The Chair presented the First Report from the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure which read as follows:
Your Subcommittee met on Monday, March 9, 2010, to consider the business of the Committee and agreed to make the following recommendations:
That the Business of the Committee be conducted as follows:
That one meeting be set aside to examine Bill C-304, An Act to ensure secure, adequate, accessible and affordable housing for Canadians at clause-by-clause stage, provided a motion to that effect is adopted by the Committee.
That the Committee invite officials of the Department of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada for the examination of the Main Estimates 2010-2011 and the Supplementary Estimates (C) 2009-2010 as early as the week of March 15th if possible.
That the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada be invited to appear before the Committee, for the examination of the plans and priorities after they have been tabled in the House on March 25, 2010, or after.
That Bills C-308, An Act to amend the Employment Insurance Act (improvement of the employment insurance system); C-395, An Act to amend the Employment Insurance Act (labour dispute) are on the Committee’s Order of References and should be studied as soon as possible; Motion M-386 could be studied, under S.O. 108(2) if the Committee so wishes.
That the study on poverty, which has been going on for more than two years, be taken up as soon as possible, groups representing Aboriginal people should be invited to appear before the Committee (as listed in the document prepared by the Library of Parliament on potential meetings that was sent to the members of the Committee prior to prorogation), Senators who chaired the studies on rural and urban poverty should be invited to discuss the findings of their studies and their recommendations to tackle poverty in Canada, and that the Committee should consider visiting an Aboriginal reserve, the Barriere Lake Reserve home to an Algonquin community, before the end of this winter season. It was also suggested that a visit to a reserve that has implemented successful measures to combat poverty should be considered. Following these meetings, the Committee may decide to end its hearings on poverty and proceed with a review of the draft report.