ELECTION OF CHAIR

APPOINTMENT OF SUBCOMMITTEE

CONTENTS

Monday 10 April 2000

Election of Chair
Appointment of subcommittee

STANDING COMMITTEE ON JUSTICE AND SOCIAL POLICY

Chair / Présidente
Ms Marilyn Mushinski (Scarborough Centre / -Centre PC)

Vice-Chair / Vice-Président
Mr Carl DeFaria (Mississauga East / -Est PC)

Mr Marcel Beaubien (Lambton-Kent-Middlesex PC)
Mr Michael Bryant (St Paul's L)
Mr Carl DeFaria (Mississauga East / -Est PC)
Mrs Brenda Elliott (Guelph-Wellington PC)
Mr Garry J. Guzzo (Ottawa West-Nepean / Ottawa-Ouest-Nepean PC)
Mr Peter Kormos (Niagara Centre / -Centre ND)
Mrs Lyn McLeod (Thunder Bay-Atikokan L)
Ms Marilyn Mushinski (Scarborough Centre / -Centre PC)

Substitutions / Membres remplaçants
Mr R. Gary Stewart (Peterborough PC)


Clerk / Greffière
Ms Susan Sourial

Staff / Personnel
Ms Elaine Campbell, research officer, Research and Information Services

The committee met at 1530 in room 151.

ELECTION OF CHAIR

The Vice-Chair (Mr Carl DeFaria): I'd like to call the meeting to order.

Mr Peter Kormos (Niagara Centre): On a point of order, Chair: I understand there's a TV show, Who Wants to be a Millionaire. This is the "Who Wants to Make $10,000 a Year More" committee.

The Vice-Chair: That's not a point of order.

Mr Kormos: I'm sorry.

The Vice-Chair: If we may proceed, owing to a vacancy in the position of Chair of this committee, I will be presiding over the election of the new Chair. I'd like to start by asking-

Mr Kormos: I will nominate-yes, Chair?

The Vice-Chair: Can you just give me-

Mr Kormos: Well, you're asking for nominations. I'm ready to offer one up.

The Vice-Chair: I'd like to ask for nominations for the position. Mr Kormos, proceed.

Mr Kormos: These are, of course, as we know, democratic processes. It was reformed to the rules that permitted committees to elect their Chairs. I nominate Michael Bryant.

The Vice-Chair: Will Mr Bryant accept nomination?

Mr Michael Bryant (St Paul's): I am flattered, but I'm afraid I want to have some standing on this committee and in fact I regretfully decline. I have a nomination as well.

The Vice-Chair: Mr Bryant has a nomination.

Mr Bryant: I nominate Peter Kormos to be the Chair of this justice committee.

The Vice-Chair: Will you accept nomination, Mr Kormos?

Mr Kormos: Unlike one Tory backbencher, I will not hide behind some excuse about lack of funds. I will rather acknowledge that the likelihood of being elected by a majority of Conservatives is unlikely. I decline.

The Vice-Chair: Any further nominations? Mr Beaubien?

Mr Marcel Beaubien (Lambton-Kent-Middlesex): Mr Chair, it's my pleasure to nominate Marilyn Mushinski as Chair of the standing committee on justice and social policy.

The Vice-Chair: Mr Beaubien nominates Ms Mushinski. Will you accept nomination, Ms Mushinski?

Ms Marilyn Mushinski (Scarborough Centre): I accept, Mr Chair.

The Vice-Chair: Are there any further nominations? No other nominations, I declare Ms Mushinski elected as Chair of the committee.

The Chair (Ms Marilyn Mushinski): First of all, let me start off by thanking the committee. Having chaired the committee on general government for the last six months, which I enjoyed thoroughly, by the way, I look forward to working with each and every one of you. I appreciate your support. Other business?

APPOINTMENT OF SUBCOMMITTEE

Mr Bryant: Madam Chair, I move that a subcommittee on committee business be appointed to meet from time to time at the call of the Chair, or at the request of any member thereof, to consider and report to the committee on the business of the committee; that the presence of all members of the subcommittee is necessary to constitute a meeting; and that the subcommittee is composed of the following members: the Chair of the justice committee, in addition to Mrs Elliott, Mrs McLeod, and Mr Kormos; and that any member may designate a substitute member on the subcommittee who is of the same recognized party.

The Chair: All in favour? That carries. Any other business?

Mrs Lyn McLeod (Thunder Bay-Atikokan): May we seek to inquire as to whether we may expect any business before either the committee or the subcommittee in the next little while, Madam Chair?

The Chair: You may certainly do that, Mrs McLeod.

Clerk of the Committee (Ms Susan Sourial): There are no new bills in front of the committee at the moment, though there are a couple of bills that have been referred from the past, Bill 9 and Bill 10.

The Chair: If you would allow me to perhaps meet with the clerk, we'll pull together an agenda and certainly we will be letting members of the subcommittee know as soon as possible when we'll be meeting.

Mrs McLeod: May I just then further ask, since there is no new legislation before the committee which would obviously take priority over any other committee business, is the committee open to receiving resolutions for discussion at committee?

The Chair: Certainly.

Mrs McLeod: May we propose resolutions? How do you wish to have those brought forward? Would you like those brought forward to a subcommittee to schedule business for the resolutions?

The Chair: If you will allow me, in terms of procedure, Mrs McLeod, you are aware of section 124, which states:

"(a) Once in each session, for consideration in that session, each permanent member of a committee set out in standing order 106(a) or (b) may propose that the committee study and report on a matter or matters relating to the mandate, management, organization or operation of the ministries and offices which are assigned to the committee, as well as the agencies, boards and commissions reporting to such ministries and offices.

"(b) Notice of a motion by a member under this standing order shall be filed with the clerk of the committee not less than 24 hours before the member intends to move it in a meeting of the committee."

Do you want me to continue reading?

Mrs McLeod: That's fine. Then I'm going to assume that we can file such notices 24 hours prior to the call of the next meeting or at any time before the call of the next meeting.

The Chair: Yes. "The clerk of the committee shall distribute a copy of the motion to the members as soon as it is received. Whenever a motion under this standing order is being considered in a committee, discussion of the motion shall not exceed 30 minutes, at the expiry of which the Chair shall put every question necessary to dispose of the motion and any amendments thereto."

It goes on to talk about adoption, limitation of consideration, and report to the House.

Mrs McLeod: Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I'll act accordingly.

The Chair: Any other business? May I have a motion to adjourn?

Mr Beaubien: So moved.

The Chair: Marcel moves adjournment. The meeting is adjourned.

The committee adjourned at 1539.