On motion of Bryan May, it was agreed, — That James Maloney be elected Chair of the Committee.

At 3:44 p.m., James Maloney took the Chair.

On motion of Cathy McLeod, it was agreed, — That Shannon Stubbs be elected First vice-chair of the committee.

On motion of Paul Lefebvre, it was agreed, — That Mario Simard be elected Second vice-chair of the committee.

On motion of Maninder Sidhu, it was agreed, — That the committee retain, as needed and at the discretion of the Chair, the services of one or more analysts from the Library of Parliament to assist it in its work.

On motion of Maninder Sidhu, it was agreed, — That the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure be established and be composed of five members, namely the Chair and one member from each recognized party; and that the subcommittee work in a spirit of collaboration.

On motion of Patrick Weiler, 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 four members are present, including one member of the opposition and one member of the government, but when travelling outside the parliamentary precinct, that the meeting begin after fifteen minutes, regardless of members present.

On motion of Patrick Weiler, it was agreed, — That witnesses be given 10 minutes for their opening statement; that, at the discretion of the Chair, during the questioning of witnesses, in the first round, there be allocated six minutes for the first questioner of each party as follows: Conservative Party, Liberal Party, Bloc Québécois, New Democratic Party. That for the second and subsequent rounds, the order and time for questioning be as follows: Conservative Party, five minutes, Liberal Party, five minutes, Conservative Party, five minutes, Liberal Party, five minutes, Bloc Québécois, two and a half minutes, New Democratic Party, two and a half minutes.

On motion of Yvonne Jones, it was agreed, — That the clerk of the committee be authorized to distribute documents to members of the committee and only when such documents exist in both official languages, and that witnesses be advised accordingly.

On motion of Yvonne Jones, it was agreed, — That the clerk of the committee be authorized to make the necessary arrangements to provide working meals for the committee and its subcommittees.

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

On motion of Bryan May, it was agreed, — That, unless otherwise ordered, each committee member be allowed to have one staff member at an in camera meeting and that one additional person from each House officer’s office be allowed to be present.

On motion of Bryan May, it was agreed, — That one copy of the transcript of each in camera meeting be kept in the committee clerk’s office for consultation by members of the committee or by their staff.

On motion of Patrick Weiler, it was agreed, — That 48 hours’ notice, interpreted as two nights, shall be required for any substantive motion to be considered by the committee, unless the substantive motion relates directly to business then under consideration, provided that (a) the notice be filed with the clerk of the committee no later than 4:00 p.m. from Monday to Friday; that (b) the motion be distributed to Members in both official languages by the clerk on the same day the said notice was transmitted if it was received no later than the deadline hour; and, that (c) notices received after the deadline hour or on non-business days be deemed to have been received during the next business day and that when the committee is travelling on official business, no substantive motions may be moved.

On motion of Bryan May, it was agreed, — That, in relation to orders of reference from the House respecting Bills,

1. the clerk of the committee shall, upon the committee receiving such an order of reference, write to each Member who is not a member of a caucus represented on the committee to invite those Members to file with the clerk of the committee, in both official languages, any amendments to the Bill, which is the subject of the said order, which they would suggest that the committee consider;
2. suggested amendments filed, pursuant to paragraph (a), at least 48 hours prior to the start of clause-by-clause consideration of the Bill to which the amendments relate shall be deemed to be proposed during the said consideration, provided that the Committee may, by motion, vary this deadline in respect of a given Bill; and
3. during the clause-by-clause consideration of a Bill, the Chair shall allow a Member who filed suggested amendments, pursuant to paragraph (a), an opportunity to make brief representations in support of them.

Richard Cannings moved, — That any motion to go in camera should be debatable and amendable, and that the committee may only meet in camera for the following purposes:

• to discuss administrative matters of the committee

• a draft report

• briefings concerning national security;

And furthermore, minutes of in camera meetings should reflect on the results of all votes taken by the committee while in camera, including how each member voted when a recorded vote is requested.

Debate arose thereon.

It was agreed, — That, the debate be adjourned until the next meeting of the committee.

Cathy McLeod moved, — That, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), given that 26 mills have closed and over 10,000 workers impacted in British Columbia alone, and that Quebec forest products are still affected by 20% taxes and tariffs from the United States, the committee undertake a study of the forest industry and what action the Government of Canada can take; that the witness list include representatives of provincial and Indigenous governments; representatives of impacted communities; representatives of labour organizations; industry experts; Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources; Canada’s Minister of International Trade; officials from the Department of Natural Resources Canada, Global Affairs Canada, Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions, the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, and Western Economic Diversification; that the study contain no less than 10 meetings and commence on Monday, March 9, 2020, and that these meetings be televised when possible; and that the Committee report its findings to the House.

After debate, the question was put on the motion, as amended, and it was agreed to.

The motion, as amended, read as follows:

That, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), given that 26 mills have closed and over 10,000 workers are impacted in British Columbia alone, and that Quebec forest products are still affected by 20% taxes and tariffs from the United States, the committee undertake a study of the forest industry and what action the Government of Canada can take; that the witness list include representatives of provincial and Indigenous governments; representatives of impacted communities; representatives of labour organizations; industry experts; Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources; Canada’s Minister of International Trade; officials from the Department of Natural Resources Canada, Global Affairs Canada, Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions, the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, and Western Economic Diversification; that the study commence on Monday, March 9, 2020, and that these meetings be televised when possible; and that the committee report its findings to the House.

At 4:35 p.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 4:39 p.m., the sitting resumed.

It was agreed, — That the committee commence a study on the subject matter of Bill C-4, An Act to implement the Agreement between Canada, the United States of America and the United Mexican States on Monday, February 24, 2020; that the committee invite witnesses to appear and give testimony; that the committee meet at 1:15 PM on Tuesday, February 25, 2020, for the purpose of considering recommendations; and, that the Chair communicate any recommendations to the Chair of the Standing Committee on International Trade no later than 4:00 PM on Tuesday, February 25, 2020.