On motion of Ken Hardie, it was agreed, — That Ken McDonald be elected Chair of the committee.

At 11:12 a.m., Ken McDonald took the Chair.

On motion of Mel Arnold, it was agreed, — That Richard Bragdon be elected First Vice-Chair of the committee.

On motion of Jaime Battiste, it was agreed, — That Marilène Gill be elected Second Vice-Chair of the committee.

Robert J. Morrissey moved, — 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.

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

YEAS: Mel Arnold, Jaime Battiste, Terry Beech, Richard Bragdon, Marilène Gill, Ken Hardie, Gord Johns, Mike Kelloway, Dan Mazier, Robert J. Morrissey — 10;

NAYS: — 0.

On motion of Robert J. Morrissey, it was agreed, — That the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure be established and be composed of five members; the Chair, one member from each Party; and that the subcommittee work in the spirit of collaboration.

On motion of Robert J. Morrissey, it was agreed, — 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.

Robert J. Morrissey moved, — That the witnesses from any one organization be allowed up to six minutes to make their opening statement; that, during the questioning of witnesses, at the discretion of the Chair, there be allocated six minutes for the first questioner of each party as follows: Conservative Party, Liberal Party, Bloc Québécois, New Democratic Party; for the second round 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 five minutes for opening statements; that whenever feasible and possible, witnesses provide their statements seventy two hours in advance; that at the discretion of the Chair and during the questioning of witnesses, there be allocated six minutes for the first questioner of each of the parties as follows:

Round one: Conservative Party, Liberal Party, Bloc Québécois, 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 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 Robert J. Morrissey, it was agreed, — That only 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 Robert J. Morrissey, 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 Robert J. Morrissey, 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 Robert J. Morrissey, 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 Robert J. Morrissey, 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 Robert J. Morrissey, it was agreed, — That a 48 hours notice, interpreted as a 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 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 Robert J. Morrissey, 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 Robert J. Morrissey, it was agreed, — That the committee may meet in camera only for the following purposes:

(a) to consider a draft report;

(b) to attend briefings concerning national security;

(c) to consider lists of witnesses;

(d) for any other reason with the unanimous consent of the committee;

- that all votes taken in camera, with the exception of votes regarding the consideration of draft reports, be recorded in the Minutes of Proceedings, including how each member voted when recorded votes are requested; and

- that any motion to sit in camera is debatable and amendable.

On motion of Marilène Gill, it was agreed, — That in order to ensure informed decision-making when members of the committee vote on a motion that permits the usage of the powers conferred on the committee by Standing Order 108(2), each member of the committee shall be provided with a written version in both official languages of a motion to study before a vote is held on its adoption.

On motion of Marilène Gill, it was agreed, — That all meetings that are not required to be held in camera or that take place within the Parliamentary Precinct will be televised or webcast, subject to room allocations and availability of Multimedia Services.

Jaime Battiste gave notice of the following motion:

That the committee undertake a study to examine the implementation of the Mi’kmaq constitutionally protected treaty right to fish in pursuit of a moderate livelihood, in order to evaluate the current Rights and Reconciliation Agreement process and identify issues that need to be addressed and recommend a path forward; that the committee call witnesses, including senior officials from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, First Nations, Mi'kmaq, Fisheries associations, scientists, and interested stakeholder groups, to testify before the committee; that the Chair be empowered to coordinate the necessary witnesses, resources and scheduling to complete this task; and that the committee report its conclusions and recommendations to the House of Commons.

At 11:58 a.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 12:07 p.m., the sitting resumed.

Ken Hardie gave notice of the following motion:

That, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2) and given the decline in Pacific salmon stocks and the ongoing situation with the Big Bar landslide, the committee undertake a study on the state of Pacific salmon and make recommendations on next steps to ensure for the long-term health of these stocks, as well as the commercial, indigenous and recreational fisheries that depend on them; that this study consist of at least six meetings, with two of those meetings focused on the Big Bar landslide; that the committee call witnesses including senior departmental officials, First Nations, and relevant stakeholder groups to testify before committee; that the committee report to the House; that the committee reintroduce all testimony and submissions on this subject from the First Session of the 43rd Parliament to be included and used for considering and drafting a report, and that all previous committee meetings on this subject be considered as meetings as a part of this study as outlined in this motion.

Richard Bragdon moved, — That the committee request that the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard appear before the committee for at least two hours to provide an update on the 2020–21 Main Estimates, the 2020-21 Supplementary Estimates (A); and that, in the invitation to the Minister, the Chair impart the urgency of the ongoing situation and request that the Minister appear before Tuesday, November 24th, 2020.

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

YEAS: Mel Arnold, Jaime Battiste, Terry Beech, Richard Bragdon, Chris d'Entremont, Marilène Gill, Ken Hardie, Gord Johns, Dan Mazier, Robert J. Morrissey, Scott Simms — 11;

NAYS: — 0.

