Debates of May 3rd, 2024

Question No.2443—

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries]

Mr. Speaker, this is with regard to the Lake Babine Nation Foundation Agreement signed by the government, Lake Babine Nation and the Province of British Columbia in September 2020, which sets out the steps for transformational change in the relationship between the parties, including on fisheries matters. Fisheries and Oceans Canada, or DFO, has since worked with Lake Babine Nation to codevelop a term sheet and budget for a proposed incremental fisheries agreement intended to provide immediate benefits on fisheries matters to Lake Babine Nation, including those related to collaborative fisheries management, scientific and stewardship initiatives, and economic fisheries opportunities. The codeveloped proposal also envisions Lake Babine Nation and Canada working together to sustainably manage fish stocks in Lake Babine Nation’s traditional territory, including those of the Skeena River sockeye, which are of tremendous importance to both Lake Babine Nation and Canada, given the Skeena sockeye is one of the largest sockeye runs in Canada. Based on the codeveloped proposal finalized in February 2023, DFO has followed regular Government of Canada decision-making processes to seek the authorities to begin formal negotiations with Lake Babine Nation. DFO recognizes the significant effort Lake Babine Nation has invested in codeveloping the term sheet and budget, and appreciates Lake Babine Nation’s patience as the department continues to work to secure the necessary authorities. The Government of Canada remains committed to fulfilling the obligations set out in the 2020 Lake Babine Nation Foundation Agreement, including the commitment to negotiate fisheries matters.

Question No.2446—

[Kyle Seeback, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

With regard to applications received by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, since January 1, 2016, and broken down by type of application: (a) how many applicants were deemed inadmissible pursuant to (i) paragraph 34(1)(b), (ii) paragraph 34(1)(c), (iii) paragraph 34(1)(f), of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (S.C. 2001, c. 27); and (b) broken down by each paragraph of the act in (a), how many of the applicants who were deemed inadmissible were members of the (i) Kurdistan Democratic Party, (ii) Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, (iii) Movement for Change or Gorran, (iv) Kurdistan Islamic Union, (v) Kurdistan Justice Group or Komala, (vi) Assyrian Democratic Movement, (vii) The Sons of Mesopotamia, (viii) Chaldean Syriac Assyrian Popular Council?

[Paul Chiang, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, insofar as Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, or IRCC, is concerned, since January 1, 2016, the following approximate number of temporary and permanent resident applications have been found inadmissible on security grounds.

With regard to part (a)(i) of the question, there were 80 instances refused under paragraph 34(1)(b), and 125 instances refused under paragraph 34(1)(b.1).

With regard to part (a)(ii), there were 80 instances refused under paragraph 34(1)(c).

With regard to part (a)(iii), there were 815 instances refused under paragraph 34(1)(f).

It should be noted that an application may have more than one refusal ground. All values are rounded down by a multiple of five for privacy reasons, as it prevents individuals from being identified when IRCC data is compiled and compared to publicly available statistics. As a result of rounding, data may not sum to the totals indicated.

With regard to part (b), IRCC undertook an extensive preliminary search in order to determine the amount of information that would fall within the scope of the question and the amount of time that would be required to prepare a comprehensive response. IRCC does not track information on the affiliation of clients’ political or religious organizations. Therefore, IRCC is unable to provide these data.

Under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, all visa-required foreign nationals, including visitors, temporary foreign workers and students; immigrants; and refugees are carefully assessed to ensure that they are eligible and admissible to come to Canada.

Visa determinations are made by IRCC officers on a case-by-case basis when an application is received, and are subject to review for inadmissibility.

IRCC works closely with Public Safety Canada partners to screen applicants in order to determine whether they are admissible to enter or remain in Canada. Their expertise in security screening helps to identify those who might pose a threat to the safety, security or health of Canadians, and to mitigate the potential security risks associated with those seeking to enter Canada.

