The 39th
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (OLA, french: Assemblée législative de l'Ontario) is the legislative chamber of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its elected members are known as Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs). Bills passed by ...
was a legislature of the government of the Province of
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. It officially opened November 29, 2007, and ended on June 1, 2011. The membership was set by the
2007 Ontario general election
The 2007 Ontario general election was held on October 10, 2007, to elect members ( MPPs) of the 39th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada. The Liberals under Premier Dalton McGuinty won the election with a majority government, ...
on October 10, 2007.
It was controlled by a
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left.
__TOC__ Active liberal parties
This is a li ...
majority under
Premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier.
A premier will normally be a head of governm ...
Dalton McGuinty
Dalton James Patrick McGuinty Jr. (born July 19, 1955) is a former Canadian politician who served as the 24th premier of Ontario from 2003 to 2013. He was the first Liberal leader to win two majority governments since Mitchell Hepburn nearl ...
. The
Official Opposition
Parliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. This article uses the term ''government'' as it is used in Parliamentary systems, i.e. meaning ''th ...
was the
Progressive Conservative Party. It was initially led by
John Tory
John Howard Tory (born May 28, 1954) is a Canadian politician who has served as the 65th and current mayor of Toronto since 2014.
After a career as a lawyer, political strategist and businessman, Tory ran as a mayoral candidate in the 2003 ...
but the leadership changed in 2009 when the PCs elected
Tim Hudak as their new leader. The third party was the
New Democrats
New Democrats, also known as centrist Democrats, Clinton Democrats, or moderate Democrats, are a centrist ideological faction within the Democratic Party in the United States. As the Third Way faction of the party, they are seen as culturall ...
led by
Howard Hampton
Howard George Hampton (born May 17, 1952) is a politician who was a member of Provincial Parliament for the province of Ontario. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Canada, from 1987 to 1999 in the electoral district of Rainy Ri ...
until they chose
Andrea Horwath
Andrea Horwath (; born October 24, 1962) is a Canadian politician who has been the 58th mayor of Hamilton since 2022. Horwath previously served as the member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Hamilton Centre from 2004 to 2022, as leader of t ...
as their leader in 2009. The speaker was
Steve Peters.
Sessions
There were two sessions of the 39th Legislature:
Timeline of the 39th Parliament of Ontario
* November 28, 2007: The legislature conducted a secret
vote
Voting is a method by which a group, such as a meeting or an electorate, can engage for the purpose of making a collective decision or expressing an opinion usually following discussions, debates or election campaigns. Democracies elect holde ...
to elect the
Speaker
Speaker may refer to:
Society and politics
* Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly
* Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture
* A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially:
** I ...
of the
legislature
A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make law
Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its p ...
.
Liberal Party of Ontario
The Ontario Liberal Party (OLP; french: Parti libéral de l'Ontario, PLO) is a political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. The party has been led by interim leader John Fraser (Ontario MPP), John Fraser since August 2022.
The party esp ...
Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP)
Steve Peters is elected as Speaker defeating incumbent
Michael A. Brown. The former labour minister defeated Brown and three other candidates after four ballots.
* November 29, 2007: The session officially opened with the
Speech from the Throne
A speech from the throne, or throne speech, is an event in certain monarchies in which the reigning sovereign, or a representative thereof, reads a prepared speech to members of the nation's legislature when a session is opened, outlining th ...
.
* February 23, 2008:
John Tory
John Howard Tory (born May 28, 1954) is a Canadian politician who has served as the 65th and current mayor of Toronto since 2014.
After a career as a lawyer, political strategist and businessman, Tory ran as a mayoral candidate in the 2003 ...
's continued leadership of the Progressive Conservative party was endorsed by 66.9% of delegates at a
leadership review
In Canadian politics, a leadership review is a vote held at a political party convention in which delegates decide whether to endorse the incumbent party leader or schedule a leadership convention to elect a new leader. In most parties at present, ...
.
