New rules for democratic discourse in the Legislature

By MPP Toby Barrett

To The Haldimand Press

Many of us who have been elected to serve in Ontario’s provincial parliament feel we have a bit of an outdated set up and we operate under somewhat obscure procedural protocol. That will all change next week as we head back to the Ontario Legislature.

There’s nothing wrong with admitting that there are better ways of doing business as we continue to find better ways of debating in the Ontario Legislature.

After a summer of consulting with the clerks of the Legislature, the NDP, and independent MPPs, a bill was developed to modernize the Legislative Standing Orders.

These changes, I feel, will help enhance debate, and increase opportunities for all MPPs to engage in the legislative process on behalf of the people they are elected to represent.

It makes sense, for example, that the same bill be debated in the afternoon as was in the morning – I am not sure why there’s a rule against that.