Question No.2450—

[Bob Zimmer, Conservative, Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, BC]

With regard to the items listed in the Main Estimates, 2024-25, under Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency: (a) of the $7.5 million listed under "Grants for the Inclusive Diversification and Economic Advancement in the North initiative", what are the details of all funded grants, including, for each, the (i) name of the recipient, (ii) amount, (iii) purpose of the funding, (iv) project description, (v) location; and (b) what criteria were used to determine which projects would receive funding, and how much funding each project in (a) would receive?

[Dan Vandal, Liberal, Minister of Northern Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, with regard to the items listed in the main estimates, 2024-25, under Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, or CanNor, the response is as follows.

The main estimates provides a listing of the resources required by individual departments and agencies for the upcoming fiscal year in order to deliver the programs for which they are responsible. It identifies the spending authorities, or votes, and the amounts to be included in subsequent appropriation bills that Parliament will be asked to approve to enable the government to proceed with its spending plans.

In response to part (a)(i), CanNor funded the Yukon First Nation Chamber of Commerce, or YFNCC, through a multi-year grant agreement; (ii) $30,000 is committed for 2024-25; (iii) the purpose of the funding is to support a northern investment conference, as described in the project description; (iv) YFNCC will host the Arctic Indigenous Investment Conference that focuses on economic reconciliation and growth, youth entrepreneurship and leadership development, and fostering collaborative relationships across the territories' Yukon first nation business community; and, (v) Whitehorse, Yukon.

Furthermore, CanNor applies the principles set out in the Access to Information Act, or ATIA; whereby information relating to grants and contributions that has yet to be publicly disclosed on Open Government is not included in the response. As of March 18, 2024, CanNor had committed an additional $46,000 in grants to other approved projects not listed in the above response. Open Government disclosure information on grants and contributions can be located at https://open.canada.ca/en/proactive-disclosure.

In response to part (b), CanNor supports economic development in the north through project-based funding which strengthens territorial economies and increases economic participation by northerners. CanNor employs place-based decision-making when assessing and ranking projects. Funding levels are determined based on thresholds determined in CanNor program terms and conditions, applicant requests and budget availability. CanNor accepts applications for project funding though a call for expressions of interest, or EOI. Information on CanNor’s EOI priorities, including the project selection process, are outlined in the EOI applicant guide at https://cannor.gc.ca/eng/1546864521572/1546864541613.

Question No.2451—

[Brad Vis, Conservative, Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, BC]

With regard to the carbon tax revenues collected from small businesses since 2019 and the over $2.5 billion in fuel charge rebates owed to small businesses: (a) when will the new system referenced by the Minister of Finance on January 22, 2024 to distribute funds owed to small businesses through the fuel charge return programs be implemented; and (b) what is the rebate schedule for when small businesses will receive the over $2.5 billion owed?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, regarding part (a) of the question, budget 2024 proposes to return fuel charge proceeds from 2019 20 through 2023 24 to an estimated 600,000 businesses, with 499 or fewer employees through the Canada carbon rebate for small businesses. This new refundable tax credit would deliver over $2.5 billion directly to small and medium sized businesses in the provinces where the fuel charge applies. Proceeds would be returned to eligible corporations automatically through direct payments from the Canada Revenue Agency, or CRA, separately from CRA tax refunds. With respect to the 2019 20 to 2023 24 fuel charge years, the tax credit would be available to Canadian controlled private corporations, or CCPCs, that file their tax return for 2023 by July 15, 2024. For each fuel charge year and province, the amount would be equal to the number of employees reported by the CCPC in that province for the corresponding calendar year, multiplied by a payment rate specified by the Minister of Finance.

The proposal would return proceeds for future fuel charge years, including 2024 25, in a similar manner each year.

With regard to part (b), amounts would be automatically paid to eligible businesses once enabling legislation receives royal assent, payment rates have been specified by the Minister of Finance and the Canada Revenue Agency has put in place the systems to process the automatic payments.

