The Legislative Assembly Amendment Act, 2022 moves a number of internal administrative powers from the Speaker to the Board of Internal Economy (BOIE). The BOIE now appoints and may dismiss employees of the Office of the Assembly (except the Clerk and the Sergeant‑at‑Arms), prepares accessibility plans, controls most of the legislative precinct (excluding physical protection and security), and sets office-space allocation policies that prioritize members who are not in the Executive Council.
The Act also creates a statutory process for appointment, temporary appointment, suspension and removal of the Sergeant‑at‑Arms, lets the Lieutenant Governor in Council confer the honourific “The Honourable” on former clerks, and extends certain Legislative Protective Services peace‑officer powers into parts of the Whitney Block.
These are operational changes with practical consequences: the BOIE gains centralized control over staffing, space and accessibility while the Speaker retains delegated powers only as BOIE allows; the Sergeant‑at‑Arms becomes subject to a formalized multi‑party selection and higher‑threshold removal regime; and office allocation rules embed a clear preference for backbench members. For administrators, security officers, recognized party caucuses and parliamentary staff, the bill reorders decision‑making channels and introduces new procedural and reporting obligations that will require updates to internal policy, HR and facilities management practices.
At a Glance
What It Does
The Act transfers appointment and dismissal authority for most Office of the Assembly employees from the Speaker to the Board of Internal Economy, requires the BOIE to adopt office‑space allocation policies prioritizing non‑Executive members, places most of the legislative precinct under BOIE control (except physical protection/security), and codifies selection, suspension and removal rules for the Sergeant‑at‑Arms. It also mandates an annual BOIE accessibility plan and allows the Lieutenant Governor in Council to grant former clerks the title “The Honourable.”
Who It Affects
Backbench MPPs (members who are not in the Executive Council) and their staff, the Office of the Assembly’s employees, the Speaker and the Board of Internal Economy, recognized party caucuses (through selection panels), Legislative Protective Services and security partners, and former clerks eligible for an honorific. Facilities and HR teams responsible for space allocation, accessibility and personnel policies will see their reporting lines and decision‑makers change.
Why It Matters
The bill centralizes operational authority in the BOIE, creating a single institutional manager for staffing, space and accessibility while preserving a distinct security role for other bodies; it alters appointment and removal checks for key officers (Sergeant‑at‑Arms, Clerk and staff) and sets explicit priorities for member office space that will affect where backbenchers work and how caucuses are housed.
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What This Bill Actually Does
The Act reallocates internal administrative authority inside Ontario’s Legislative Assembly by strengthening the role of the Board of Internal Economy. For staffing, the BOIE now formally appoints employees of the Office of the Assembly except the Clerk and the Sergeant‑at‑Arms, and may dismiss, suspend or reprimand those employees.
The statute includes transitional language so existing employees continue without interruption, and it permits the Speaker to exercise BOIE powers temporarily until the Board either acts or delegates those powers back to the Speaker.
On appointments of senior officers, the Act introduces three parallel changes. First, the Lieutenant Governor in Council may grant former Clerks the honorific “The Honourable.” Second, the Assembly must appoint the Sergeant‑at‑Arms by order; in practice the nominee should be selected by a unanimous panel made up of one member from each recognized party and chaired (non‑voting) by the Speaker unless the Assembly unanimously agrees otherwise.
Third, removal or suspension of the Sergeant‑at‑Arms requires a two‑thirds vote of the Assembly; if the Assembly is not sitting, the BOIE can suspend the Sergeant‑at‑Arms by unanimous agreement subject to reporting and time limits.The Act makes space allocation an explicit BOIE responsibility. The Board must adopt policies allocating space inside the legislative precinct and provide office space for each non‑Executive member to the extent reasonably possible.
When space cannot be provided to all non‑Executive members, the BOIE must prioritize members who are not Parliamentary Assistants over those who are. The definition of “legislative precinct” is revised to remove the Whitney Block basement from the precinct while adding its entrances, and control of the precinct is placed with the BOIE except where physical protection and security are concerned.
