Submit recommendations to a provincial committee

You can provide your views, comments and recommendations on a subject being studied by the Government of Ontario by submitting a:

• Written submission/brief (submit material to a committee), and/or a
• Verbal presentation (appear as a committee witness)

to one of the Committees of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.

There are Standing Committees on:

• Finance and Economic Affairs
• Government Agencies
• Heritage, Infrastructure and Cultural Policy
• Interior
• Justice Policy
• Procedure and House Affairs
• Public Accounts
• Social Policy

More: All committee documents (transcripts, reports, etc.)

Committees are working groups created by Ontario provincial parliament made up of selected Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs) from each political party. They study issues relating to the committee’s mandate or referred to them by parliament in greater depth and report back to the Assembly. They execute a large portion of parliamentary work.

The number of representatives that each political party has on each committee is determined by the proportion of seats in the Legislature held by each party. So when there is a majority government, the party with the majority has the majority of seats on each Committee.

The Committees hold hearings and they vote on amendments to legislation. A government will often amend legislation based on what it has heard in consultations.

All Ontario residents make a written submission to a committee and all residents can apply to make a verbal presentation before a committee.

When you send in a written submission or make a verbal presentation before the Committee, you are giving your input to the MPPs on that Committee. It is important for the public to provide input so that MPPs have to face it and respond to it. Members of the media also usually attend the hearings.

Current active committee hearings can be found on the Notices of hearings page.

Written submissions

A brief is a written submission that provides your opinions, comments and recommendations on a subject being studied.

Verbal submissions

Notices are posted to the “Notice of Hearings” tab of each committee:

• Finance and Economic Affairs
• Government Agencies
• Heritage, Infrastructure and Cultural Policy
• Interior
• Justice Policy
• Procedure and House Affairs
• Public Accounts
• Social Policy

You can apply to the nearest hearing and go in person or you can appear by Zoom. They will give you a time limit for the length of your presentation and it is strict. They will cut you off at that time limit. After you present, the MPPs will ask you questions about your input. You do not have to have your submission ready when you apply. You only have to get it in before the deadline.

For upcoming committee meetings, see the committee meetings weekly notice.

Please note that the registration form does not have an option to indicate whether you are joining the hearing in-person or virtually by Zoom. After the registration deadline, people who are scheduled to present will be contacted and asked whether you are joining in-person or virtually by Zoom.

Example briefs

Recommendations for the Ontario Budget

256 witnesses appeared before the Committee and 100 written submissions were received from individuals and groups who did not appear before the Committee.

Witnesses included representatives of:

• Individuals
  • Doug Jones
  • Kate Chung
  • June Weiss
• Association of Municipalities Ontario
• Automotive Industries Association of Canada
• Beef Farmers of Ontario
• City of Kingston
• Kingston Frontenac Public Library
• Council of Ontario Universities
• North Bay Pride
• ODSP Action Coalition
• Spirits Canada

These briefs and witness presentations resulted in the Pre-Budget Consultation 2024 report by the by the Standing Committee of Finance and Economic Affairs which made recommendations to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.

The Committee heard from local health coalitions who urged the Province to make significant investments in publicly delivered health care services. They described a health care system in crisis and raised concerns about privately delivered health care, suggesting these services are less cost-effective. They also raised concerns about hospital unit closures and the use of forprofit surgical clinics. Other organizations and individuals made similar observations, with one individual writing to the Committee to explain that Haliburton Highlands Health Services’ permanent closure of the Minden emergency department exemplifies the challenges facing the health care system and ask for a comprehensive approach to prevent further closures.

Spirits Canada expressed support for efforts to modernize the retail model for alcoholic beverages. They urged Ontario to
permit spirit sales in retail settings outside the LCBO, and to reduce taxation of Ontario-produced spirits.

The Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction was among numerous witnesses who requested substantial increases to the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) and Ontario Works (OW) rates.15 The Income Security Advocacy Centre called for a doubling of ODSP and OW rates, and indexing OW rates to inflation (as the Province has done for ODSP). The ODSP Action Coalition called for combining basic needs and shelter allowance components into one amount, irrespective of clients’ living arrangements. Feed Ontario spoke about the
increased numbers of Ontarians relying on foodbanks. They made recommendations directed at investing in vulnerable Ontarians, including increasing the monthly earnings exemption for OW to match the increase provided for ODSP.17 An individual told the Committee that persons with disabilities live in a state of constant worry about how to provide for themselves and their families. In addition to requesting a doubling of ODSP rates, the witness asked Ontario to ensure that payments under the new Canada Disability Benefit are treated as exempt and not deducted from ODSP benefits.

How to apply

To apply to appear as a committee witness or submit a brief use this online form: Request to participate in committees

If you want to verbally present your brief to the committee in person, choose “request to appear as a committee witness”.

Written submissions should follow the guidelines outlined in Guidelines for submitting written materials to committees. Submissions that don’t follow the guidelines won’t be penalized. Hard copy submissions are also accepted.

Or by mail to:

Procedural Services Branch
Whitney Block
Room 1405
99 Wellesley St. W
Toronto, ON M7A 1A2
Telephone: 416-325-3500

Fax: 416-325-3505
TTY: 416-325-3538

Questions? Contact the clerk of the committee.

The deadlines are strict. If you do not apply for standing – that is to make a verbal presentation – you will not be considered. If you do not get in your written submission by the deadline, it will not go into the record.

You can also take part in the committee process by:

• Appearing as a committee witness
• Attending committee hearings

Recommendations

• include factual information to support your conclusions, views, or claims
• recommendations should be as specific as possible
• begin with a summary of the main conclusions and recommendations
• be brief/concise

For a list of past submissions relating to a particular bill, for more information about any committee or consultations please contact the Clerk of the Committee.

How to watch committee meetings

Committee meetings are streamed live from location when available. For the link to the webcast, and to find times and availability, see the committee meetings weekly notice and our guide on how to watch Ontario government meetings.

Submissions become part of the public record

Documents, presentations and briefs submitted to committees of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario are considered public documents. They are made available to MPPs and the public for inspection or for copying.

Submissions become a part of the official record of our province. It will be included in Hansard (which is the transcript of the hearings) and researchers can use it when they study what happened in this period. When the government is listening to its constituents, public input is also used to shape public policy.