, to the official opposition. Any further selections?

Ms. Teresa J. Armstrong: Chair, we’re on round 2; correct?

The Chair (Mr. Peter Tabuns): Round 3.

Ms. Teresa J. Armstrong: Round 3, okay. No, we’re looking for the community and social services, 15 hours, as Judith said. Thank you.

The Chair (Mr. Peter Tabuns): Thank you very much.

I’ll go back to the government. MPP McKenna, any further choices?

Ms. Jane McKenna: Chair, no further selections.

The Chair (Mr. Peter Tabuns): Okay. Thank you all.

With that, the second matter to be determined is the date on which the committee will begin its consideration of selected estimates. In order to provide ministries and offices sufficient time to prepare, I propose we start on Tuesday, May 11, at 9 a.m. Is there agreement to commence hearings on Tuesday, May 11, at 9 a.m.? Yes, government is agreeable; opposition is agreeable. Then that is when we will start.

There being no further business, I want to thank you all for a very productive meeting.

I declare this meeting adjourned.

The committee adjourned at 0910.

STANDING COMMITTEE ON ESTIMATES

Chair / Président

Mr. Peter Tabuns (Toronto–Danforth ND)

Vice-Chair / Vice-Présidente

Ms. Donna Skelly (Flamborough–Glanbrook PC)

Ms. Teresa J. Armstrong (London–Fanshawe ND)

Mr. Toby Barrett (Haldimand–Norfolk PC)

Mr. Lorne Coe (Whitby PC)

Mr. Rudy Cuzzetto (Mississauga–Lakeshore PC)

Mr. Randy Hillier (Lanark–Frontenac–Kingston IND)

Ms. Jane McKenna (Burlington PC)

Ms. Judith Monteith-Farrell (Thunder Bay–Atikokan ND)

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

Mr. Randy Pettapiece (Perth–Wellington PC)

Ms. Donna Skelly (Flamborough–Glanbrook PC)

Mr. Peter Tabuns (Toronto–Danforth ND)

Substitutions / Membres remplaçants

Mr. Sam Oosterhoff (Niagara West / Niagara-Ouest PC)

Clerk / Greffière

Ms. Thushitha Kobikrishna

Staff / Personnel

Ms. Laura Anthony, research officer,
Research Services