Dianne Craig and Jerry Dias made statements and, with Caroline Hugues and Angelo DiCaro, answered questions.

At 9:37 a.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 9:41 a.m., the sitting resumed.

David Worts and Flavio Volpe made statements and answered questions.

At 10:26 a.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 10:30 a.m., the sitting resumed in camera.

It was agreed, — That, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the Committee undertake the study of Report 2, Controlling Exports at the Border, of the Fall 2015 Report of the Auditor General of Canada; and that witnesses be invited to appear before the Committee.

It was agreed, — That the Clerk of the Committee, in consultation with the Chair, prepare a draft budget respecting the Committee's proposed travel, in relation to its pre-study of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP), for consideration by the Committee.

It was agreed, — That a proposed budget in the amount of $ 20,000, for the study of the Softwood Lumber Agreement between Canada and the United States, be adopted.

It was agreed, — That, pursuant to the motion of Tuesday, February 16, 2016, adopted by the Committee to study the Trans-Pacific Partnerships Agreement (TPP), the Chair publish a news release on the Committee’s website, inviting members of the public to request to appear as a witness before the Committee, either as individuals or as groups representing an organization or coalition, and also invite Canadians to submit their views on the TPP in writing; that the written submissions be sent to the Clerk electronically no later than April 30, 2016, 23:59 EDT, and be no more than 1,500 words in length; and that written submissions, once translated, be distributed to members of the Committee;

That the Clerk notify members of all requests to appear before the Committee and update members on new requests on a regular basis;

That, based on the list of potential witnesses provided in order of priority by each recognized caucus on Thursday, February 18, 2016, the Clerk, in consultation with the Chair and the Analysts, schedule witnesses based on these recommendations, and to the greatest possible extent, with witness slots apportioned equally among each caucus for each meeting;

That caucuses be permitted to add names to their lists to the Clerk at any time for the duration of the Committee's TPP study;

That if a caucus fail to submit a list of witnesses to the Clerk (or if a list is exhausted and not renewed), those slots be allocated to other witnesses in consultation with the Committee;

That, in order to consult with the greatest number of Canadians who wish to express their opinion on the TPP, witnesses be permitted five (5) minutes for an opening statement followed by the usual rounds of questions from Committee members; that this format allow the Committee to hear six (6) witnesses (one per organization) per meeting of two (2) hours to appear before the Committee as a panel.