Complementing that, the Act expands the geographic reach where certain Legislative Protective Services employees are peace officers to include parts of the Whitney Block that are not in the precinct.Accessibility and delegation rules are also changed. The BOIE must prepare an annual accessibility plan that identifies, removes and prevents barriers to persons with disabilities in the Chamber and Board‑controlled parts of the Legislative Building, and must make that plan public.
The statute explicitly permits the BOIE to delegate powers in writing to the Speaker, and the Speaker may in turn delegate certain powers to the Deputy Speaker or to Assembly employees, with conditions and restrictions permitted on those delegations. The Act comes into force on Royal Assent and carries transitional provisions to bridge the shift in authority.
The Five Things You Need to Know
The Board of Internal Economy now appoints and may dismiss Office of the Assembly employees other than the Clerk and the Sergeant‑at‑Arms; existing employees continue without reappointment.
The Assembly must appoint the Sergeant‑at‑Arms by order and, unless the Assembly unanimously decides otherwise, the appointee must be selected by unanimous agreement of a panel containing one member from each recognized party and chaired (non‑voting) by the Speaker.
The Assembly may remove or suspend the Sergeant‑at‑Arms only by a vote of at least two‑thirds of members; if the Assembly is not sitting, the BOIE may suspend the Sergeant‑at‑Arms by unanimous agreement subject to reporting and time limits.
The BOIE must adopt office‑space allocation policies and give priority for remaining precinct space first to members who are not Parliamentary Assistants and then to Parliamentary Assistants when space is scarce.
The Act removes the Whitney Block basement from the legislative precinct (but includes Whitney Block entrances) and extends certain Legislative Protective Services peace‑officer powers into the Whitney Block, including parts not in the precinct.
Section-by-Section Breakdown
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Right to office space for non‑Executive members
Adds an express entitlement: every member who is not in the Executive Council is entitled to office space in accordance with section 90. This codifies a baseline right and ties it to the later, more detailed BOIE allocation rules, creating a statutory obligation to address backbench accommodation.
BOIE takes over appointment and discipline of Assembly staff
Replaces the Speaker’s prior authority so the Board of Internal Economy appoints and may dismiss, suspend or reprimand Office of the Assembly employees other than the Clerk and Sergeant‑at‑Arms. The provision includes transition language to preserve current employment relationships and a temporary clause allowing the Speaker to exercise BOIE powers until the Board acts or delegates—preventing a governance gap but also creating a limited interim vesting of authority in the Speaker.
Honorifics and a formal Sergeant‑at‑Arms regime
Section 77.4 authorizes the Lieutenant Governor in Council to grant former Clerks the title “The Honourable.” Sections 77.5–77.8 set a multi‑step process for appointment, temporary appointment, designation of deputies, salary adjustments, suspension and removal of the Sergeant‑at‑Arms. Key mechanics: Assembly appointment by order (panel selection by unanimous agreement of recognized parties unless waived), two‑thirds removal vote, BOIE power to suspend when Assembly not sitting (by unanimous agreement), and explicit rules for temporary appointments and deputy designation.
BOIE prescribes employee duties and transitional continuation
Replaces the Speaker as the prescriber of duties and functions for employees and preserves existing Speaker‑prescribed regulations as if made by the BOIE. Practically, this consolidates job‑design and HR rule‑making under the BOIE while avoiding immediate regulatory gaps.
Office‑space policy and priority structure
Requires the BOIE to establish space‑allocation policies for buildings within the legislative precinct and to provide offices for each non‑Executive member to the extent reasonably possible. Where space is insufficient after accommodating specified officials and caucus offices, the BOIE must prioritize remaining precinct space first for members who are not Parliamentary Assistants, then for Parliamentary Assistants. This is a procedural rule that converts an operational practice into a statutory priority ladder.
Redefining the precinct, BOIE control and expanded protective jurisdiction
The definition of the legislative precinct is narrowed to exclude the Whitney Block basement while explicitly including Whitney Block entrances. Control of the precinct is vested in the BOIE except for physical protection and security responsibilities. Complementing that, the statute extends the areas where certain Legislative Protective Services employees are peace officers to include the Whitney Block, covering parts not formally in the precinct and clarifying operational jurisdiction for on‑site protection.