* June 14, 2008: NDP leader
Howard Hampton
Howard George Hampton (born May 17, 1952) is a politician who was a member of Provincial Parliament for the province of Ontario. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Canada, from 1987 to 1999 in the electoral district of Rainy Ri ...
announced he would step down as party leader at the
March 7, 2009 NDP leadership convention.
* June 20, 2008: A mini-
cabinet shuffle
A cabinet reshuffle or shuffle occurs when a head of government rotates or changes the composition of ministers in their cabinet, or when the Head of State changes the head of government and a number of ministers. They are more common in parlia ...
of the
Executive Council of Ontario
The Executive Council of Ontario (french: Conseil des ministres de l'Ontario), often informally referred to as the Cabinet of Ontario (french: Cabinet de l'Ontario, links=no), is the cabinet of the Canadian province of Ontario. It comprises minis ...
saw
David Caplan
David Richard Caplan (November 15, 1964 – July 24, 2019) was a Canadian politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario who represented the ridings of Oriole and Don Valley East from 1997 to 2011 a ...
sworn in as Minister of Health and
George Smitherman
George Smitherman (born February 12, 1964) is a former Canadian politician and broadcaster. He represented the provincial riding of Toronto Centre in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1999 to 2010, when he resigned to contest the mayora ...
becoming Minister of Energy and Infrastructure.
* January 9, 2009: Progressive Conservative MPP
Laurie Scott announced her resignation from the legislature to allow party leader
John Tory
John Howard Tory (born May 28, 1954) is a Canadian politician who has served as the 65th and current mayor of Toronto since 2014.
After a career as a lawyer, political strategist and businessman, Tory ran as a mayoral candidate in the 2003 ...
, who had been without a seat since his defeat in
Don Valley West
Don Valley West (french: Don Valley-Ouest) is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1979. Its population in 2001 was 115,539. 13.6% of the population is Muslim, the ...
in the
2007 election, to re-enter the legislature.
* March 5, 2009: In the
Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock
Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock (formerly Haliburton—Victoria—Brock and Victoria—Haliburton) is a federal electoral district in central Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1968.
Geography ...
by-election following Scott's resignation, Tory was defeated by Liberal candidate
Rick Johnson.
* March 6, 2009: John Tory resigned as Progressive Conservative leader pending the selection of an interim party leader.
* March 7, 2009:
Andrea Horwath
Andrea Horwath (; born October 24, 1962) is a Canadian politician who has been the 58th mayor of Hamilton since 2022. Horwath previously served as the member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Hamilton Centre from 2004 to 2022, as leader of t ...
was elected leader of the Ontario NDP at the party's
2009 leadership convention.
* June 27, 2009:
Tim Hudak was elected leader of the Progressive Conservative party at its
2009 leadership election and also became the new Leader of the Opposition.
* September 17, 2009:
Eric Hoskins
Eric William Hoskins (born November 29, 1960) is a Canadian physician and former politician who served as Ontario Minister of Health and Long-Term Care from 2014 to 2018. A member of the Liberal Party, he sat as a member of the Provincial Parli ...
was elected as the MPP for the riding of
St. Paul's following the resignation of
Michael Bryant on June 7, 2009.
* February 4, 2010:
Glenn Murray
Glenn Murray (born 25 September 1983) is an English former professional footballer and football pundit who played as a striker. His career spanned 19 years from 2002 until 2021.
Best known for his two spells with Brighton & Hove Albion, Murra ...
was elected as the MPP for the riding of
Toronto-Centre following the resignation of
George Smitherman
George Smitherman (born February 12, 1964) is a former Canadian politician and broadcaster. He represented the provincial riding of Toronto Centre in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1999 to 2010, when he resigned to contest the mayora ...
on January 4, 2010.
Party standings
Seating plan
List of members
Standings changes since the 38th general election
Membership changes
Office holders
* Speaker:
Steve Peters
* Premier:
Dalton McGuinty
Dalton James Patrick McGuinty Jr. (born July 19, 1955) is a former Canadian politician who served as the 24th premier of Ontario from 2003 to 2013. He was the first Liberal leader to win two majority governments since Mitchell Hepburn nearl ...
