Speaker, may it please the House, Her Honour the Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, by and with the advice and concurrence of the Executive Council of Ontario and in the name of His Majesty the King, has made orders pursuant to section 77.4 of the Legislative Assembly Act. These orders grant Mr. Claude L. DesRosiers and Ms. Deborah Deller, presently before the House, the right to use the honorific title “The Honourable” as former Clerks of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. I am pleased to lay copies of these orders upon the table.

We also have another former member with us this morning: the member for Thornhill from the 38th Parliament, Mario Racco. Welcome back. It’s good to have you here.

That concludes our introduction of visitors.

Applause.

The government House leader.

Whereas in the year 2022, the assembly has amended the Legislative Assembly Act to authorize the Lieutenant Governor in Council to grant former Clerks of the Assembly the right to use the honorific title “The Honourable,” and

Whereas the government of Ontario desires to honour Mr. Claude L. DesRosiers and recognize his lifetime of public service, including service to the people of Ontario as Clerk of its Legislative Assembly from 1986 until 2006, and

Therefore, pursuant to section 77.4 of the Legislative Assembly Act, Claude L. DesRosiers of Ottawa is hereby granted the right to use the honorific title “The Honourable” or “l’honorable” effective the later of June 7, 2023, and the date this order in council is made.

And on the recommendation of the undersigned, the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, by and with the advice and concurrence of the Executive Council of Ontario, orders that:

Whereas in the year 2022, the assembly has amended the Legislative Assembly Act to authorize the Lieutenant Governor in Council to grant former Clerks of the Assembly the right to use the honorific title “The Honourable”; and

Whereas the government of Ontario desires to honour Ms. Deborah Deller and to recognize her lifetime of public service, including service to the people of Ontario as Clerk of its Legislative Assembly from 2007 until 2016;

Therefore, pursuant to section 77.4 of the Legislative Assembly Act, Deborah Deller of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, is hereby granted the right to use the honorific title “The Honourable,” effective the later of June 7, 2023 and the date that this order in council is made.

And both of these documents are signed by the Premier of Ontario and the Chair of the Cabinet, as well as the Administrator.

Today, we welcome in our midst two very dear friends who, while serving as Clerk, were keystones in the arch of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. May I say how delighted we are to have them back with us today. Members and invited guests, please welcome Claude DesRosiers, Clerk of the Legislative Assembly from 1986 to 2006, and Deborah Deller, our Clerk from 2007 to 2016.

Applause.

It is an honour that is truly well deserved. It is safe to say that all members have some idea of the complexities and challenges facing a Clerk, but only the very few who have actually sat in that chair really know. The Clerk is responsible not only to provide procedural advice in our historic Parliament to over 100 individuals with many differing opinions and points of view but also to administer the offices and provide leadership to the staff to help to keep things running smoothly and operational for the members, the media and the public alike. It is a job like no other.

Clerks must be absolutely, resolutely and categorically neutral. They are constantly challenged with problems which require decisions that uphold the overall best interests of the Legislature and those who serve here, whether based on parliamentary procedure and precedent or, as the situation warrants, based on in-depth knowledge and immediate recall of the standing orders about the rules of this place.

Many of us wonder, when things get heated here, how a Clerk or a table Clerk can maintain their composure and not give any sense of reaction to surrounding circumstances. When this place is erupting, how do they maintain their unfazed composure? How do they stay so calm? What is in their water?

It is because of these qualities, along with the outstanding service that the Clerk is expected to achieve, that the title “Honourable” is so fitting. And it’s worth noting that this honour is rare. Thus far, only eight people, including the current Clerk, have served in the role permanently since Ontario’s founding in 1867—an untold number of members since 1867 and just eight Clerks during that same period.

As I’ve mentioned, our modern-era Clerks have also had the responsibility of being the chief administrative officer of the assembly. For more than a century after Confederation, the government appointed the five Clerks who served here. Claude DesRosiers was the first Clerk selected by the Legislature. Claude, you were the Clerk who began the modernization of the House and, in turn, the evolution of our current organization. You were also the Clerk who welcomed me when I first arrived here as a member in 1990 and the Clerk who witnessed by first oath of allegiance to Her Majesty the Queen.

Claude came to us from the House of Commons in Ottawa with extraordinary expertise and knowledge of parliamentary procedure, thanks to his experience at our federal Parliament. There, Claude served in a variety of positions, many in a capacity supporting francophone activities—something that proved very advantageous here, especially with respect to interparliamentary and diplomatic activities.

With his love of history and heritage buildings, our setting at Queen’s Park turned out to be the perfect workplace for someone with Claude’s background and interests. During his time in office, our building celebrated its 100th anniversary and underwent a restoration that saw the replacement and refurbishment of original materials and the uncovering of long-hidden features that had been hidden for decades. This chamber was also transformed from the blue chairs and red carpet—colours that occasionally clashed, literally and figuratively—to the green that you see today, bringing us in line with Westminster tradition.

The sense of the significance of this place also resonated for Claude when he met new Assembly staff during orientation sessions. He enjoyed pointing out his office window and comparing Toronto’s modern skyline with the longevity of Parliament. He would explain that styles could change and those buildings could come and go, but that this one would still be here. Democracy would always prevail and Parliament would always endure.

This building is a symbol of democracy, which is surely our most precious legacy passed on to us by previous generations. Claude’s career helped to sustain it and strengthen it. Thank you again, Claude.

And to Deb Deller, along with Claude, you were another warm and welcoming face at this table when I first arrived here. Deb, we owe you the same depth of gratitude for your advice over the years. How reassuring it was, knowing that you had been seated next to Claude at the table for a considerable period of time before you became Clerk.

You’ve told a lot of people about how you got your first job in this place. It seems that while you were in university you applied to be a tour guide here, and along with your suitability for the job it also turned out that you were the perfect fit for the uniform of the guide who had just vacated the position. That made your selection that much easier, proving the old adage “if the suit fits” to be true.

Even as a tour guide, Deb always had a passion for learning about the workings of our Legislature and took a strong interest in procedural processes, sitting in on meetings of the House and committees when she could to become more familiar with how things work here when she returned to the Legislature to serve as a guide following university.

Deb then gained a position as a Legislative Attendant, reporting to the Clerk’s office. From there, her next steps included positions as Committee Clerk, Clerk Assistant, Deputy Clerk and Director of Legislative Services. Finally, on March 21, 2007, she became the first female to be Clerk of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.

During her time in this role, Deb built on Claude’s strong foundation of modernizing and improving the Legislature. Among her projects were the introduction of a new Legislative Assembly website, as well as improved internal communications initiatives and technology services for members and staff, including a redesigned intranet. Better orientation services for new members, as well as enhanced training and skills development opportunities for staff, were also among her initiatives.

Thank you again, Deb, not only for being a great mentor and support to so many of us here, but also an inspiration to young women from across this province to make sure, as I quote in your own words, “they don’t feel there’s any barrier to doing something just because women haven’t done it before.”

In closing, thanks to both of you for devoting your professional lives to the functioning of our Ontario Parliament and the service of the people of this province.

Applause.