CIIT Committee Meeting

The Standing Committee on International Trade met at 11:55 a.m. this day, in Room 306, La Promenade Building, for the purpose of electing a Chair, pursuant to Standing Order 106(1).

On motion of Ron Cannan, it was agreed, — That Hon. Rob Merrifield be elected Chair of the Committee.

By unanimous consent and pursuant to Standing Order 106(2), the Clerk of the Committee presided over the election of the Vice-Chairs.

On motion of Wayne Easter, it was agreed, — That Robert Chisholm be elected First Vice-Chair of the Committee.

On motion of Glenn Thibeault, it was agreed, — That Hon. Wayne Easter be elected Second Vice-Chair of the Committee.

Hon. Rob Merrifield took the Chair.

On motion of Mathieu Ravignat, it was agreed, — That the Committee retain the services of one or more analysts from the Library of Parliament, as needed, to assist the Committee in its work and that these services may be requested at the discretion of the Chair.

Ron Cannan moved, — That the Sub-committee on Agenda and Procedure be composed of five (5) members, including the Chair, the two Vice-Chairs, the Parliamentary Secretary, and a member of the Conservative Party; quorum of the Sub-Committee shall consist of at least three (3) members; each member of the Sub-committee shall be permitted to have one assistant attend any meetings of the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure and, in addition, each party shall be permitted to have one staff member from a House Officer attend any meetings.

After debate, the question was put on the motion and it was agreed to, by a show of hands: YEAS: 6; NAYS: 4.

On motion of Wayne Easter, it was agreed, — That the Chair be authorized to hold meetings to receive evidence and to have that evidence printed when a quorum is not present, provided that at least three (3) members are present, including one member from the government and one member of the opposition and that in the case of previously scheduled meetings taking place outside the Parliamentary precinct, the Committee members in attendance shall only be required to wait for 15 minutes following the designated start of the meeting before they may proceed to hear witnesses and receive evidence, so long as one member of the government and one member of the opposition is present.

On motion of Ron Cannan, it was agreed, — That the witnesses from any one organization shall be allowed ten (10) minutes to make their opening statement; that during the questioning of witnesses, there shall be allocated seven (7) minutes for the 1st round of questioning and thereafter five (5) minutes shall be allocated to each questioner in the 2nd and subsequent rounds of questioning; that the order of questions for the first round of questioning shall be as follows: NDP, Conservative, Liberal, Conservative; that questioning during the 2nd round shall alternate between the government members and opposition members in the following fashion: NDP, Conservative, NDP, Conservative, Conservative, NDP, Conservative; based on the principle that each committee member should have a full opportunity to question the witness (es); and that, if time permits, further rounds shall repeat the pattern of the first two at the discretion of the chair.

On motion of Glenn Thibeault, it was agreed, — That only the Clerk of the Committee, with adequate notice, be authorized to distribute to the members of the Committee any documents, including motions, and that all documents which are to be distributed amongst the committee members must be in both official languages and that the Clerk shall advise all witness appearing before committee of this requirement.

On motion of Wayne Easter, it was agreed, — That the Committee authorize the Clerk of the Committee, in consultation with the Chair, to make the necessary arrangements to provide for working meals.

On motion of Ed Holder, it was agreed, — That, if requested, reasonable travel, accommodation and living expenses be reimbursed to witnesses, not exceeding two (2) representatives per organization; and that, in exceptional circumstances, payment for more representatives be made at the discretion of the Chair.

On motion of Mathieu Ravignat, it was agreed, — That, unless otherwise ordered, each committee member be allowed to have one staff member present from their office and from their party at in camera meetings and, in addition, each party shall be permitted to have one staff member from a House Officer attend in camera meetings.

On motion of Wayne Easter, it was agreed, — That in camera meetings be transcribed and that the transcription be kept with the Clerk of the Committee for later consultation by members of the Committee.

On motion of Ron Cannan, it was agreed, — That forty-eight (48) hours notice shall be required for any substantive motion to be considered by the Committee; and that the motion shall be filed and distributed to members by the clerk in both official languages and that completed motions that are received by 4:00 p.m. shall be distributed to members the same day.

It was agreed, — That, in the context of Canada-Australian trade relations, the Chair develop a proposal for the Committee to travel to Australia.

It was agreed, — That the Analysts prepare for the Committee a briefing note on the subject of Canada-India trade relations.

At 12:35 p.m., the Committee adjourned to the call of the Chair.