CIIT Committee Meeting
Notices of Meeting include information about the subject matter to be examined by the committee and date, time and place of the meeting, as well as a list of any witnesses scheduled to appear. The Evidence is the edited and revised transcript of what is said before a committee. The Minutes of Proceedings are the official record of the business conducted by the committee at a sitting.
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Minutes of Proceedings
On motion of Peter Fonseca, it was agreed, — That the Hon. Judy A. Sgro be elected Chair of the committee.
On motion of Matt Jeneroux, it was agreed, — That Adam Chambers be elected First Vice-Chair of the committee.
On motion of Steeve Lavoie, it was agreed, — That Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay be elected Second Vice-Chair of the committee.
By unanimous consent, the committee agreed to adopt the following motions severally:
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.
It was agreed, — That the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure be established and be composed of four members; the Chair and one member from each recognized party, as designated by each party’s whip; and that the subcommittee work in a spirit of collaboration.
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.
It was agreed, — That, when travelling outside the Parliamentary Precinct: (a) the meeting begin after 15 minutes, regardless of whether quorum is present, (b) no substantive motion may be moved during such meetings.
It was agreed, — That witnesses be given five (5) minutes for their opening statements; 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 (6) minutes for the first questioner of each party as follows:
First Round: • Conservative Party• Liberal Party• Bloc QuébécoisFor the second and subsequent rounds, the order and time for questioning be as follows: • Conservative Party, five (5) minutes• Liberal Party, five (5) minutes• Bloc Québécois, two and a half (2.5) minutes• Conservative Party, five (5) minutes• Liberal Party, five (5) minutes.
It was agreed, — That only the clerk of the committee be authorized to distribute documents to members of the committee and only when the documents are in both official languages; and that all documents submitted to the committee in both official languages, that do not come from a federal department, members’ offices, or that have not been translated by the Translation Bureau, be sent for linguistic review by the Translation Bureau before being distributed to members, and that the witnesses be advised accordingly.
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.
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.
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 officers’ office be allowed to be present.
That, during in camera meetings, committee members may be informed by the committee Chair of the MPs who have been designated as substitutes for permanent members, in order to know which MPs are authorized to speak and vote during these committee meetings. That only those who have been recognized and identified as such be authorized to speak, in keeping with the usual agreed rules of order and decorum.It was agreed, — That one copy of the transcript of each in-camera meeting be securely retained by the committee clerk for consultation by members of the committee or by their staff; and that the analysts assigned to the committee have access to the in-camera transcripts.
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 Thursday, and no later than 2:30 p.m. on 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.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.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.
It was agreed, — That the clerk of the committee be authorized to grant access to the committee's digital binder to the offices of the whips of each recognized party.
It was agreed, — That, during meetings, the Chair, if necessary, uses his prerogative to suspend the meeting to maintain the order and decorum necessary to ensure the application of the House of Commons’ policies on workplace health and safety.
At 4:10 p.m., the meeting resumed.
Yasir Naqvi moved, — Canada is a trading, nation. At a time of global uncertainty, and protectionist trade practices it is important for Canada to pursue diverse trading partners and Canada has always championed rules-based trade agreements that create jobs, support industries and build a strong Canada.
That the committee of International Trade conduct a study of no fewer than 3 meetings on the exploration of: (a) Free trade agreements; (b) What constitutes rules-based trade and why it is important to uphold rules-based trade practices;(c) Rules of origin and Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreements (FIPAs); and That the committee hear from expert witnesses and report back its findings back to the House.After debate, the question was put on the motion and it was agreed to.
Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay moved, — Whereas the transitional measure the Canada Border Services Agency’s Assessment and Revenue Management (CARM) system, which allowed importers to use their customs broker's financial guarantee for the Release Prior to Payment (RPP) Program, expired on May 20, 2025;
Whereas this situation has resulted in delays at the border, warehouses at full capacity, goods being returned to the shipper and financial burdens for Quebec and Canadian companies; Considering that any commercial shipment over $3,300 not registered on the CARM portal and without a financial guarantee is refused, and that import sites have reached or exceeded their storage capacity; Considering that importers report difficulties with the CARM portal, particularly in accessing it and posting guarantees, in addition to deploring that response times for assistance with the portal are several weeks;That the Committee recommend that the Minister of Public Safety and the Canada Border Services Agency implement the following measures, as requested by several stakeholders:(a) Develop a contingency plan for all commercial shipments held in a warehouse for more than seven days, applicable to all goods;
(b) Allow importers and customs brokers to submit payment for Type C entries online via CARM, to speed up the release of goods;
(c) Establish a RPP waiver or exemption for companies importing low-value or low-volume shipments, to reduce administrative burdens for SMEs and help facilitate the movement of goods across the border;
(d) Ensure transparency so that brokers can check whether an importer has obtained a bond, so that they can contact customers directly to ensure that everything is in place for efficient movement at the border;
(e) Create an exemption or other financial guarantee mechanism, for example by allowing companies to use a credit card, to ease the financial pressure on small importers.After debate, the question was put on the motion and it was agreed to.
ORDERED, — That the Chair present the report to the House.
On motion of Adam Chambers, it was agreed, — That, given that committee members, staff, the clerk, analysts, and witnesses worked hard to produce the report entitled “Selected United States and European Union Trade-Related Measures: Some Impacts on Canada’s Fishing Sector” during the first session of the 44th Parliament, and given that the Government did not table a response because of the prorogation of Parliament;
The committee deem that it has undertaken and completed a study on “Selected United States and European Union Trade-Related Measures: Some Impacts on Canada’s Fishing Sector” pursuant to Standing Order 108, and that it adopt that report as a report from this committee, Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee request the government to table a comprehensive response to the report;Supplementary or dissenting reports that accompanied the report in the previous session of Parliament be tabled with the main report; and
The Chair present the report to the House.ORDERED, — That the Chair present the report to the House.
On motion of Adam Chambers, it was agreed, — That, given that committee members, staff, the clerk, analysts, and witnesses worked hard to produce the report entitled “Canada’s Supply Chains and Expanded International Trade: Challenges and Measures” during the first session of the 44th Parliament, and given that the Government did not table a response because of the prorogation of Parliament;
The committee deem that it has undertaken and completed a study on “Canada’s Supply Chains and Expanded International Trade: Challenges and Measures” pursuant to Standing Order 108, and that it adopt that report as a report from this committee; Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee request the government to table a comprehensive response to the report; Supplementary or dissenting reports that accompanied the report in the previous session of Parliament be tabled with the main report; andThe Chair present the report to the House.ORDERED, — That the Chair present the report to the House.
At 4:20 p.m., the committee adjourned to the call of the Chair.