On motion of Michelle Rempel Garner, it was agreed, — That John Aldag be elected Chair of the committee.

At 4:34 p.m., John Aldag took the Chair.

On motion of Charlie Angus, it was agreed, — That Michelle Rempel Garner be elected First Vice-Chair of the committee.

On motion of Eric Melillo, it was agreed, — That Mario Simard be elected Second Vice-Chair of the committee.

On motion of James Maloney, 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 James Maloney, it was agreed, — 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 James Maloney, it was agreed, — That the Chair be authorized to hold meetings to receive evidence and to have that evidence published when a quorum is not present, provided that at least four members are present, including two members of the opposition parties and two members of the government party, but when travelling outside the Parliamentary Precinct, that the meeting begin after 15 minutes, regardless of members present.

On motion of James Maloney, it was agreed, — That witnesses be given five minutes for their opening statement; that whenever possible, witnesses provide the committee with their opening statement 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 James Maloney, it was agreed, — That only the clerk of the committee be authorized to distribute documents to members of the committee provided the documents are in both official languages, and that the witnesses be advised accordingly.

On motion of James Maloney, it was agreed, — That the clerk of the committee, at the discretion of the Chair, be authorized to make the necessary arrangements to provide working meals for the committee and its subcommittees.

On motion of James Maloney, 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 James Maloney, it was agreed, — That, unless otherwise ordered, each committee member be allowed to be accompanied by one staff member at in camera meetings and that one additional person from each House officer’s office be allowed to be present.

On motion of James Maloney, 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; and that the analysts assigned to the committee also have access to the in camera transcripts.

On motion of James Maloney, it was agreed, — That a 48-hour notice, interpreted as two nights, be required for any substantive motion to be moved in 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 and the offices of the whips of each recognized party 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; (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 holding meetings outside the Parliamentary Precinct, no substantive motion may be moved.

On motion of James Maloney, 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 James Maloney, it was agreed, — That the clerk inform each witness who is to appear before the committee that the House administration support team must conduct technical tests to check the connectivity and the equipment used to ensure the best possible sound quality; and that the Chair advise the committee, at the start of each meeting, of any witness who did not perform the required technical tests.

On motion of James Maloney, it was agreed, — That all documents submitted for committee business that do not come from a federal department, members’ offices, or that have not been translated by the Translation Bureau be sent for prior linguistic review by the Translation Bureau before being distributed to members.

Michelle Rempel Garner moved, — That whenever a minister appears before the committee, every effort be made to ensure that the meeting is televised.

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

The Chair announced the speaking order.

Whereupon, Charlie Angus appealed the decision of the Chair.

The question: "Shall the decision of the Chair be sustained?" was put and the decision was overturned on the following recorded division:

YEAS: George Chahal, Julie Dabrusin, Yvonne Jones, Viviane LaPointe, James Maloney — 5;

NAYS: Charlie Angus, Eric Melillo, Rob Morrison, Michelle Rempel Garner, Mario Simard, Chris Warkentin — 6.

The Chair proceeded to give the floor to Mr. Angus.

Charlie Angus moved, — That, the following regularly scheduled meetings of the committee be programmed as follows:

• That, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), before February 15th, 2022, the committee undertake a two-meeting study concerning the development and implementation of the Emissions Reduction Fund – Onshore Program, with particular focus on the method of accounting for greenhouse gases; that the committee invite the Minister of Natural Resources, the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, experts and stakeholders; that the committee make recommendations on the future of the program; and that the committee report its findings to the House;
  
• That the Minister of Natural Resources be invited to appear before the committee prior to February 28th, 2022 for no fewer than two hours on the subject matter of the Supplementary Estimates (B) 2021-2022;
  
• That, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), during the next eight meetings, the committee undertake a study of the government’s proposal for a greenhouse gas emissions cap on the oil and gas sector, including, but not limited to, the ability of Canada to meet its climate commitments articulated at the UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow; the government’s plans and targets for funding renewable energy; the role of carbon capture, utilisation, and sequestration (CCUS); that experts and stakeholders be invited to appear; that the Minister of Natural Resources and the Minister of the Environment be invited to appear; and that the committee report its findings to the House prior to April 29, 2022.

Debate arose thereon.

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

YEAS: Charlie Angus, George Chahal, Julie Dabrusin, Yvonne Jones, Viviane LaPointe, James Maloney, Eric Melillo, Rob Morrison, Michelle Rempel Garner, Mario Simard — 10;

NAYS: Chris Warkentin — 1.

James Maloney moved, — That the committee take into consideration all evidence and documentation received as part of the study on the Low-Carbon and Renewable Fuels Industry in Canada during the 2nd session of the 43rd Parliament; that, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the committee undertake this study as its own and proceed to drafting instructions based on the evidence acquired in the previous session; and that the committee table its report in the House no later than February 28, 2022.

Debate arose thereon.

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

YEAS: Charlie Angus, George Chahal, Julie Dabrusin, Yvonne Jones, Viviane LaPointe, James Maloney, Mario Simard — 7;

NAYS: Eric Melillo, Rob Morrison, Michelle Rempel Garner, Chris Warkentin — 4.

The motion, as amended, read as follows:

That the committee take into consideration all evidence and documentation received as part of the study on the Low-Carbon and Renewable Fuels Industry in Canada during the 2nd session of the 43rd Parliament; that, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the committee undertake this study as its own and proceed to drafting instructions based on the evidence acquired in the previous session; and that the committee table its report in the House; and that the motion be referred to the subcommittee.

George Chahal moved, — That, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the committee undertake a study of Critical Minerals and Associated Value Chains in Canada; that the evidence and documentation received by the committee during the 2nd Session of the 43rd Parliament on the subject be taken into consideration by the committee in the current session; that the committee adopt the report entitled From Mineral Exploration to Advanced Manufacturing: Developing Value Chains for Critical Minerals in Canada adopted during the 2nd Session of the 43rd Parliament and tabled in the House of Commons on June 17, 2021; that, pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee request the government to 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: Charlie Angus, George Chahal, Julie Dabrusin, Yvonne Jones, Viviane Lapointe, James Maloney, Mario Simard — 7;

NAYS: — 0.

It was agreed, — That, pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee request that the government table a comprehensive response to the report.

ORDERED — That the Chair present the report to the House

Viviane Lapointe moved, — That, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the committee undertake a study of Economic Recovery in the Forestry Sector; that the evidence and documentation received by the committee during the 2nd Session of the 43rd Parliament on the subject be taken into consideration by the committee in the current session; that the committee adopt the report entitled Economic Recovery in Canada's Forestry Sector: Green and Inclusive adopted during the 2nd Session of the 43rd Parliament and tabled in the House of Commons on May 25, 2021; that, pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee request the government to 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: Charlie Angus, George Chahal, Julie Dabrusin, Yvonne Jones, Viviane Lapointe, James Maloney, Mario Simard — 7;

NAYS: — 0.

It was agreed, — That, pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee request that the government table a comprehensive response to the report.

ORDERED — That the Chair present the report to the House

Michelle Rempel Garner moved, — That the committee do now adjourn.

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

YEAS: Charlie Angus, George Chahal, Julie Dabrusin, Yvonne Jones, Viviane LaPointe, James Maloney, Eric Melillo, Rob Morrison, Michelle Rempel Garner, Mario Simard, Chris Warkentin — 11;

NAYS: — 0.