On motion of Alexandra Mendès, it was agreed, — That Kevin Sorenson be elected Chair of the Committee.

At 9:02 a.m., Kevin Sorenson took the Chair.

On motion of Joël Godin, it was agreed, — That Alexandra Mendès be elected First Vice-Chair of the Committee.

On motion of Alexandra Mendès, it was agreed, — That David Christopherson be elected Second Vice-Chair of the Committee.

On motion of Paul Lefebvre, 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 Jati Sidhu, 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 (4) members are present, including one (1) member of the opposition.

Brenda Shanahan moved, — That witnesses be given ten (10) minutes to make their opening statement; That during the questioning of witnesses the time allocated to each questioner be as follows: For the first round of questioning, six (6) minutes to a representative of each party in the following order: Conservative, Liberal, NDP, Liberal; for the second round of questioning, six (6) minutes be allocated in the following order: Liberal, Conservative, Liberal, followed by Conservative, five (5) minutes, and NDP, three (3) minutes.

After debate, by unanimous consent, the motion was withdrawn.

Alexandra Mendès moved, — That witnesses be given ten (10) minutes to make their opening statement; and that during the questioning of witnesses the time allocated to each questioner be as follows: for the first round of questioning, seven (7) minutes to a representative of each party in the following order: Liberal, Conservative, NDP and Liberal; for the second round, five (5) minutes be allocated in the following order: Conservative, Liberal, Conservative, Liberal; followed by NDP, three (3) minutes.

Debate arose thereon.

After debate, the question was put on the motion and it was agreed to, by a show of hands: YEAS: 7; NAYS: 2.

On motion of Chandra Arya, it was agreed, — That the Clerk of the Committee be authorized to distribute to the members of the Committee only documents that are available in both official languages.

On motion of Chandra Arya, 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 Alexandra Mendès, it was agreed, — That, if requested, reasonable travel, accommodation and living expenses be reimbursed to witnessses, not exceeding two (2) representatives per organization; and that, in exceptional circumstances, payment for more representatives be made at the discretion of the Chair.

On motion of Paul Lefebvre, it was agreed, — That, unless otherwise ordered, each Committee member be allowed to be accompanied by one (1) staff person at an in camera meeting and that, in addition, each party may have in attendance one (1) representative.

On motion of Joël Godin, it was agreed, — That one (1) copy of the transcript of each in camera meeting be kept in the Committee Clerk’s office for consultation by members of the Committee.

On motion of Brenda Shanahan, it was agreed, — That forty-eight (48) hours’ notice be required for any substantive motion to be considered by the Committee, unless the susbstantive motion relates directly to business then under consideration; and that the notice of motion be filed with the Clerk of the Committee and distributed to members in both official languages before consideration is given.

Alexandra Mendès moved, — That the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure be established and be composed of the Chair, the two Vice-Chairs and a member of the government.

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

On motion of T.J. Harvey, it was agreed, — That the Committee Chair and staff be authorized to:

- Review Government responses to recommendations made by the Committee during the 42nd Parliament;

- Acknowledge by letter, on the Committee’s behalf, receipt of Government responses where they respond clearly and completely to recommendations or request further information or clarification, as required;

- Monitor the implementation of Government commitments made in response to Committee recommendations, and request further information as required; and

- Report to the Committee on these activities in a timely fashion.

On motion of Alexandra Mendès, it was agreed, — That all departments and agencies of the federal government that have been subject to a performance audit by the Office of the Auditor General of Canada provide a detailed action plan to address the audit recommendations which have been agreed to - including specific actions, timelines for their completion and responsible individuals - to the Public Accounts Committee and the Office of the Auditor General of Canada within six months of the audit being tabled in the House of Commons; and

- That departments and agencies that are invited to appear before the Public Accounts Committee to discuss the findings of an audit should, when feasible, provide an action plan to the Committee prior to the hearing; and

- That departmental action plans and progress reports received by the Committee be published on the Committee’s website.

On motion of David Christopherson, it was agreed, — That the issue of the work of the Committee in the previous Parliament be delegated to the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure for review and recommendations.

On motion of David Christopherson, it was agreed, — That the Committee invite the Auditor General of Canada to appear on Thursday, 18 February, 2016, to discuss the Fall 2015 Report of the Auditor General of Canada tabled on 2 February 2016.