On motion of Robert Oliphant, it was agreed, — That Kelvin Kenneth Ogilvie be elected Joint Chair (Senate) of the Committee.

Pursuant to the Order of Reference of Friday, December 11, 2015, the Joint Clerk (House of Commons) of the Committee presided over the election of a Joint Chair (House of Commons).

On motion of Kelvin Kenneth Ogilvie, it was agreed, — That Rob Oliphant be elected Joint Chair (House of Commons) of the Committee.

By unanimous consent, the Committee proceeded to the election of Vice-Chairs.

On motion of Mark Warawa, it was agreed, — That Michael Cooper be elected First Vice-Chair of the Committee.

On motion of René Arseneault, it was agreed, — That Murray Rankin be elected Second Vice-Chair of the Committee.

On motion of Mark Warawa, it was agreed, — That the Committee retain, as needed and at the discretion of the Joint Chairs, the services of one or more analysts from the Library of Parliament to assist it in its work.

Brenda Shanahan moved, — That witnesses appearing before the Committee be given 10 minutes to make their opening statement and that during the questioning of witnesses the time allocated to each questioner be 5 minutes for each round. The order of questions for the first round of questioning shall be as follows: House of Commons Liberal, House of Commons Conservative, House of Commons NDP, Senate Conservative, Senate Liberal. Questioning during the second round shall be as follows: House of Commons Liberal, House of Commons Conservative, Senate Conservative, Senate Liberal, House of Commons Liberal.

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

On motion of John Aldag, it was agreed, — That the agenda for future meetings be set by all committee members at in camera meetings and that Joint Chairs be empowered to make any changes that arise subsequently.

On motion of Denis Lemieux, it was agreed, — That the Joint Clerks 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 Murray Rankin, it was agreed, — That the Committee publish its proceedings.

On motion of Julie Dabrusin, it was agreed, — That, if requested, reasonable travel, accommodation and living expenses including child care and/or personal attendant care be reimbursed to witnesses upon application, not exceeding two (2) representatives per organization; and that, in exceptional circumstances, payment for more representatives be made at the discretion of the Joint Chairs.

On motion of Brenda Shanahan, it was agreed, — That the Joint Clerks of the Committee be authorized to make the necessary arrangements to provide working meals for the Committee and its Subcommittees.

On motion of John Aldag, it was agreed, — That either Joint Chair or, in accordance with the direction of the Joint Chairs, either Joint Clerk, be authorized to commit funds and certify accounts from the approved budget of the committee.

On motion of René Arseneault, it was agreed, — That each member of the Committee be allowed to have a staff member present at in camera meetings, in addition each party be permitted to have one (1) staff member from the Whip's office present; and that a copy of the transcript of each in camera meeting be kept by the Joint Clerks for consultation by members of the Committee or by their staff.

On motion of Julie Dabrusin, it was agreed, — That 48 hours’ notice be required for any substantive motion to be considered by the Committee, unless the substantive motion relates directly to business then under consideration and that the notice of motion be filed with the Joint Clerks of the Committee and distributed to members in both official languages.

On motion of René Arseneault, it was agreed, — That the quorum of subcommittees be set at a majority of the total membership of the subcommittee so long as both Houses are represented.

On motion of John Aldag, it was agreed, — That the Joint Chairs be empowered, at their discretion, to televise the Committee’s public proceedings.

It was agreed, — That the committee meet today from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. with witnesses from the Department of Justice and that 20 minutes be accorded for their opening remarks.

It was agreed, — That the committee normally meet in room 237-C or 253-D of the Centre Block and in room C-110 of the Wellington building when there is a witness appearing by videoconference.

On motion of James S. Cowan, it was agreed, — That, an interim budget of $50,000 be adopted and sent the Board of Internal Economy, and on the Senate, to the Internal Economy Committee for approval.

On motion of René Arseneault, it was agreed, — That the Committee sit in camera.

At 10:38 a.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 10:54 a.m., the sitting resumed in camera.

It was agreed, — That members submit witness lists to the Joint Clerks no later than 5 p.m., Wednesday January 20, 2016.

It was agreed, — That the committee meet Monday mornings from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

It was agreed, — That the committee list all briefs submitted to the committee in its final report.

It was agreed, — That the Analysts and the Joint Clerks, in consultation with the Joint Chairs, prepare a news release for publication on the Committee’s website and for distribution.