Question No.2453—

[Niki Ashton, NDP, Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, MB]

With regard to litigation and other legal expenditures involving Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) or Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) between February 6, 2006 and January 1, 2016: (a) what were the total expenditures on (i) outside lawyers or legal advice, (ii) in-house or CIRNAC departmental lawyers, (iii) in-house or ISC departmental lawyers, (iv) Department of Justice Canada lawyers; (b) how many lawyers are represented in each subsection of (a); (c) of the expenditures in (a), what are the number of cases and total expenditures, broken down by standing of the government; and (d) what are the details of all cases involving government expenditures of over $100,000, including, for each, the (i) case name, (ii) date of the initial court filing, (iii) current status of the case, including the result, if applicable, (iv) total expenditures to date?

[Jaime Battiste, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations]

Mr. Speaker, with regard to parts (a) (i) and (iv), total expenditures on outside lawyers or legal advice and Department of Justice lawyers can be found in the public accounts of Canada archive, where information is broken down by fiscal year, April 1 to March 31. This information can be found in Volume III: Additional Information and Analyses, Detailed information Section 3: Professional and special services, under the category “Legal Services”.

With regard to parts (a) (ii) and (iii), Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada or CIRNAC, and Indigenous Services Canada or ISC do not hire in-house or departmental lawyers.

Concerning part (b), with regard to (a)(ii) and (iii), CIRNAC and ISC do not hire in-house or departmental lawyers.

Concerning part (b), with regard to (a) (i) and (iv), and parts (c) and (d), CIRNAC concluded that the information requested is not centrally tracked in a system and would require extensive manual research to produce and validate a comprehensive response to this question. This would not be possible in the time allotted and could lead to the disclosure of incomplete and misleading information.

Question No.2455—

[Niki Ashton, NDP, Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, MB]

With regard to the Indigenous Services Canada 2024-25 Departmental Plan and mental health services that are available in communities: (a) what efforts will the department undertake to advance work with First Nations, Inuit and Métis partners to (i) improve access to high-quality services, (ii) improve well-being in Indigenous communities, (iii) support Indigenous peoples in assuming control of the delivery of services they choose specific to mental health and wellness; (b) which self-reported health surveys does the government use to measure distinctions-specific progress towards increasing positive outcomes; (c) which other surveys and research efforts does the government use to measure distinctions-specific progress towards increasing positive outcomes; and (d) does the government believe that it can achieve its department results for First Nations, Métis and Inuit adults who report ‘excellent’ or ‘very good’ mental health while also sunsetting funding for mental health and wellness from budget 2021?

[Jenica Atwin, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indigenous Services]

Mr. Speaker, regarding parts (a)(i), (ii) and (iii), Indigenous Services Canada, or ISC, will continue to advance its mandate to work with first nations, Inuit and Métis to improve access to high-quality services; improve well-being in indigenous communities across Canada; and support indigenous peoples in assuming control of the delivery of services at the pace and in the ways they choose.

Budget 2024 proposes $630.2 million over two years, starting in 2024-25, to support indigenous people’s access to mental health services, including through distinctions-based mental wellness strategies. This investment will help provide indigenous peoples with equitable access to compassionate, trauma-informed and culturally based mental health resources and care in communities across Canada. The budget 2024 funding builds upon the over $300 million annually the department invests on an ongoing basis in indigenous mental wellness services.

This continued funding for mental wellness demonstrates the government’s commitment to support and improve health equity, access to culturally appropriate health services and support for holistic approaches to healing, including community-based, culturally relevant and trauma-informed mental health services.

Communities and indigenous leadership are actively working to address their unique mental health challenges. By supporting indigenous-led, community-driven initiatives that reflect the cultural needs and aspirations of the people that use them, indigenous leadership and communities are better equipped to address their unique mental health needs and improve mental health outcomes.

Regarding parts (b) and (c), ISC works closely with first nations and Inuit partners to gather and develop monitoring systems to address the need for timely, community-based and national-level data. We work collaboratively to ensure high-quality, timely data informs policies and programs, and seek to build upon national monitoring and research activities.

The department currently uses results from the first nations regional health survey administered by the First Nations Information Governance Centre for first nations living on reserve and in northern communities, as well as the indigenous peoples survey administered by Statistics Canada for self-reported results for first nations living off reserve, Métis and Inuit. When data becomes available, the department plans on using results from the Qanuippitaa? National Inuit Health Survey, an Inuit-owned and Inuit-led national survey program.

