The committee met at 8:27 a.m.

Election of Chair and Deputy Chair

J. Arril (Committee Clerk): Good morning, Members.

As this is the first meeting of the Select Standing Committee on Children and Youth for the fourth session of the 41st parliament, it’s my honour, as Committee Clerk, to oversee the election of a Chair.

Do we have any nominations for the Chair of the committee?

R. Leonard: I nominate Nicholas Simons.

J. Arril (Committee Clerk): Nicholas, do you accept the nomination?

N. Simons: Thank you. Sure, I accept the nomination.

J. Arril (Committee Clerk): Any further nominations? Any further nominations? One more time, any further nominations?

The question is that Nicholas Simons take the chair as Chairperson of the committee.

Motion approved.

[N. Simons in the chair.]

J. Arril (Committee Clerk): Congratulations, Chair.

N. Simons (Chair): I feel like I won an election. I won the lottery. Thank you very much.

We need to choose a Deputy Chair, don’t we?

J. Arril (Committee Clerk): We do.

N. Simons (Chair): Yeah, that’s a fun process.

Do we have any nominations for the Deputy Chair?

L. Throness: I would nominate Michelle Stilwell.

N. Simons (Chair): Any seconders?

Interjections.

N. Simons (Chair): Oh, seconded unanimously. Michelle, would you accept that position?

M. Stilwell: I would love to accept that position.

Motion approved.

N. Simons (Chair): Thank you, Michelle.

Special Project Draft Workplan

N. Simons (Chair): We have an important agenda. We have to sort of try and figure out and narrow down the focus of our review of the special needs services for children.

We got some correspondence very recently from the Representative for Children and Youth on the subject that we’re planning to discuss today, and we got some feedback from the Ministry for Children and Families, which will both help to set out the scope of our review. I think those both provide valuable input into our discussion.

I wonder if maybe, if you haven’t had an opportunity to read through the letters, one from the ministry and one from the Representative for Children and Youth, this might be a good opportunity to review those to inform our discussion, which we will have forthwith.

I think that for the purposes of discussing the letters, the expectation, I believe, from both of those who provided them is that these will be discussed among committee members and not necessarily for public purview.

I think based on that expectation, maybe we should move to go in camera, just to discuss the contents of the letters. There’s nothing very sensitive in them, but I think, just on the basis of our relationship with those two offices, it might be best to go in camera.

Could I have a motion?

M. Stilwell (Deputy Chair): I move to go in camera.

Motion approved.

The committee continued in camera from 8:30 a.m. to 9:39 a.m.

[N. Simons in the chair.]

N. Simons (Chair): We’re out of in camera. We’re on the air again.

I wanted to conclude this meeting by formally welcoming Ellis Ross to the committee. I appreciate him stepping forward.

We thank Joan Isaacs for her contribution to the committee and thank her very much for that and wish her fun with her new role.

With that, Members, I really appreciate this discussion. I think it’s been very helpful.

Thanks to the Clerk’s office and Hansard.

With that, I ask for a motion to adjourn.

Motion approved.

The committee adjourned at 9:39 a.m.