The committee met at 0901 in committee room 1.

Selection of estimates

The Chair (Mr. Aris Babikian): Good morning, members of the committee. The Standing Committee on the Interior will now come to order.

Our agenda this morning is the selection of estimates for consideration. Pursuant to standing order 62(b), the estimates, upon tabling, are deemed to be referred to the standing committee to which the respective ministries and offices were assigned pursuant to standing order 113(b).

All committee members should have received an electronic copy of the 2026-27 estimates and the corresponding ministry briefing books from the Clerk.

The estimates for the following ministries have been referred to the Standing Committee on the Interior for selection and consideration:

—Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness;

—Ministry of Energy and Mines;

—Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks;

—Ministry of Natural Resources;

—Ministry of Northern Economic Development and Growth; and

—Ministry of Rural Affairs.

The objective of this morning’s meeting is to select the estimates of certain ministries for review by the committee.

Standing order 63 sets out the process by which the committee makes its selections. With each turn, each recognized party may choose the estimates of one ministry. The official opposition selects first, followed by the third party and then the government. If members of one party decline to make a selection, the selection then passes to the next party in rotation. The process concludes when either there are no further ministries available to select or if all recognized parties decline to make any further selections.

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

When making your selections, please look at the list of ministries in the estimates book or as displayed on the screen in front of you, and give the correct names of the ministries when you select them for consideration.

Do any of the members have any questions? Seeing none, we will move to the selection stage. It is the opposition first, to select the estimates of a ministry.

Mr. Sol Mamakwa: Good morning. ᒥᓄᑭᔐᐸᔭ

For this side, I would select the Ministry of Energy and Mines.

The Chair (Mr. Aris Babikian): Next, we have the third party. Your selection?

Mr. Jonathan Tsao: For my first selection, I would like the Ministry of Natural Resources.

The Chair (Mr. Aris Babikian): We move to the government side.

Mr. Rudy Cuzzetto: Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness.

The Chair (Mr. Aris Babikian): We move to the next round of selection. The official opposition. MPP Mamakwa.

Mr. Sol Mamakwa: Next selection: I would select the Ministry of Northern Economic Development and Growth.

The Chair (Mr. Aris Babikian): MPP Tsao.

Mr. Jonathan Tsao: The Ministry of Rural Affairs, please.

The Chair (Mr. Aris Babikian): Okay, thank you.

Mr. Rudy Cuzzetto: Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks.

The Chair (Mr. Aris Babikian): Thank you for all of your selections. That concludes our selection process.

Any motions? MPP Dowie.

Mr. Andrew Dowie: I move that the committee enter into closed session for the purposes of organizing committee business.

The Chair (Mr. Aris Babikian): There is a motion to enter into closed session. Any question? Any debate? Seeing none, we will take a five-minute recess to set up the room for a closed meeting.

The committee recessed at 0906 and later continued in closed session.

STANDING COMMITTEE ON THE INTERIOR

Chair / Président

Mr. Aris Babikian (Scarborough–Agincourt PC)

First Vice-Chair / Premier Vice-Président

Mr. Sol Mamakwa (Kiiwetinoong ND)

Second Vice-Chair / Deuxième Vice-Président

Mr. Jonathan Tsao (Don Valley North / Don Valley-Nord L)

Mr. Aris Babikian (Scarborough–Agincourt PC)

Mr. Guy Bourgouin (Mushkegowuk–James Bay / Mushkegowuk–Baie James ND)

Mr. Rudy Cuzzetto (Mississauga–Lakeshore PC)

Mr. Andrew Dowie (Windsor–Tecumseh PC)

M^me Dawn Gallagher Murphy (Newmarket–Aurora PC)

Mr. Sol Mamakwa (Kiiwetinoong ND)

Mr. Steve Pinsonneault (Lambton–Kent–Middlesex PC)

Mr. Jonathan Tsao (Don Valley North / Don Valley-Nord L)

MPP Paul Vickers (Bruce–Grey–Owen Sound PC)

Clerk / Greffier

Mr. Stefan Uguen-Csenge

Staff / Personnel

Mr. Alex Alton, research officer,
Research Services