On motion of Ryan Turnbull, it was agreed, — That Sean Casey be elected Chair of the committee.

At 1:06 p.m., Sean Casey took the Chair.

On motion of Rosemarie Falk, it was agreed, — That Peter Kent be elected First Vice-Chair of the committee.

On motion of Adam Vaughan, it was agreed, — That Louise Chabot be elected Second Vice-Chair of the committee.

On motion of Wayne Long, 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.

Wayne Long moved, — 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 a spirit of collaboration.

Debate arose thereon.

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

The motion, as amended, read as follows:

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.

On motion of Wayne Long, 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 from the opposition and two members from the government; and that in the case of previously scheduled meetings taking place outside of the Parliamentary precinct, the committee members in attendance be required to wait for 15 minutes following the designated start of the meeting before they may proceed to hear witnesses and receive evidence, regardless of whether opposition or government members are present.

Wayne Long 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. 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.

Debate arose thereon.

The debate on the motion, as amended, continued.

The debate on the motion, as amended, continued.

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 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: For the first round: 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 Wayne Long, 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.

Wayne Long moved, — That the clerk of the committee be authorized to make the necessary arrangements to provide working meals for the committee and its subcommittees.

Debate arose thereon.

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 clerk of the committee be authorized to make the necessary arrangements to provide working meals for the committee and its subcommittees, provided that members have confirmed their physical presence for the meeting.

On motion of Wayne Long, 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 Wayne Long, 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 Wayne Long, 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 Wayne Long, 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 (1) the notice be filed with the clerk of the committee no later than 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time 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 on the next business day; and that, when the committee is travelling on official business, no substantive motions may be moved.

On motion of Wayne Long, 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;

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

On motion of Wayne Long, 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.

Kate Young moved, — That the committee agree that all substantive motions adopted by the committee to undertake studies or hear from witnesses in the 1st Session of the 43rd Parliament are hereby readopted by the committee without modification or amendment.

After debate, the question was put on the motion and it was agreed to on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Louise Chabot, Leah Gazan, Anthony Housefather, Wayne Long, Ryan Turnbull, Adam Vaughan, Kate Young — 7;

NAYS: Rosemarie Falk, Peter Kent, Jamie Schmale, Brad Vis — 4.

Kate Young moved, — That the committee prioritize the following motion, readopted by the committee:

That, in recognition of the fact that nearly 80% of the Indigenous People’s in Canada live in Urban, rural and northern communities; be it resolved that pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the committee undertake a study to investigate and make recommendations on the challenges and systemic barriers facing Indigenous People and indigenous housing providers in northern, urban and rural communities across Canada; that this study focus on urban, northern and rural providers and identify the gaps in the federal governments current policies in addressing homelessness and the precarious housing crisis facing Indigenous People in urban, rural and northern communities across Canada and that pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee request that the government table a comprehensive response to the report.

After debate, the question was put on the motion and it was agreed to on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Leah Gazan, Anthony Housefather, Wayne Long, Ryan Turnbull, Adam Vaughan, Kate Young — 6;

NAYS: Louise Chabot, Rosemarie Falk, Peter Kent, Jamie Schmale, Brad Vis — 5.

Brad Vis moved, — That, the committee conduct an ongoing study of the Rapid Housing Initiative as the program is rolled-out over the next six months to Wednesday, March 31, 2021; that all aspects of the proposed program be examined, with specific focus paid to the number and location of units acquired; that any other housing-related initiatives, either of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation or the Department of Employment and Social Development or other government department, the committee deems necessary be studied; that witnesses include officials of the Department of Employment and Social Development, staff of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, and other witnesses the committee deems necessary; that this study be conducted over the course of six, one-hour meetings with officials providing monthly progress updates; that the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and the Chief Executive Officer of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation appear for two hours at a seventh meeting to testify; that the initial meeting be held no later than Saturday, October 31, 2020 and the final meeting be held by Friday, April 30, 2021; and that the committee present its findings to the House.

Debate arose thereon.

On motion of Brad Vis, it was agreed, — That the debate be now adjourned.

Louise Chabot gave notice of the following motion:

That, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the committee undertake a study on the reviewing of the Employment Insurance program; that the committee invite the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion to address that subject; that the committee hold a minimum of five meetings on that matter; and that the committee report its findings and recommendations to the House.

Louise Chabot gave notice of the following motion:

That, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the committee undertake a study about the impoverishment of the elders (65 years old and more) and of the federal help to address the situation; that the committee hold a minimum of two meetings to hear witnesses; and that the committee report its findings and recommendations to the House.

Louise Chabot gave notice of the following motion:

That, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the committee undertake a study addressing the improvements necessary to the seasonal worker’s pilot project, ending in May 2021; and that the study include a minimum of two meetings to hear witnesses.

Louise Chabot gave notice of the following motion:

That, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the committee invite the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, for a minimum of one hour, to address the issue of protection of worker’s pension in case of a business bankruptcy; that the committee spend a minimum of three hours to hear witnesses; and that the committee report its findings and recommendations to the House.

Louise Chabot gave notice of the following motion:

That, considering the situation of incomplete reopening of the Service Canada desks, and pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the committee undertake a study and make recommendations on the causes and impacts of desks closing on citizens of all regions; that the committee invite the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development to address this issue; that the committee hold a minimum of two meetings of three hours each to hear witnesses; and that the committee report its findings and recommendations to the House.