Accessibility plan and delegation framework
Mandates an annual BOIE accessibility plan addressing identification, removal and prevention of barriers in the Chamber and Board‑controlled parts of the Legislative Building, requires public availability, and lists content elements the plan must include. It also creates an explicit written‑delegation mechanism: the BOIE may delegate powers to the Speaker, who may further delegate to the Deputy Speaker or Assembly employees subject to conditions and restrictions.
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Every bill creates winners and losers. Here's who stands to gain and who bears the cost.
Who Benefits
- Members of the Assembly who are not in the Executive Council — receive an explicit statutory entitlement to office space and prioritized access when space is limited, improving predictability for backbench accommodation.
- Recognized party caucuses — gain formal representation in the selection panel for Sergeant‑at‑Arms, giving each recognized party a veto via the unanimous selection rule (unless the Assembly agrees otherwise).
- Persons with disabilities and accessibility advocates — benefit from an annual BOIE accessibility plan that must be public and include concrete review and remediation commitments for the Chamber and BOIE‑controlled spaces.
- Office of the Assembly employees generally — get a clear, centralized employer (the BOIE) responsible for appointments and discipline, which can standardize HR practices and reduce ad hoc decision‑making.
- Former Clerks of the Assembly — may be granted the honorific title “The Honourable” by order of the Lieutenant Governor in Council, formalizing a ceremonial benefit.
Who Bears the Cost
- The Board of Internal Economy — inherits expanded operational responsibilities (staffing, facilities, accessibility planning, precinct control) and the administrative and political burdens that come with managing those functions.
- The Speaker’s office — loses discretion over personnel and employee duties and must operate under BOIE policies and any delegated limits, reducing unilateral flexibility.
- Recognized parties and the Assembly — face potential delays and deadlocks from the unanimous‑panel selection rule for Sergeant‑at‑Arms and the two‑thirds removal threshold, which can complicate quick replacements or accountability actions.
- Legislative Protective Services and security partners — assume wider peace‑officer jurisdiction in the Whitney Block, which may require additional training, coordination with public police services, and potential liability or resource implications.
- Taxpayers/caucus budgets — could face increased costs from implementing accessibility measures, reallocating office space, or providing interim salaries and benefits for temporary Sergeants‑at‑Arms under BOIE determinations.
Key Issues
The Core Tension
The central dilemma is between centralizing administrative control under a politically constituted Board to achieve consistent, equitable management (staffing, space, accessibility) and the risk that that same centralization politicizes routine administration and creates governance frictions with the Speaker, security functions and party caucuses — a trade‑off between managerial coherence and institutional independence.
The Act centralizes operational authority in the BOIE while attempting to preserve institutional checks; that design creates practical and political frictions. Central control of staffing and space can improve consistency and advance accessibility priorities, but it also concentrates decision‑making in a political board whose composition and voting dynamics can shift with party interests.
The Speaker retains temporary exercise of BOIE powers until the Board acts, which closes a transitional gap but may leave an ambiguous interim accountability line. Likewise, delegations from the BOIE to the Speaker and from the Speaker to staff are permitted but can be conditional, leaving open questions about where day‑to‑day authority will actually sit.
The Sergeant‑at‑Arms regime balances cross‑party input (unanimous panel selection) against stronger removal safeguards (two‑thirds Assembly vote). That combination protects the office from partisan dismissal but risks paralysing timely action when consensus fails — the BOIE’s unanimous suspension power during recess is a narrow safety valve but carries its own unanimity requirement and time limits.
The split of precinct control (BOIE) and security responsibility (separate protection functions) could produce coordination problems: who decides on physical alterations, access control protocols, or emergency responses when responsibilities overlap? Finally, the Act requires an annual public accessibility plan but contains no new, dedicated funding stream; implementation will depend on BOIE priorities and appropriation choices, making the plan’s effectiveness contingent on resources and day‑to‑day cooperation between facilities, security and legislative staff.
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