Richard Bragdon moved, — That the following reports of this committee in the First Session of the 42nd Parliament be adopted as reports in this session:

• Report 23, Striped Bass in the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence and Miramichi River: Striking a Delicate Balance;

• Report 25, Aquatic Invasive Species: A National Priority;

• Report 26, In Hot Water — Lobster and Snow Crab in Eastern Canada;

- that any dissenting opinion be submitted within 24 hours following the adoption of this motion; and

- that the Chair present the reports to the House.

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

YEAS: Mel Arnold, Jaime Battiste, Terry Beech, Richard Bragdon, Chris d'Entremont, Marilène Gill, Ken Hardie, Gord Johns, Dan Mazier, Robert J. Morrissey, Scott Simms — 11;

NAYS: — 0.

ORDERED, — That the Chair present the report to the House.

ORDERED, — That the Chair present the report to the House.

ORDERED, — That the Chair present the report to the House.

Scott Simms moved, — That the committee undertake a study to examine the fishery management measures put in place to protect North Atlantic right whales, in order to evaluate the impact these measures have had on the reduction of right whale deaths in Atlantic Canada and Quebec, as well as the impact on the economy of coastal communities in these regions, and to provide the government with options and recommendations to improve these measures; that the committee call witnesses including senior officials from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada and interested stakeholder groups to testify before the committee; that the Chair be empowered to coordinate the necessary witnesses, resources and scheduling to complete this task; and that the committee report its conclusions and recommendations to the House of Commons.

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

YEAS: Mel Arnold, Jaime Battiste, Terry Beech, Richard Bragdon, Chris d'Entremont, Marilène Gill, Ken Hardie, Gord Johns, Dan Mazier, Robert J. Morrissey, Scott Simms — 11;

NAYS: — 0.

Mel Arnold moved, — That the committee undertake a study examining the scope and effects of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU) on Canada's fisheries resources and the degradation of those resources caused by illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing;

- that the committee receive witness testimony from the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, Minister of National Defence, officials from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and Department of National Defence and Canadians impacted by IUU fishing;

- that the committee allot no fewer than eight two-hour meetings to receive said testimony; that the committee also accept written briefs from individuals or organizations who wish to submit input; and

- that the committee submit its findings with recommendations in a report to the House.

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

YEAS: Mel Arnold, Jaime Battiste, Terry Beech, Richard Bragdon, Chris d'Entremont, Marilène Gill, Gord Johns, Mike Kelloway, Dan Mazier, Robert J. Morrissey, Scott Simms — 11;

NAYS: — 0.

The motion, as amended, read as follows:

That the committee undertake a study examining the scope and effects of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU) on Canada's fisheries resources and the degradation of those resources caused by illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing;

- that the committee receive witness testimony from the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, Minister of National Defence, officials from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and Department of National Defence and Canadians impacted by IUU fishing;

- that the committee allot no fewer than eight two-hour meetings to receive said testimony;

- that the committee also accept written briefs from individuals or organizations who wish to submit input;

- that the committee submit its findings with recommendations in a report to the House; and

- that the motion is without prejudice to aboriginal and treaty rights.

Mel Arnold moved, — That the committee undertake a study of the socio-economic impacts of the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans’ decision to restrict recreational and commercial fishing for chinook salmon on the south coast of British Columbia over the past two years to fully understand the impact of this decision on small businesses and coastal communities;

- that, as part of its study, the committee meet virtually with those impacted including recreational anglers, small businesses and indigenous and coastal communities that have and continue to be affected and are observing significant additional hardship in business for 2020 due to the reduction of opportunities in the public fishery;

- that, as part of its study, the committee assess measures, including measures other than fisheries management, that could deliver increases in chinook salmon stocks while allowing for access and opportunity for harvesters;

- that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans give a full briefing on all public consultations that took place on the west coast with the affected fishers; and

- that the committee submit its findings with recommendations in a report to the House.

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

YEAS: Mel Arnold, Jaime Battiste, Terry Beech, Richard Bragdon, Chris d'Entremont, Marilène Gill, Ken Hardie, Gord Johns, Dan Mazier, Robert J. Morrissey, Scott Simms — 11;

NAYS: — 0.

Marilène Gill gave notice of the following motion:

That the clerk be asked to review options to allow each committee member to be accompanied by a staff member directly on the Zoom platform; that she be asked to identify the regulatory, budgetary and technological constraints to this authorization; and that she provide the committee with the results of her analysis prior to the next meeting.

Mel Arnold moved, — That the committee continue to sit.

The question was put on the motion and it was negatived, by a show of hands: YEAS: 5; NAYS: 6.