Gary Anandasangaree moved, — That Bob Bratina be elected Chair of the committee.

The question was put on the motion and it was agreed to on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Gary Anandasangaree, Jaime Battiste, Sylvie Bérubé, Rachel Blaney, Bob Bratina, Cathy McLeod, Eric Melillo, Marcus Powlowski, Adam van Koeverden, Gary Vidal, Arnold Viersen, Lenore Zann — 12;

NAYS: — 0.

Bob Bratina took the Chair.

Gary Vidal moved, — That Cathy McLeod be elected First Vice-Chair of the committee.

The question was put on the motion and it was agreed to on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Gary Anandasangaree, Jaime Battiste, Sylvie Bérubé, Rachel Blaney, Cathy McLeod, Eric Melillo, Marcus Powlowski, Adam van Koeverden, Gary Vidal, Arnold Viersen, Lenore Zann — 11;

NAYS: — 0.

Gary Anandasangaree moved, — That Sylvie Bérubé be elected Second Vice-Chair of the committee.

The question was put on the motion and it was agreed to on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Gary Anandasangaree, Jaime Battiste, Sylvie Bérubé, Rachel Blaney, Cathy McLeod, Eric Melillo, Marcus Powlowski, Adam van Koeverden, Gary Vidal, Arnold Viersen, Lenore Zann — 11;

NAYS: — 0.

On motion of Gary Anandasangaree, 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 Gary Anandasangaree, 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.

Gary Anandasangaree moved, — 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 15 minutes, regardless of members present.

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

The motion, as amended, read as follows:

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 when travelling outside the parliamentary precinct, that the meeting begin after 15 minutes, regardless of members present.

Gary Anandasangaree moved, — That witnesses be given ten minutes for 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 as follows for the first round: 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.

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

The motion, as amended, read as follows:

That witnesses be given six minutes for 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 as follows for the first round: 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.

On motion of Gary Anandasangaree, it was agreed, — 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.

On motion of Gary Anandasangaree, 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 Gary Anandasangaree, it was agreed, — 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.

On motion of Gary Anandasangaree, 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 Gary Anandasangaree, 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 Gary Anandasangaree, it was agreed, — 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 (a) the notice be filed with the clerk of the committee no later than 4:00 p.m. from Monday to Friday; (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 (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 Gary Anandasangaree, 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.

Gary Anandasangaree gave notice of the following motion:

That, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the committee undertake a study of the opportunities to: support Indigenous communities, businesses, and individuals through a second wave of COVID-19; facilitate Indigenous communities reopening in a safe and responsible manner; build resiliency with an equitable and sustainable economic recovery plan; that the scope of the study take into consideration First Nation, Inuit and Métis communities and individuals, including those living off reserve and in urban centres; health, including mental health supports, supports for Indigenous organizations, businesses, and communities, that the committee also study measures undertaken so far through partnership between Indigenous communities and the Government of Canada as well as further opportunities for partnership during the COVID-19 pandemic and in the recovery phase; that evidence collected and received during the committee's study on the Government's Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic from the 1st session of the 43rd Parliament be taken into consideration and used as evidence for this study and subsequent report to the House, that the committee report its findings and recommendations to the House; and that, pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee request that the government table a comprehensive response to the report.

Jaime Battiste gave notice of the following motion:

That pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), and given the evolving roles and responsibilities of Treaty Commissions across the provinces, that the committee undertake a study on how Treaty Commissions be utilized to educate and create awareness of the Indigenous history and rights in Canada; that the new national treaty commissioner’s office be designed and established with Indigenous partners with the goals of creating rights awareness, supporting reconciliation efforts and implementing indigenous rights in Canada; that the witness list include representatives from Treaty Commissions in Manitoba, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan, rights holders, academics, and officials from the Ministry of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs; and that the committee report its findings to the House.

