Bill 95 explained in plain English
Independent Ontario Provincial Police Commissioner Appointment Act, 2019
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
Bill 95 establishes a Commissioner Appointment Advisory Committee to recommend candidates for the OPP Commissioner position, amending the Police Services Act and the Community Safety and Policing Act, 2019.
This bill, the Independent Ontario Provincial Police Commissioner Appointment Act, 2019, proposes to change how the Commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is appointed. It aims to create a Commissioner Appointment Advisory Committee. This committee would be responsible for advertising the position, assessing candidates, and providing a ranked list of at least two recommended candidates to either the Solicitor General or the Minister (depending on the specific Act being amended). The Solicitor General or Minister could reject the list and ask for a new one. The bill amends both the Police Services Act and the Community Safety and Policing Act, 2019, to implement these changes. It also includes provisions for appointments made before the bill received Royal Assent.
- Establishes a Commissioner Appointment Advisory Committee.
- Amends the Police Services Act regarding the appointment of the OPP Commissioner.
- Amends the Community Safety and Policing Act, 2019 regarding the appointment of the OPP Commissioner.
- Specifies the composition, function, and operating procedures of the Advisory Committee.
- Outlines the process for recommending candidates for the OPP Commissioner position.
- Provides for the transition of appointments made before the Act receives Royal Assent.
- The Solicitor General
- The Minister (responsible for the Community Safety and Policing Act, 2019)
- The Lieutenant Governor in Council
- Candidates for the position of OPP Commissioner
- Members of the Ontario Human Rights Commission (as potential committee members)
- Members of the Ontario Civilian Police Commission (as potential committee members)
- Members of the Special Investigations Unit (as potential committee members)
- Members of the Law Enforcement Complaints Agency (as potential committee members)
- The Ontario Provincial Police Association
- The public
- The Solicitor General shall establish a Commissioner Appointment Advisory Committee when the office of the OPP Commissioner is or will become vacant.
- The Committee must advertise the vacancy, assess candidates based on professional excellence, community awareness, and personal characteristics, and prepare a ranked list of at least two recommended candidates.
- The Solicitor General or Minister may reject the Committee's recommendations and require a new list.
- The Solicitor General or Minister shall recommend a candidate from the Committee's list to the Lieutenant Governor in Council for appointment.
- Appointments of a Commissioner made before the Act received Royal Assent remain valid even if not made on the recommendation of the Solicitor General or Minister.
- The Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent (Section 5(1)).
- Sections 3 and 4 (related to the Community Safety and Policing Act, 2019 amendments) come into force on the later of the day subsection 56(1) of Schedule 1 to the Comprehensive Ontario Police Services Act, 2019 comes into force and the day this Act receives Royal Assent (Section 5(2)).
- The bill does not specify the exact criteria the Solicitor General or Minister will use when deciding whether to reject a list of recommended candidates, other than the ability to request a fresh list.
- The exact start date for Sections 3 and 4 is dependent on the commencement of another piece of legislation (subsection 56(1) of Schedule 1 to the Comprehensive Ontario Police Services Act, 2019), which is not detailed in this bill.
Changes the process for appointing the Commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) by requiring recommendations from a newly established Commissioner Appointment Advisory Committee. It also includes a transitional provision for appointments made before the Act receives Royal Assent.
Source: Section 1
Changes the process for appointing the Commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) by requiring recommendations from a newly established Commissioner Appointment Advisory Committee. It also includes a transitional provision for appointments made before the Act receives Royal Assent.
Source: Section 3
Enacts Section 17.1, establishing the Commissioner Appointment Advisory Committee, outlining its membership, criteria for appointments, term of office, chair designation, function, operating procedures, qualifications for candidates, recommendation process, rejection of lists, and dissolution.
Source: Section 2
Enacts Section 56.1, establishing the Commissioner Appointment Advisory Committee, outlining its membership, criteria for appointments, term of office, chair designation, function, operating procedures, qualifications for candidates, recommendation process, rejection of lists, and dissolution.
Source: Section 4
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 is still active. We only show vote counts after the legislature publishes a recorded division.
No published representative vote breakdown
This bill is still moving through the process. When a recorded division is published, representative positions can be listed here.
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