We have created a monthly recap of all bills that have moved through the legislature in April. Due to COVID-19, the legislature was only scheduled to meet on April 14, and is not scheduled to meet again until May 12. On April 14, one bill moved through the legislature.
Bill 189, Coronavirus (COVID-19) Support and Protection Act, 2020
First Reading (April 14) Second Reading, carried (April 14) Third Reading, carried (April 14) Royal Assent (April 14)
Stay tuned for more monthly recaps and any major updates on the activity of the legislature.
Below, we have compiled a list of those bills which progressed through the House during the emergency sessions of March 19 and March 25. As of now, the House stands adjourned until Tuesday, April 14. Additionally, all committee meetings have been cancelled until further notice.
Sitting dates: March 19 & 25 42nd Parliament, 1st Session
Bill 181, Supply Act, 2020 Royal assent (March 19)
Bill 186, Employment Standards Amendment Act (Infectious Disease Emergencies), 2020 First reading (March 19) Second reading, carried (March 19) Third reading, carried (March 19) Royal Assent (March 19)
Bill 187, Municipal Emergency Act, 2020 First reading (March 19) Second reading, carried (March 19) Third reading, carried (March 19) Royal assent (March 19)
Bill 188, Economic and Fiscal Update Act, 2020 First Reading (March 25) Second Reading, carried (March 25) Third Reading, carried (March 25) Royal Assent (March 25)
After taking a few days to get our ducks in a row, we will be catching up on House of Bills posts for those sitting dates we have missed due to COVID-19 interruptions. Here is the post for the sitting week of March 9-March 12. Stay tuned for the next post which gathers all progress made to Ontario bills in the third and fourth weeks of March during the COVID-19 emergency sitting sessions.
March 9 – March 12 42nd Parliament, 1st Session
Bill 141, Defibrillator Registration and Public Access Act, 2020
Third Reading (March 10 & 11)
Bill 156, Security from Trespass and Protecting Food Safety Act, 2020
Discharge the Order of referral to Committee (from Standing Committee on Justice Policy) (March 9) Ordered referred to Standing Committee on General Government (March 9)
Bill 159, Rebuilding Consumer Confidence Act, 2020
Bill 145, Trust in Real Estate Services Act, 2020 Royal Assent (March 4)
Bill 156, Security from Trespass and Protecting Food Safety Act, 2020 Second Reading, carried on division (March 4) Ordered referred to Standing Committee on Justice Policy (March 4)
Bill 159, Rebuilding Consumer Confidence Act, 2020
Reported as amended (March 2) First Reading, Ordered for Second Reading pursuant to Standing Order 77(b) (March 2) Second Reading (March 5)
As some of you may know, the Great Library has been reporting on the legislative activity of Ontario public bills in our new blog series “House of Bills”. Though we don’t cover the federal side of things, here are a few tips for using LEGISinfo to keep track of federal bills as they move through the House of Commons and the Senate.
On the home page of LEGISinfo, you’ll notice that there are a few filter options near the top of the page. For the purposes of tracking the most recent activity of bills, we will be using the “Latest Activity Date” and “Show Details” filters shown below:
By clicking on the “Latest Activity Date”, the bills with the most recent activity are pulled to the top of the page in descending order.
Now that we’ve manipulated the list to show the bills with the most recent activity first, we can use the “Show Details” filter to reveal more information concerning the activity of each bill. Once expanded, we can now see the last stage the bill has completed under the “Last stage Complete” section and by the bar graph in the top right corner (shown below):
It’s important to note that the data contained in this section reflects the latest stage that the bill has completed, and not necessarily the stage the bill is currently being considered under. For instance, though the entry shown above for Bill C-6 only mentions the first reading, the bill is currently being considered for second reading. If you click the “View Complete Bill Details” link, you will be taken to a page that shows that Bill C-6 sat for second reading on February 24, though it has not yet completed the second reading stage.
For another tool that shows you the latest stage a bill has reached and not necessarily completed, select the “Legislative at a Glance” option located on the left-hand side of the LEGISinfo home page. “Legislation at a Glance” provides an overview of bills under consideration in either the Senate or the House of Commons
After their winter break, the Legislative Assembly of Ontario is officially back in session as of February 18, 2020. This also marks the return of the Great Library’s weekly updates of Ontario legislative activity in our House of Bills blog series.
Though the Legislature returned on February 18, our first post of the year includes activity preceding this date. This is because, if designated, committees can meet during any recess or adjournment (Click here for the calendar listing of dates on which committees or the House can meet). We have included all committee activity of this year thus far below.
January 2 – February 20 42nd Parliament, 1st Session
Bill 141, Defibrillator Registration and Public Access Act, 2020
Considered by Standing Committee on Social Policy (Jan 16 & 29)
As of December 12 the Legislative Assembly of Ontario stands adjourned for the winter recess and does not plan to return until February 18th. As promised, we have compiled a list of those bills which have progressed through the House this fall (October 28-December 12) and have identified the latest stage they reached before the winter recess.
First Reading
Bill 134, Caribbean Heritage Month Act, 2019 Bill 135, La Francophonie Act, 2019 Bill 137, Franco-Ontarian Community Act, 2019 Bill 139, Caribbean Heritage Month Act, 2019 Bill 140, Defibrillator Registry Act, 2019 Bill 143, Health and Safety at Work Day Act, 2019 Bill 146, Stop Cyberbullying in Ontario Day Act, 2019 Bill 148, Doored But Not Ignored Act, 2019 Bill 149, Dyslexia Awareness Month Act, 2019 Bill 151, Smoke-Free Ontario Amendment Act (Vaping is not for Kids), 2019 Bill 155, Rent Control Act, 2019 Bill 158, Defibrillator Training and Access Act, 2019 Bill 160, Education Amendment Act (Use of Seclusion and Physical Restraints), 2019 Bill 161, Smarter and Stronger Justice Act, 2019 Bill 162, Public Accountability and Lobbyist Transparency Act, 2019 Bill 163, Food Day Ontario (Food Day Canada in Ontario) Act, 2019 Bill 164, Protecting Vulnerable Persons in Supportive Living Accommodation Act, 2019 Bill 165, Ontario Climate Crisis Strategy for the Public Sector Act, 2019 Bill 166, Great Lakes Protection Amendment Act, 2019 Bill 167, Legislative Assembly Amendment Act, 2019 Bill 168, Combating Antisemitism Act, 2019 Bill 169, Home Warranties to Protect Families Act, 2019 Bill 170, Protecting Passenger Safety Act, 2019
Second Reading
Bill 125, Making Northern Ontario Highways Safer Act, 2019
• Lost on division Bill 133, Buy in Canada for Mass Transit Vehicles Act, 2019
• Lost on division Bill 156, Security from Trespass and Protecting Food Safety Act, 2019
• Debate
Committee Stage
Bill 112, Lupus Awareness Day Act, 2019
• Ordered referred to Standing Committee on General Government Bill 130, Combatting Litter for the Environment and Nature Act, 2019
• Ordered referred to Standing Committee on General government Bill 141, Defibrillator Registration and Public Access Act, 2019
• Ordered referred to Standing Committee on Social Policy Bill 142, Highway Traffic Amendment Act (Air Brake Endorsements), 2019
• Ordered referred to Standing Committee on Social Policy Bill 144, Northern Health Travel Grant Advisory Committee Act, 2019
• Ordered referred to Standing Committee on Regulations and Private Bills Bill 145, Trust in Real Estate Services Act, 2019
• Ordered referred to Standing Committee on General government Bill 147, Public Safety Related to Dogs Statute Law Amendment Act, 2019
• Ordered referred to Standing Committee on General government Bill 150, Ensuring Transparency and Integrity in Political Party Elections Act, 2019
• Ordered referred to Standing Committee on General government Bill 152, Occupational Safety and Health Day Act, 2019
• Ordered referred to Standing Committee on Social Policy Bill 153, Long-Term Care Homes Amendment (Till Death Do Us Part) Act, 2019
• Ordered referred to Standing Committee on Social Policy Bill 154, Stop Cyberbullying in Ontario Day Act, 2019
• Ordered referred to Standing Committee on Social Policy Bill 157, COPD Awareness Day Act, 2019
• Ordered referred to Standing Committee on Social Policy Bill 159, Rebuilding Consumer Confidence Act, 2019
• Bill considered by Standing Committee on Social Policy
Royal assent
Bill 6, Poet Laureate of Ontario Act (In Memory of Gord Downie), 2019 (SO 2019, c 16) Bill 116, Foundations for Promoting and Protecting Mental Health and Addictions Services Act, 2019 (SO 2019, c 17) Bill 123, Reserved Parking for Electric Vehicle Charging Act, 2019 (SO 2019, c 18) Bill 124, Protecting a Sustainable Public Sector for Future Generations Act, 2019 (SO 2019 c 12) Bill 132, Better for People, Smarter for Business Act, 2019 (SO 2019, c 14) Bill 136, Provincial Animal Welfare Services Act, 2019 (SO 2019, c 13) Bill 138, Plan to Build Ontario Together Act, 2019 (SO 2019, c 15)
That’s all for now, folks! Come back the end of February for the next “House of Bills: A Weekly Update on Ontario Bills” post.
