Bill 227 explained in plain English
Public Health Accountability Act (In Honour of Dr. Sheela Basrur), 2020
Ontario legislature bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
Official Legislative Assembly of Ontario snapshot for 42nd 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
The Public Health Accountability Act, 2020, amends the Health Protection and Promotion Act to change the appointment, tenure, and removal processes for the Chief Medical Officer of Health and Associate Chief Medical Officer of Health, and establishes a select committee for health emergencies.
This bill amends the Health Protection and Promotion Act. It changes how the Chief Medical Officer of Health (CMOH) and Associate Chief Medical Officer of Health (ACMOH) are appointed, how long they serve, and how they can be removed or suspended. The bill also creates a process for appointing a temporary CMOH and establishes a select committee of the Legislative Assembly if a public health emergency is declared. The CMOH will become an officer of the Assembly, and the Board of Internal Economy will determine their salary and benefits. The bill also makes consequential amendments to existing sections of the Act.
- Makes the Chief Medical Officer of Health an officer of the Legislative Assembly.
- Specifies how the Chief Medical Officer of Health is appointed by the Assembly, generally requiring selection by a panel representing recognized parties.
- Sets a five-year term for the Chief Medical Officer of Health, with a possibility for one reappointment.
- Allows the Assembly to remove or suspend the Chief Medical Officer of Health for cause by a two-thirds vote, and allows the Board of Internal Economy to suspend the CMOH when the Assembly is not in session.
- Provides for the appointment of a temporary Chief Medical Officer of Health if the office is vacant or the CMOH is unable to perform duties.
- Establishes a select committee of the Assembly to advise on and receive advice from the CMOH in the event of a public health emergency or pandemic.
- Repeals section 86.3 of the Health Protection and Promotion Act.
- Makes consequential amendments to section 86.4 of the Health Protection and Promotion Act.
- Ensures that the current Chief Medical Officer of Health continues in office for the remainder of their term, with time served counting towards their first term.
- The Chief Medical Officer of Health
- The Associate Chief Medical Officer of Health
- Members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
- The Board of Internal Economy
- The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly
- The public, in the context of public health emergencies.
- The Chief Medical Officer of Health must take an oath or affirmation to faithfully and impartially exercise their functions.
- The Chief Medical Officer of Health must not be a member of the Assembly and generally requires approval to hold other offices or employment.
- The Assembly has the power to appoint, reappoint, remove, or suspend the Chief Medical Officer of Health.
- The Board of Internal Economy has powers related to the suspension of the Chief Medical Officer of Health when the Assembly is not in session, and determines salary, benefits, and expenses.
- The select committee has the right to receive advice from and provide advice to the Chief Medical Officer of Health during a health emergency.
- This Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.
- The Board of Internal Economy shall determine the salary and benefits of the Chief Medical Officer of Health.
- The Chief Medical Officer of Health is entitled to reimbursement for reasonable expenses, subject to the approval of the Board of Internal Economy.
- A temporary Chief Medical Officer of Health shall be paid a salary and benefits determined by the Board of Internal Economy and reimbursed for reasonable expenses.
- The Assembly may remove or suspend the Chief Medical Officer of Health from office for cause by a vote of at least two thirds of its members.
- The Board of Internal Economy may suspend the Chief Medical Officer of Health for cause if the Assembly is not in session.
- The bill does not specify the exact criteria or definition of 'cause' for removing or suspending the Chief Medical Officer of Health.
- The bill does not specify what constitutes a 'recognized party' for the purpose of the selection panel, though this is generally understood in parliamentary procedure.
- The exact process for the Board of Internal Economy to suspend the CMOH when the Assembly is not in session, and the reporting requirements to the Assembly, are detailed but depend on the Assembly's sitting schedule.
- The bill states that the CMOH can hold more than one office appointed by the Assembly or Board of Internal Economy, but does not list specific types of offices this may include.
Changes the provisions related to the Chief Medical Officer of Health and Associate Chief Medical Officer of Health, including their appointment, tenure, removal, and the establishment of a select committee for health emergencies.
Source: Sections 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5
This bill's provisions regarding the select committee for health emergencies are triggered by an order made under section 7.0.1 of this Act.
Source: Section 81.1.11 (1)
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.
Official textProcess Snapshot
Vote Summary
This bill does not have a published recorded division in the current official sources, so representative-by-representative vote counts are not shown.
No published representative vote breakdown
The current official sources do not publish a recorded division breakdown for this bill, so there is no representative-by-representative table to show.
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.
How this data is sourced