On motion of Jag Sahota, it was agreed, — That Marilyn Gladu be elected Chair of the committee.

At 11:10 a.m., Marilyn Gladu took the Chair.

On motion of Marc G. Serré, it was agreed, — That Sonia Sidhu be elected First Vice-Chair of the committee.

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

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 two members of the opposition and two members of the government; but that when travelling outside the Parliamentary precinct, that the meeting begin after 15 minutes, regardless of members present.

That witnesses be given five minutes for 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 as follows:

Round 1:

• Conservative Party
• Liberal Party
• Bloc Quebecois
• New Democratic Party

For the second and subsequent rounds, the order and time for questioning be as follows:

• Conservative Party, five minutes
• Liberal Party, five minutes
• Bloc Quebecois, two and a half minutes
• New Democratic Party, two and a half minutes
• Conservative Party, five minutes
• Liberal Party, five minutes

That the clerk of the committee be authorized to distribute documents to members of the committee 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; provided the member has confirmed their presence for the meeting.

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, and that videoconference services be used whenever possible.

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 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, that (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 that (3) notices received after the deadline hour or on nonbusiness 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.

That the committee may meet in camera only for the following purposes:

(a) to discuss administrative matters of the committee, including the selection and consideration of witnesses;

(b) to consider a draft report;

(c) to attend briefings concerning national security;

(d) to ensure the protection of privacy of individuals;

(e) for any other reason with unanimous consent of the committee.

That all votes taken in camera, with the exception of votes regarding the consideration of draft reports, be recorded within the minutes of proceedings, including how each member voted when recorded votes are requested.

That any motion to sit in camera is debatable and amendable.

Marc G. Serré gave notice of the following motion:

That, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), and notwithstanding the committee’s completion of a previous study on the impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on women in Canada, the committee re-establish a study on the impact of COVID-19 on women; that the study focus on those fleeing domestic violence, on women’s participation in the economy and on women in the care economy and the measure the government has taken in response; that the committee report its findings to the House; and that pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee request a government response to its report.

Andréanne Larouche gave notice of the following motion:

That the committee resume and complete its study on the impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on women, which it undertook during the 1st Session of the 43rd Parliament, and that the evidence and documentation the committee received at that time be considered by the committee during the current session; that the committee report its recommendations to the House; and that, pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee request that the government table a comprehensive response to the report.

It was agreed, — That all motions be submitted to the clerk of the committee before Friday, October 16, 2020 at 4:00 p.m. for consideration of the subcommittee on Tuesday, October 20, 2020.

It was agreed, — That the clerk of the committee distribute the list of study motions that were considered during the 1st Session of the 43rd Parliament to the subcommittee.