December 9– December 12 42nd Parliament, 1st Session
Bill 6, Poet Laureate of Ontario Act (In Memory of Gord Downie), 2019
Third Reading, carried (Dec 12) Royal Assent (Dec 12)
Bill 116, Foundations for Promoting and Protecting Mental Health and Addictions Services Act, 2019
Bill considered by Standing Committee on Social Policy, reported as amended (Dec 10) Third Reading, carried (Dec 11) Royal Assent (Dec 12)
Bill 123, Reserved Parking for Electric Vehicle Charging Act, 2019
Second Reading (Dec 10) Bill considered by Standing Committee on Regulations and Private Bills, reported asamended (Dec 11) Third Reading, carried (Dec 12) Royal Assent (Dec 12)
Bill 132, Better for People, Smarter for Business Act, 2019
Third Reading, carried on division (Dec 9 & 10) Royal Assent (Dec 10)
Bill 138, Plan to Build Ontario Together Act, 2019
Reported as amended by Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs (Dec 9) Third Reading, carried on division (Dec 9 & 10) Royal Assent (Dec 10)
Bill 150, Ensuring Transparency and Integrity in Political Party Elections Act, 2019
Second Reading, carried on division (Dec 12) Ordered referred to Standing Committee on General Government (Dec 12)
Bill 153, Long-Term Care Homes Amendment (Till Death Do Us Part) Act, 2019
Second Reading, carried (Dec 12) Ordered referred to Standing Committee on Justice Policy (Dec 12)
Bill 156, Security from Trespass and Protecting Food Safety Act, 2019
Second Reading (Dec 10 & 11)
Bill 159, Rebuilding Consumer Confidence Act, 2019
Order for Second Reading discharged pursuant to Standing Order 74(a) (Dec 11) Ordered referred to Standing Committee on Justice Policy (Dec 11) Bill considered by Standing Committee on Justice Policy (Dec 12)
Bill 160, Education Amendment Act (Use of Seclusion and Physical Restraints), 2019
And with that, the Legislative Assembly of Ontario stands adjourned for their two month winter break. Presently, the legislature is scheduled to resume February 18th, 2020. But the House of Bills series is still going! Be sure to come back next week for a snapshot of the latest stage those bills that have progressed through the House this Fall reached before the winter recess.
December 2 – December 6 42nd Parliament, 1st Session
Bill 116, Foundations for Promoting and Protecting Mental Health and Addictions Services Act, 2019
Second Reading, carried (Dec 3) Ordered referred to Standing Committee on Social Policy (Dec 3)
Considered by Standing Committee on Social Policy (Dec 6)
Bill 123, Reserved Parking for Electric Vehicle Charging Act, 2019
Considered by Standing Committee on Regulations and Private Bills (Dec 4)
Bill 132, Better for People, Smarter for Business Act, 2019
Considered by Standing Committee on General Government, reported as amended (Dec 3 & 4) Third Reading (Dec 5)
Bill 136, Provincial Animal Welfare Services Act, 2019
Considered by Standing Committee on Justice Policy, reported as amended (Dec 3) Third Reading, carried (Dec 4 & 5) Royal Assent (Dec 5)
Bill 138, Plan to Build Ontario Together Act, 2019
Considered by Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs (Dec 2, 4 & 5)
Bill 144, Northern Health Travel Grant Advisory Committee Act, 2019
Second Reading, carried on division (Dec 5) Ordered referred to Standing Committee on Regulations and Private Bills (Dec 5)
Bill 154, Stop Cyberbullying in Ontario Day Act, 2019
Second Reading, carried (Dec 5) Ordered referred to Standing Committee on Social Policy (Dec 5)
