Bills Next Week: The budget bill and two very exciting motions

Government business

In their last sitting week of 2020, MPPs will be debating the budget bill and two motions that Government House Leader Paul Calandra promises will excite the opposition.

He informed the house it will be debating the budget bill on Monday and Tuesday. Bill 229, Protect, Support and Recover from COVID-19 Act (Budget Measures), contains proposed changes to many things including the hotly debated changes to the powers of conservation authorities.

"On Wednesday and on Thursday, we will be having the opportunity to debate two motions which the government will soon be bringing forward, which I’m sure the honourable members across the way will be very excited to see," Calandra told the house. 

We'll have to wait and see what they are.

On Monday there will also be a deferred vote on third reading of Bill 213, Better for People, Smarter for Business Act, the controversial omnibus bill from the associate minister of small business and red tape reduction that, among other things, includes a schedule that could give Charles McVety's Canada Christian College the ability to grant university degrees if the provision is later proclaimed. The vote will coincide with the release of Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk's report, which will come out the same day.

Private members' business

Mrs. Karahalios – That, in the opinion of this House, use of the courtesy flagpole should no longer be extended to flying the National Flag of the People’s Republic of China as that country is a one-party state under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party.

Ms. Morrison – That, in the opinion of this House, the Ford Government should immediately take additional steps to help protect residential tenants by reinstating the temporary moratorium on residential evictions until Ontario has entered a post-pandemic recovery period and by prohibiting evictions for nonpayment of rent for the period of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Liberal MPP John Fraser and PC MPP Stephen Crawford also have private member's business scheduled next week but haven't given notice yet as to what that will be.

Committees

Meanwhile, no committees are scheduled to study legislation next week.

Bills last week

The house passed Red Tape Reduction Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria's Bill 236, Supporting Local Restaurants Act, which will cap food delivery services fees in areas hard-hit by the pandemic.

Bill 222, Ontario Rebuilding and Recovery Act, legislation from Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney which aims to allow infrastructure projects to be expedited, expanding on legislation passed regarding transit-oriented communities, also passed third reading.

PC MPP Bob Bailey tabled Bill 237, Fostering Privacy Fairness Act, aimed at protecting the privacy of those raised in foster care.

The PC majority defeated a private member's bill from NDP MPP France Gélinas at second reading. Bill 227, Public Health Accountability Act (In Honour of Dr. Sheela Basrur), would have, among other things, made the chief medical officer of health an independent officer of the Assembly.

It also defeated Bill 224, No Time to Waste Act (Plan for Climate Action and Jobs), 2020, from NDP MPPs Peter Tabuns and Bhutila Karpoche, which would have required a climate crisis health action plan.

But the house passed Bill 118, Occupiers' Liability Amendment Act, a PMB from PC MPP Norm Miller concerning liability for snow removal. Bill 61, Eating Disorders Awareness Week Act, a PMB from NDP MPP Jill Andrew that proclaims the week beginning Feb. 1 in each year as Eating Disorders Awareness Week, was also passed. As did Bill 3, Compassionate Care Act, a private member's bill from PC MPP Sam Oosterhoff that requires the ministers of health and long-term care to develop a provincial framework designed to support improved access to hospice palliative care.