Lenore Zann gave notice of the following motion:

That, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the committee undertake a study of the role of the federal government in ensuring quality access to healthcare for Indigenous Peoples in Canada and the impacts of systemic racism on both the access to and quality of healthcare for First Nations, Inuit and Métis; that the committee include the testimony of Indigenous Peoples living on reserve, off reserve and in urban centers, as well as local Indigenous and non-Indigenous health providers; that the committee take into consideration the testimony of Indigenous physicians and patients; that the committee report its findings and recommendations to the House; and that, pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee request that the government table a comprehensive response to the report.

Marcus Powlowski gave notice of the following motion:

That, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), and given the high cost of nutritional goods and reduced access to non-perishable goods, including country and traditional foods, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on food supply lines especially in fly-in remote communities, the committee undertake a study on identifying ways to improve food security in Northern and remote communities, and the impact of new and expanded programs introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic; that the witness list include representatives from Indigenous, Northern, and remote communities, nutrition experts, officials from relevant departments such as Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada; and, that the committee report its findings to the House.

Eric Melillo gave notice of the following motion:

That, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the committee undertake a comprehensive study on food security in Northern Canada; that the scope of the study include but not be limited to the structure and efficacy of Nutrition North Canada; that the witness list include but not be limited to northern retailers, representatives from northern municipalities and First Nation, Métis and Inuit communities receiving the subsidy, and experts in the subject of food security; and that the committee report its findings to the House.

Gary Vidal gave notice of the following motion:

That, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the committee undertake a study on the implementation of C-92, passed in the 42nd Parliament, focusing on establishing a best-practices approach that is indigenous-led and modeled; and, that the committee invite officials from the Department of Indigenous Services, representatives from all provincial governments, the Minister for Indigenous Services, relevant stakeholders, and Indigenous community leaders who have already begun, and not yet begun the process of assuming jurisdiction of the provision of child and family services; that all meetings for this study be televised; that the committee report its findings and recommendations to the House; and that, pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee request that the government table a comprehensive response to the report.

Gary Vidal gave notice of the following motion:

That, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the committee review the process in which the Department of Indigenous Services identifies, prioritizes, develops a plan to address, and then addresses boil water advisories across Canada and ways in which this process can be streamlined and where innovative technologies provided by the private sector could play a role in providing favourable outcomes; and, that the committee will invite officials from the Department of Indigenous Services, the Minster for Indigenous Services, Indigenous community leaders, and industry leaders in innovative methods of water purification; that all meetings for this study be televised; that the committee report its findings and recommendations to the House; and that, pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee request that the government table a comprehensive response to the report.

Arnold Viersen gave notice of the following motion:

That the committee extend condolences to the family of Joyce Echaquan and express great concern over her treatment and this be reported to the House.

Sylvie Bérubé gave notice of the following motion:

That, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the committee resume and complete its study on food security in northern communities undertaken during the first session of the 43rd Parliament; that the evidence and documents received by the committee at that time be considered by the committee during the current session; and that the committee report its findings and recommendations to the House.

Sylvie Bérubé gave notice of the following motion:

That, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the committee undertake a study and report its recommendations on the basic needs (housing, businesses, drinking water and social services) of Indigenous peoples during COVID 19 and on government measures that could support them in developing a recovery plan that meets their needs; that, in conducting this study, the committee consider the evidence and documents received by the committee during its study of the government’s response to the pandemic in the first session of the 43rd Parliament.

Sylvie Bérubé gave notice of the following motion:

That, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the committee undertake a study on the state of Indigenous rights in Canada with a view to harmonizing policies and supports for Indigenous peoples in Canada with the principles in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and that the committee report its recommendations to the House.

Eric Melillo moved, — That the committee recognizes the immediate need for investment in broadband in Northern Canada to ensure remote communities are not left behind during this pandemic, and this be reported to the House.

Debate arose thereon.

It was agreed, — That debate on the motion be adjourned and that the motion be the first item of business at the next meeting of the committee.