On motion of Francis Drouin, it was agreed, — That Pat Finnigan be elected Chair of the committee.

At 3:31 p.m., Pat Finnigan took the Chair.

On motion of Warren Steinley, it was agreed, — That Lianne Rood be elected First Vice-Chair of the committee.

On motion of Lyne Bessette, it was agreed, — That Yves Perron be elected Second Vice-Chair of the committee.

It was agreed, — That the following routine motions be adopted:

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.

That the Chair be authorized to hold meetings to receive and publish evidence when a quorum is not present, provided that at least four members are present, including two members of the opposition and two members of the government; and that in the case of previously scheduled meetings taking place outside of the Parliamentary Precinct, the committee members in attendance be required to wait for 15 minutes following the designated start of the meeting before they may proceed to hear witnesses and receive evidence, regardless of whether opposition or government members are present.

That only the clerk of the committee be authorized to distribute documents to members of the committee, and only when the documents are available in both official languages and that witnesses be advised accordingly.

That the clerk of the committee be authorized to make the necessary arrangements to provide working meals for the committee and its subcommittees.

That, if requested, reasonable travel, accommodation and living expenses be reimbursed to witnesses not exceeding two representatives per organization; provided that, in exceptional circumstances, payment for more representatives be made at the discretion of the Chair.

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.

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.

That a 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: (1) the notice be filed with the clerk of the committee no later than 4:00 p.m. from Monday to Friday; (2) 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 (3) 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.

That, in relation to orders of reference from the House respecting bills: (a) 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; (b) 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 (c) 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.

Kody Blois moved, — That the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure be established and be composed of five members, namely the Chair and one member from each party; and that the subcommittee work in a spirit of collaboration.

The motion, as amended, read as follows:

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.

Kody Blois moved, — That witnesses be given 10 minutes to make their opening statement; that, at the discretion of the Chair, during the questioning of witnesses, there be allocated six minutes for the first questioner of each party in the following order: Conservative Party, Liberal Party, Bloc Québécois, New Democratic Party; and 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.

The motion, as amended, read as follows:

That witnesses be given seven and a half minutes to make their opening statement; that whenever possible, witnesses provide the committee with their opening statements 72 hours in advance; that, at the discretion of the Chair, during the questioning of witnesses, there be allocated six minutes for the first questioner of each party in the following order: Conservative Party, Liberal Party, Bloc Québécois, New Democratic Party; and that for the second and subsequent rounds, the order and time for questioning be as follows: Conservative Party, five minutes, Liberal Party, five minutes, Bloc Québécois, two and a half minutes, New Democratic Party, two and a half minutes, Conservative Party, five minutes, Liberal Party, five minutes.

Yves Perron gave notice of the following motions:

That, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the committee undertake a study on the issues faced by and impacts on the affected sectors (supply managed commodities under the last three free trade agreements, the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between Canada and the European Union, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Canada–United States–Mexico Agreement (CUSMA)); and that it focus on those to which the government has not paid all due compensation.

That, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the committee undertake a study with witnesses on the measures the Government of Canada could implement to recognize and fund agricultural practices that are beneficial in terms of the environment, land use, local economies and regional development, among others; and that the committee report its recommendations to the House.

On motion of Yves Perron, it was agreed, — That, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the committee undertake a study on the business risk management programs; that the evidence and documentation the committee received for the study during the 1st Session of the 43rd Parliament be considered by the committee during the current session; and that it finalize the nearly completed report.

It was agreed, — That the committee prioritize completing the study on business risk management, and that future commitee business be considered by the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure.