Legislative Assembly of Ontario · Committee

Tuesday, May 26, 2026

Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs · Room 151

The official transcript of the meeting, from Hansard, by heading. Ministers, officials and witnesses appear as the transcript names them; committees have no live transcript, so the record appears once the Assembly publishes it.

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Meeting ended

Selection of estimates

9:01 a.m.Official transcript

The Chair (Hon. Ernie Hardeman)

Good morning, everyone. The Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs will now come to order. On our agenda this morning is the selection of estimates for consideration. On April 22, 2026, the Lieutenant Governor transmitted to the Legislative Assembly the estimates of certain sums required for the services of the province for the year ending March 31, 2027. Pursuant to standing order 62(b), the estimates, upon tabling, are deemed to be referred to the standing committees to which the respective ministries and offices were assigned pursuant to standing order 113(b). The estimates for the following ministries and offices have been referred to the committee for selection and consideration: —Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade; —Ministry of Finance; —Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development; —Cabinet Office; —Office of the Premier; and —Treasury Board Secretariat. The objective of this morning’s meeting is to select the estimates of certain ministries or offices for review by the committee. All committee members should have received an electronic copy of the 2026-27 estimates and the corresponding briefing books from the Clerk. Standing order 63 sets out the process by which the committee makes its selections. Each of the recognized parties on the committee shall select the estimates of up to one ministry or office in each turn. 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 the rotation. The process concludes when either there are no further ministries or offices available to select, or if all recognized parties decline to make any, or any further, selections. Pursuant to standing order 63(b)(ii.1) the estimates of the Office of Premier and the estimates of Cabinet Office will constitute one selection and represent a single turn. Pursuant to standing order 63(c), these selections are to be reviewed in the order that they were chosen. This order may be altered by unanimous agreement of the subcommittee on committee business, or by order of the House. Pursuant to standing order 63(d), the time for the consideration of the estimates of each ministry or office shall be determined by the respective committee. 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 and offices as they are listed in the estimates book, or as displayed on the screen in front of you, and provide the correct name when selecting a ministry or office for consideration. The Clerk has displayed these correct names on the screens in front of you and has provided a hard copy of the list, which should be in front of you. Please note that the Ministry of Red Tape Reduction is not shown as a discrete option for selection on this list because its estimates were tabled as part of the estimates for Cabinet Office under vote 401-1, on page 56 of the expenditure estimates book. That ministry’s estimates will therefore be considered during the committee’s consideration of the estimates of Cabinet Office and the Office of the Premier, which are considered together pursuant to standing order 63(b)(ii.1). Do members have any questions before we begin? No questions? We will start with the naming of the estimates, and we’ll go to the official opposition for their first choice.

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9:07 a.m.Official transcript

Ms. Jessica Bell

Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development.

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9:07 a.m.Official transcript

The Chair (Hon. Ernie Hardeman)

Okay, MPP Bell. Ministry of Finance. MPP Cerjanec.

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9:07 a.m.Official transcript

Mr. Dave Smith

There are no other ministries to select. Cabinet Office and Premier are one.

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9:07 a.m.Official transcript

The Chair (Hon. Ernie Hardeman)

That concludes the selections. If all of them are picked, that concludes the selection process and the business of today on the agenda. Are there any further comments from the committee? If not, the committee is adjourned.

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9:08 a.m.Official transcript

Ms. Sandy Shaw (Hamilton West–Ancaster–Dundas / Hamilton-Ouest–Ancaster–Dundas ND)

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9:09 a.m.Official transcript

Ms. Effie J. Triantafilopoulos (Oakville North–Burlington / Oakville-Nord–Burlington PC)

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