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OntarioPassed42nd Parliament, 1st Session

Bill 265 explained in plain English

Executive Council Amendment Act, 2021

Ontario legislature bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.

At a glance

Jurisdiction
Ontario Legislature
Legislature / Parliament
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Session
42nd Parliament, 1st Session
Bill number
Bill 265
Full title
Executive Council Amendment Act, 2021
Current status
Passed
Latest event
Royal Assent received
Last updated
May 6, 2021

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.

Chamber
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Current Stage
Royal Assent received
Latest Activity
May 6, 2021
Plain-language explanation
In plain English (our explanation)

Our plain-language take, written for civic education.

Source: By PoliticalData.ca

AI-assisted, reviewed before publishing
Short Version

Bill 265 amends the Executive Council Act to exempt ministers from attendance requirements during Question Period for the 42nd Legislature and allows absences related to declared emergencies.

What It Means

Bill 265, now Chapter 10 of the Statutes of Ontario, 2021, amends the Executive Council Act. It changes the rules regarding when government ministers must attend Question Period in the Legislative Assembly. Specifically, it states that the attendance requirements in Section 7 of the Executive Council Act do not apply to the 42nd Legislature. It also adds absences related to emergencies declared under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act as a permitted reason for a minister to be absent from Question Period.

What This Bill Does
  • Amends the Executive Council Act to change attendance requirements for ministers at Question Period.
  • Specifies that the attendance requirements in Section 7 of the Executive Council Act do not apply to the 42nd Legislature.
  • Adds a clause to the Executive Council Act that permits absences from Question Period due to measures, requirements, or actions taken as a result of a declared emergency or an order under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act.
  • Ensures the Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.
Who Is Affected
  • Members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
  • Government ministers
  • Individuals affected by declared emergencies under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act
Rights, Duties, Or Obligations
  • Ministers are exempt from attendance requirements at Question Period during the 42nd Legislature.
  • Absences due to declared emergencies or related orders under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act are permissible for ministers.
  • Section 7 of the Executive Council Act, concerning attendance at Question Period, does not apply to the 42nd Legislature.
Important Dates
  • The Act came into force on May 6, 2021, the day it received Royal Assent.
Uncertainties Or Limits
  • The bill does not specify the exact duration or conditions under which an absence related to an emergency would be considered permissible beyond the immediate declaration.
  • The scope of 'measures, requirements or actions taken or implemented as a result of a declared emergency or order' is not precisely defined within the bill.
  • The exemption from attendance applies specifically to the 42nd Legislature, meaning future legislatures may be subject to the original provisions of Section 7 of the Executive Council Act.
Laws Or Regulations Affected
Executive Council Act
amends

Modifies Section 7 regarding minister attendance at Question Period. It exempts the 42nd Legislature from these requirements and allows for absences related to declared emergencies.

Source: Section 1

Executive Council Act, Section 7 (2)
amends

Adds a clause (c) to the list of permissible absences from Question Period, including measures taken due to a declared emergency or orders under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act.

Source: Section 1 (1)

Executive Council Act, Section 7
amends

Adds a new subsection (7) stating that Section 7 does not apply to the 42nd Legislature.

Source: Section 1 (2)

Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act
references

Permits absences from Question Period if they are a result of measures taken under this Act.

Source: Section 1 (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 text

Process Snapshot

Step 1
First reading
Mar 23, 2021
Step 2
Second reading
Apr 19, 2021
Step 3
Committee review
Not reached yet
Step 4
Third reading
May 4, 2021
Step 5
Royal assent
May 6, 2021

Vote Summary

No published recorded division

This bill does not have a published recorded division in the current official sources, so representative-by-representative vote counts are not shown.

Sponsor
Paul Calandra
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Markham—Stouffville
Jurisdiction
Ontario Legislature

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