STANDING COMMITTEE ON FINANCE AND ECONOMIC AFFAIRS

COMITÉ PERMANENT DES FINANCES ET DES AFFAIRES ÉCONOMIQUES

Thursday 1 December 2005 Jeudi 1er décembre 2005

COMMITTEE BUSINESS


The committee met at 1552 in room 151.

COMMITTEE BUSINESS

The Chair (Mr. Pat Hoy): The standing committee on finance and economic affairs will now come to order. This being an organizational meeting, I do believe we have business in regard to the subcommittee on committee business.

Mr. John Milloy (Kitchener Centre): I move that the membership of the subcommittee on committee business be revised as follows: that Mr. Arthurs be appointed in the place of Mr. Colle.

The Chair: All in favour? Carried.

I believe we have business in regard to what would be a subcommittee report that should be presented for our consideration.

Mr. Wayne Arthurs (Pickering-Ajax-Uxbridge): Mr. Chair, I move that, from the standing committee on finance and economic affairs -- if the committee could add the right numbers as we go:

(1) That the committee invite the Minister of Finance to appear before the committee at 9 a.m. on Thursday, December 15, 2005.

(2) That the Minister of Finance be offered up to 20 minutes for a presentation, followed by 10 minutes of questions and comments by each caucus.

(3) That the committee request authorization from the House leaders to meet January 25 to 27 and January 30 to February 2, 2006, for the purpose of pre-budget consultations.

(4) That the committee hold pre-budget consultations in Atikokan, Timmins and Cornwall during the week of January 23, 2006.

(5) That the committee hold pre-budget consultations in Niagara Falls, Sarnia, Kitchener-Waterloo and Toronto during the week of January 30, 2006.

(6) That subject to authorization from the House, the committee clerk, in consultation with the Chair, post information regarding pre-budget consultations on the Ontario Parliamentary Channel and the committee's Web site.

(7) That subject to authorization from the House, the committee clerk, in consultation with the Chair, place an advertisement, no later than January 3, 2006, in a major paper of each of the cities in which the committee intends to travel, and that the advertisements be placed in both English and French papers in Timmins and Cornwall.

(8) That each party provide the committee clerk with the name of one expert witness and one alternate no later than January 16, 2006.

(9) That expert witnesses be offered 10 minutes for their presentations, and one hour as part of an expert witness panel, in which they will field questions from committee members and have an opportunity to interact with other panel members.

(10) That expert witnesses be scheduled to appear before the committee in Toronto on Thursday, February 2, 2006.

(11) That interested people who wish to be considered to make an oral presentation in Toronto contact the committee clerk by 5 p.m. on Friday, December 9, 2005.

(12) That the committee clerk distribute to each of the three parties a list of all the potential witnesses who have requested to appear before the committee in Toronto by 6 p.m. on Friday, December 9, 2005.

(13) That if necessary, the members of the subcommittee prioritize the list of requests to appear in Toronto and return it to the committee clerk by 12 noon on Tuesday, December 13, 2005.

(14) That interested people who wish to be considered to make an oral presentation in all other locations contact the committee clerk by 5 p.m. on Monday, January 9, 2006.

(15) That the committee clerk distribute to each of the three parties a list of all the potential witnesses who have requested to appear before the committee in all other locations by 6 p.m. on Monday, January 9, 2006.

(16) That if necessary, the members of the subcommittee prioritize the lists of requests to appear in all other locations and return them to the committee clerk by 12 noon on Wednesday, January 11, 2006.

(17) That if all requests to appear can be scheduled in any location, the committee clerk can proceed to schedule all witnesses and no prioritized list will be required for that location.

(18) That all witnesses be offered 10 minutes for their presentation, and that witnesses be scheduled in 20-minute intervals to allow for questions from committee members if necessary.

(19) That the deadline for written submissions be Thursday, February 2, 2006, at 5 p.m.

(20) That in order to ensure that all scheduled presenters are treated with respect and dealt with without delay during the committee's public hearings on pre-budget consultations, the committee adopt the following procedures:

-- that notice be provided of any proposed motion that would refer to issues that would normally be included in the committee's report-writing stage;

-- that notice of a proposed motion be tabled with the committee clerk in writing;

-- that the committee postpone consideration of the proposed motion until the committee commences its report writing; and

-- that adoption of the above notice procedure would not limit in any way the right of committee members to move any proposed motion during the committee's report-writing stage.

(21) That the committee clerk, in consultation with the Chair, be authorized prior to the adoption of the report of the subcommittee, to commence making any preliminary arrangements necessary to facilitate the committee's proceedings.

The Chair: Very good. Thank you. Comments?

Mr. Tim Hudak (Erie-Lincoln): I think the record should show that the subcommittee meeting was a very -- how would I say it? -- co-operative environment and very entertaining as well. I think it bodes well for our travel in the weeks ahead.

The Chair: Any other comments? All in favour? Opposed? Carried.

The committee is adjourned.

The committee adjourned at 1559.

CONTENTS

Thursday 1 December 2005

Committee business F-1

STANDING COMMITTEE ON FINANCE AND ECONOMIC AFFAIRS

Chair / Président

Mr. Pat Hoy (Chatham-Kent Essex L)

Vice-Chair / Vice-Président

Mr. Phil McNeely (Ottawa-Orléans L)

Mr. Wayne Arthurs (Pickering-Ajax-Uxbridge L)

Mr. Toby Barrett (Haldimand-Norfolk-Brant PC)

Mr. Pat Hoy (Chatham-Kent Essex L)

Ms. Judy Marsales (Hamilton West / Hamilton-Ouest L)

Mr. Phil McNeely (Ottawa-Orléans L)

Mrs. Carol Mitchell (Huron-Bruce L)

Mr. John O'Toole (Durham PC)

Mr. Michael Prue (Beaches-East York / Beaches-York-Est ND)

Mr. John Wilkinson (Perth-Middlesex L)

Substitutions / Membres remplaçants

Mr. Bob Delaney (Mississauga West / Mississauga-Ouest L)

Mr. Tim Hudak (Erie-Lincoln PC)

Mr. John Milloy (Kitchener Centre / Kitchener-Centre L)

Clerk / Greffier

Mr. Trevor Day

Staff / Personnel

Ms. Anne Marzalik, research officer,

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