On motion of James Maloney, it was agreed, — That Iqra Khalid be elected Chair of the committee.

At 11:12 a.m. Iqra Khalid took the Chair.

On motion of Michael Cooper, it was agreed, — That Hon. Rob Moore be elected First Vice-Chair of the committee.

On motion of Sameer Zuberi, it was agreed, — That Rhéal Éloi Fortin be elected Second Vice-Chair of the committee.

It was agreed, — That the taking of recorded votes be done by calling the committee members in alphabetical order, regardless of their political party affiliations.

On motion of Mike Kelloway, 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 Mike Kelloway, it was agreed, — That the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure be established and be composed of five (5) members, namely the Chair and one member from each recognized party; and that the subcommittee work in a spirit of collaboration.

On motion of Mike Kelloway, it was agreed, — 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 when travelling outside the Parliamentary Precinct, the meeting begin after 15 minutes, regardless of members present.

Mike Kelloway moved, — That witnesses be given 10 minutes to make their opening statement; and 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.

At 12:08 p.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 12:14 p.m., the sitting resumed.

The motion, as amended, read as follows:

That witnesses be given five to seven and a half minutes, at the discretion of the Chair, to make their opening statement; and 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, Bloc Québécois, two and a half minutes, New Democratic Party, two and a half minutes, Conservative Party, five minutes, Liberal Party, five minutes.

On motion of Mike Kelloway, 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 Mike Kelloway, 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 Mike Kelloway, 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 Mike Kelloway, it was agreed, — That, unless otherwise ordered, each committee member be allowed to be accompanied by one staff person at in camera meetings and that each party be allowed one additional staff person at such meetings.

On motion of Mike Kelloway, 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 Mike Kelloway, it was agreed, — That 48 hours’ notice 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 Mike Kelloway, it was agreed, — 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.

On motion of Mike Kelloway, it was agreed, — That the committee meet in camera for the following purposes only: (a) to discuss administrative matters, including witness selection, meeting schedule and meeting location, (b) to review draft reports, (c) to hold briefings related to national security, (d) to hear witness testimony when necessary for the witness’ protection, privacy, confidentiality or safety; and that the committee may meet in camera for any other reason by majority decision of its members.

At 12:41 p.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 12:44 p.m., the sitting resumed.

On motion of Rob Moore, it was agreed, — That, pursuant to the Order of Reference of September 30th, 2020, the committee invite the Minister of Justice and departmental officials to appear on the Main Estimates for two hours, and that this meeting be televised.

Ramesh Sangha moved, — That, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the committee undertake a study on the issue of elder abuse, including the sufficiency of current laws in fighting elder abuse, options to explicitly penalize those who neglect seniors under their care, and how to more effectively combat elder abuse.

It was agreed, — That the debate be now adjourned.

It was agreed, — That Bill C-3, An Act to amend the Judges Act and the Criminal Code, be considered at the next meeting of the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure.