Bill 22 explained in plain English
Poet Laureate of Ontario Amendment Act (French-language Poet Laureate of Ontario), 2022
Ontario legislature bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
Official Legislative Assembly of Ontario snapshot for 43rd Parliament, 1st Session. Representative vote breakdowns appear when the Assembly publishes an Ayes and Nays page for the bill.
Our plain-language take, written for civic education.
Source: By PoliticalData.ca
This bill amends Ontario's Poet Laureate law to create both an English-language and French-language Poet Laureate position, with requirements that selection panels for the French-language role include at least two members capable of evaluating French-language poetry.
Ontario currently has one Poet Laureate position established in 2019. This bill changes that by creating two Poet Laureate positions: an English-language Poet Laureate and a French-language Poet Laureate. Both will be officers of the Ontario Legislative Assembly. The bill updates the qualifications for each position to specify that candidates must have a significant volume of their poetry written in the relevant language—English for the English-language Poet Laureate, or French for the French-language Poet Laureate. For selecting the French-language Poet Laureate, the bill requires that at least two members of the selection panel must be capable of evaluating original French-language works. To meet this requirement, the bill allows the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and the Ontario Legislative Librarian to replace certain panel members with individuals who have knowledge of French-language literary activity in Ontario. This ensures the selection process can properly assess French-language poetry. The bill comes into force immediately upon receiving Royal Assent.
- Splits the single Poet Laureate of Ontario position into two positions: an English-language Poet Laureate of Ontario and a French-language Poet Laureate of Ontario
- Designates both Poet Laureates as officers of the Ontario Legislative Assembly
- Updates qualification requirements to specify that a candidate's volume of poetry or large portion of their body of work must have been written in the relevant language (English or French, depending on the position)
- Requires that at least two members of the selection panel responsible for selecting the French-language Poet Laureate of Ontario be capable of evaluating original French-language works
- Allows the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly to select a replacement member and chair of the selection panel if needed to meet French-language evaluation requirements
- Allows the Ontario Legislative Librarian to select a replacement member of the selection panel to meet French-language evaluation requirements
- Allows the Speaker and Ontario Legislative Librarian to jointly select up to two individuals from outside the Ontario Council for the Arts who have knowledge of French-language literary activity to replace Council members on the panel
- Updates references throughout the original Act from 'the Poet Laureate' to refer to both positions appropriately
- Comes into force upon Royal Assent
- The Speaker of the Ontario Legislative Assembly (must participate in selection process and may select replacement panel members)
- The Ontario Legislative Librarian (must participate in selection process and may select replacement panel members)
- Members of the Ontario Council for the Arts (panel composition may change for French-language selections)
- Candidates for the Poet Laureate of Ontario positions (now must demonstrate significant poetry in either English or French, depending on the position)
- The Ontario Legislative Assembly (gains the responsibility to oversee two Poet Laureate positions instead of one)
- The French-language Poet Laureate selection panel must include at least two members capable of evaluating original French-language works
- The Speaker may select a replacement member and chair the selection panel for the French-language Poet Laureate position if the current Speaker cannot evaluate French-language works
- The Ontario Legislative Librarian may select a replacement member of the French-language selection panel if needed
- The Speaker and Ontario Legislative Librarian may jointly select up to two individuals from outside the Ontario Council for the Arts who have knowledge of French-language literary activity to serve on the French-language selection panel
- Candidates for the English-language Poet Laureate must have a significant volume of poetry written in English
- Candidates for the French-language Poet Laureate must have a significant volume of poetry written in French
- Both Poet Laureates are officers of the Ontario Legislative Assembly
- The bill comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent (Section 5)
- The bill text does not specify the term length, salary, benefits, or specific duties for either Poet Laureate position
- The bill text does not clarify what constitutes 'a large portion of the body of work' for language requirement purposes
- The bill text does not specify whether the existing English-language Poet Laureate will automatically become the designated English-language Poet Laureate or if both positions will be selected afresh
- The bill text does not provide detail on the process if the Speaker or Ontario Legislative Librarian cannot identify replacement panel members who meet the French-language requirements
- The bill does not specify the timeline for appointing the French-language Poet Laureate
The Act is amended to establish two Poet Laureate positions (English-language and French-language) instead of one, update qualification requirements to be language-specific, and establish requirements for French-language expertise on selection panels.
Source: Sections 1-4 of Bill 22
Generated using AI from official bill text. Not legal advice. It is written by PoliticalData.ca for civic education, automatically checked and spot-reviewed before publishing.
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Vote Summary
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Official sources
Status, sponsor, votes, and timeline on this page are drawn from these official legislative sources and public records. Each summary above is attributed to its own source.
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