(Liberal)
* Government
House Leader
{{Politics of Canada
In Canada, each political party with representation in the House of Commons has a House Leader who is a front bench Member of Parliament (MP) and an expert in parliamentary procedure. The same representation is found in the pr ...
:
Monique Smith (Liberal)
* Deputy Government House Leader:
Gerry Phillips
Gerry Phillips (born September 11, 1940) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario who represented the eastern Toronto riding of Scarborough—Agincourt from 1987 to 2011. He serv ...
(Liberal)
* Leader of the Opposition:
Tim Hudak (PC)
* Opposition House Leader:
John Yakabuski
John A. Yakabuski (born June 14, 1957) is a Canadian politician who served as Ontario Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry from 2018 to 2021 in the Doug Ford cabinet. He is a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly ...
* Leader of the Third Party:
Andrea Horwath
Andrea Horwath (; born October 24, 1962) is a Canadian politician who has been the 58th mayor of Hamilton since 2022. Horwath previously served as the member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Hamilton Centre from 2004 to 2022, as leader of t ...
(NDP)
* House Leader of the Third Party:
Peter Kormos
Peter Kormos (October 7, 1952 – March 30, 2013) was a politician in Welland, Ontario, Canada. A lawyer by profession, he was first elected as an Ontario New Democratic Party (ONDP) Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) to the Legislative Ass ...
(NDP)
Major legislation
* Bill 8,
Food for Healthy Schools Act, 2008', Royal Assent April 27, 2008
* Bill 48, ''Payday Loans Act, 2008'', Royal Assent June 18, 2008
* Bill 50, ''Provincial Animal Welfare Act, 2008'', Second Reading, May 27, 20085,
* Bill 55, ''Ontario French-language Educational Communications Authority Act, 2008'', Royal Assent June 18, 2008
* Bill 64, ''Cosmetic Pesticides Ban Act, 2008'', Royal Assent June 18, 2008
* Bill 66, ''Toronto Public Transit Service Resumption Act, 2008'', Royal Assent April 27, 2008
* Bill 90, ''Colleges Collective Bargaining Act, 2008'', Second Reading June 12, 2008
Committees
There are two forms which committees can take. The first,
standing committee
A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...
s, are struck for the duration of the Parliament pursuant to Standing Orders. The second,
select committee Select committee may refer to:
*Select committee (parliamentary system), a committee made up of a small number of parliamentary members appointed to deal with particular areas or issues
*Select or special committee (United States Congress)
*Select ...
s, are struck usually by a Motion or an Order of the House to consider a specific Bill or issue which would otherwise monopolize the time of the standing committees.
Standing Committees
''Standing committees in the current Parliament''
* Standing Committee on Estimates
* Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs
* Standing Committee on General Government
* Standing Committee on Government Agencies
* Standing Committee on Social Policy
* Standing Committee on Justice Policy
* Standing Committee on Public Accounts
* Standing Committee on Regulations and Private Bills
* Standing Committee on the Legislative Assembly
''
Select committee Select committee may refer to:
*Select committee (parliamentary system), a committee made up of a small number of parliamentary members appointed to deal with particular areas or issues
*Select or special committee (United States Congress)
*Select ...
s in the current Parliament''
The 39th Parliament had 3 select committees.
* The Select Committee on Elections was struck, by a motion of the House, on June 11, 2008. It completed its work on June 29, 2009.
* The Select Committee on Mental Health and Addictions was struck, by a motion of the House, on February 24, 2009. It completed its work on August 24, 2010.
* The Select Committee on the proposed transaction of the TMX Group and the London Stock Exchange Group was struck, by a motion of the House, on February 23, 2011. It completed its work on April 19, 2011.
References
External links
Legislative Assembly of Ontario.
{{DEFAULTSORT:39th Legislative Assembly Of Ontario
Terms of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
2007 establishments in Ontario
2011 disestablishments in Ontario