Regarding part (d), budget 2024 proposes $630.2 million over two years, starting in 2024-25, to support indigenous people’s access to mental health services, including through distinctions-based mental wellness strategies. This funding will support continued access to mental wellness teams in communities, wraparound services at opioid agonist therapy sites, suicide prevention and life promotion services, as well as trauma-informed cultural and emotional support services across Canada.

ISC is working with indigenous partners towards achieving the mental health targets identified in the departmental results framework, which seek that 55% of first nations and Inuit report “excellent” or “very good” mental health, by March 2028. The department measures distinctions-specific progress towards increasing positive outcomes by using data from self-reported health surveys that ask respondents to rate their mental health.

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, if the government's responses to Questions Nos. 2438, 2439, 2441, 2444, 2445, 2447 to 2449, 2452 and 2454 could be made orders for returns, these returns would be tabled in an electronic format immediately.

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Chris d'Entremont]

Is it agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

Question No.2438—

[Dan Mazier, Conservative, Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, MB]

With regard to expenditures on consultants by Environment and Climate Change Canada since November 4, 2015: (a) what is the total amount of expenditures incurred on consultants; and (b) what are the details of all such contracts under object codes 0431 (Scientific consultants), 0446 (Training consultants), 0473 (Information technology and telecommunications consultants), 0491 (Management consulting), 0422 (Engineering consultants – Construction), 0423 (Engineering consultants – Other), 0301 (Advertising services), 0351 (Communications professional services not elsewhere specified), and 0352 (Public relations services), including the (i) amount, (ii) vendor, (iii) date of the contract, (iv) duration of the contract, (v) description of the services provided, (vi) reason or purpose of the contract?

(Return tabled)

Question No.2439—

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

With regard to the Memorial to the Victims of Communism project: (a) what specific work was done on the memorial between February 1, 2023 and March 18, 2024, broken down by month; (b) what is the current (i) targeted completion date, (ii) projected total budget; and (c) what are the details of all contracts over $1,000 entered into by the government related to the project since November 4, 2015, including, for each, the (i) date, (ii) vendor, (iii) amount, (iv) description of goods or services provided?

(Return tabled)

Question No.2441—

[Cheryl Gallant, Conservative, Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON]

With regard to contracts entered into by the Department of National Defence or the Canadian Armed Forces relating to diversity, equity and inclusion services, since November 4, 2015: (a) what is the total value of such contracts, broken down by year and by type of service provided (policy development, training, guest speaker, fee, etc.); and (b) what are the details of each such contract, including, for each, the (i) vendor, (ii) date, (iii) amount or value, (iv) description of goods or services, (v) manner in which the contract was awarded (sole-sourced versus competitive bid)?

(Return tabled)

Question No.2444—

[Taylor Bachrach, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

With regard to the Environment and Climate Change Canada's Holland Rock weather station near Prince Rupert: (a) how many unscheduled outages have occurred in the years 2015-2024; (b) what were the dates and durations of these outages; (c) what were the dates of visits to the weather station by the department or its contractors, (d) what maintenance and repair activities were performed during these visits; and (e) what were the costs of these visits and activities?

(Return tabled)

Question No.2445—

[Tom Kmiec, Conservative, Calgary Shepard, AB]

With regard to Immigration and Refugee Board hearings on refugee claims, in 2023: (a) for written hearings, how many claims were (i) accepted, (ii) rejected, (iii) abandoned, (iv) withdrawn and other, in total and broken down by the country of origin of applicants; and (b) for oral hearings, how many claims were (i) accepted, (ii) rejected, (iii) abandoned, (iv) withdrawn or other, in total and broken down by the country of origin of applicants?

(Return tabled)

Question No.2447—

[Bob Zimmer, Conservative, Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, BC]

With regard to the items listed in the Supplementary Estimates (C), 2023-24, under Department of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs: what are the details of the $9 million listed under "Contributions to Promote Social and Political Development in the North and for northerners", including which organizations received funding, how much each organization received, what criteria were used to determine which organizations would receive funding, how the funds were used, and the details of each project funded with the money?