Debates of Dec. 7th, 2009

Question No. 472

[Ujjal Dosanjh, Liberal, Vancouver South, BC]

With regard to the withholding of information by the government under section 38 of the Evidence Act for reasons of national security: (a) what criteria or guidelines are used to determine whether a piece of information would have an impact on national security; (b) how does the government define “impact on national security”; (c) who in the government is responsible for determining which pieces of information will be subject to section 38; (d) do the Ministers of Justice, National Defence or Foreign Affairs or the Prime Minister or their offices have an input on what information will be withheld on national security grounds; (e) what role does the Department of Justice play in redacting or suppressing information under Section 38 of the Evidence Act; (f) what role does the Privy Council Office play in reviewing or further redacting information that could have an impact on national security; (g) what role does the Prime Minister’s Office play in the decision to withhold information on national security grounds; and (h) what role does the Prime Minister’s Office play in reviewing or further redacting information judged to be a risk to national security?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 473

[Ujjal Dosanjh, Liberal, Vancouver South, BC]

With regard to reports that Canadian soldiers witnessed Afghan children being sexually abused by members of the Afghan National Police or the Afghan National Army: (a) were any complaints or reports filed with either the Canadian Forces, Military Police, Department of National Defence, or Department of Foreign Affairs alleging that children were being abused; (b) when were these complaints or reports filed; (c) what actions were taken to address these complaints or reports; (d) when was the Minister of National Defence or his office informed of the existence of these complaints or reports; (e) what instructions were given by the Minister of National Defence or his office with regard to these complaints or reports, and when; (f) when did the Minister of National Defence first receive a briefing on this issue; (g) when were briefing notes first written by either the Minister’s staff, the Department of National Defence, the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Canadian Forces, or the Military Police; (h) were the Canadian Forces or Military Police ever instructed not to report incidents of child sexual abuse and, if so, when; (i) were the Canadian Forces or Military Police ever instructed not to intervene or prevent incidents of child sexual abuse if they witnessed them and, if so, when; and (j) when were the Canadian Forces and Military Police explicitly instructed to report or prevent such incidents?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 475

[John McCallum, Liberal, Markham—Unionville, ON]

With respect to the Department of Finance, for all contracts under $10,000 signed between December 1, 2008 and October 19, 2009, what is the: (a) vendor name; (b) contract reference number; (c) contract date; (d) description of work; (e) delivery date; (f) original contract value; and (g) final contract value if different from the original?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 481

[Yasmin Ratansi, Liberal, Don Valley East, ON]

With respect to ministers' office expenses within the National Capital Region: (a) what has been the total amount spent on taxis for each fiscal year from 2005-2006 up to and including the current fiscal year for each minister's office; (b) how many employees at each minister's office have access to taxi vouchers; and (c) what is the overtime cost for each minister's driver for each fiscal year from 2005-2006 up to and including the current fiscal year?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 484

[Anita Neville, Liberal, Winnipeg South Centre, MB]

With regard to the decommissioned Kapyong Barracks in Winnipeg, Manitoba: (a) how many homes are on the base; (b) how many homes are empty on the base; (c) how many of those empty homes are habitable; (d) how many of the homes are rented out; (e) how many members of the military occupy homes on the base; (f) how many RCMP officers occupy homes on the base; (g) how many military personnel occupy homes on the base; (h) how many contract workers have homes on the base; (i) who else occupies the homes on the base; (j) what are the annual approximate costs of repairs to the homes on the base; (k) what are the maintenance costs to the homes on the base; (l) what is the annual cost to maintain all the homes on the base and what is the cost of maintaining the empty homes on the base; (m) what is the maintenance cost of the other buildings on the site; (n) which buildings are occupied, who occupies them and for what purpose; (o) which buildings are empty; (p) has a Treasury Board submission been developed for the transfer of the homes on the base to Canada Lands; and (q) has the government initiated a consultation process with affected First Nations regarding the transfer of the houses and, if so, who is conducting the consultations, what form are they taking, and with whom are the consultations taking place?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 486

[Siobhan Coady, Liberal, St. John's South—Mount Pearl, NL]

With respect to the Treasury Board, for all contracts under $10,000 signed between January 1 and October 21, 2009, what is: (a) the vendor name; (b) the contract reference number; (c) the contract date; (d) the description of work, (e) the delivery date; (f) the original contract value; and (g) the final contract value if different from the original contract value?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 499

[Navdeep Bains, Liberal, Mississauga—Brampton South, ON]

With regards to Industry Canada’s use of contracts for each fiscal year, since 2004-2005: (a) what are the total number of contracts awarded, their value, contact persons and the names of those organizations that received contracts all broken down by both province and constituency, and whether the contracts are for goods or services; (b) in detail, what each contract was awarded for; (c) was the contract tendered or sole-sourced; (d) in the case of a sole-source contract was it approved by a minister and, if so, which minister approved it; and (e) in the case of a tendered contract, what are the number of tenders put forward and the length of the tender period?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 502

[Joe Volpe, Liberal, Eglinton—Lawrence, ON]

With respect to the case of Ms. Suaad Hagi Mohamud: (a) what are the details of every official communication held within the Government of Canada concerning this matter, itemized by the date and department of each initiated communication; and (b) what are the details of every communication held between the Government of Canada and the Government of Kenya?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 505

[Joe Volpe, Liberal, Eglinton—Lawrence, ON]

With respect to temporary resident permits (TRP), since January 2006, how many requests were granted and refused itemized according to (i) the month, (ii) the name of the representative that made the request, (iii) the country of origin of the intended TRP recipients, (iv) the current location and status of each TRP recipient?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 510

[Michael Savage, Liberal, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

With respect to the Department of Human Resources and Skills Development, for all contracts under $10,000 signed between December 1, 2008 and October 19, 2009, what is: (a) the vendor name; (b) the contract reference number; (c) the contract date; (d) the description of work, (e) the delivery date; (f) the original contract value; and (g) the final contract value if different from the original contract value?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 514

[Geoff Regan, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

With regard to the government's Economic Action Plan, for each announcement in the constituency of Halifax West: (a) what was (i) the date of announcement, (ii) the amount of stimulus spending announced, (iii) the department which announced it; and (b) was there a public event associated with the announcement and, if so, what was the cost of that event and which elected officials, if any, were invited to appear?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 516

[Frank Valeriote, Liberal, Guelph, ON]

With regard to the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario): (a) what are the terms, cost, and length of the leases signed at each of the Agency’s offices in Kitchener, Peterborough, and Stratford; (b) what is the total operating budget for each of FedDev Ontario’s offices in Ottawa, Toronto, Kitchener, Peterborough and Stratford; (c) what is the total dollar amount from the Agency’s 2009-2010 funds to be spent on the cost of administering the core Southern Ontario Development Program; (d) what role, if any, did the Agency play in administering each of the Community Adjustment Fund, the Recreational Infrastructure Canada Program, the Economic Development Initiative, the Community Futures Program, the Eastern Ontario Development Program, the Ontario Potable Water Program, the Building Canada Fund, the Canada-Ontario Infrastructure Program, the Canada Strategic Infrastructure Program, the Canada-Ontario Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund, the Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund top up, in fiscal year 2009-2010, and at what total operating cost to the Agency; and (e) what is the current relationship between FedDev Ontario and all existing Economic Stimulus Programming, Industry Canada Programming, and Infrastructure Canada Programming for Ontario stated by FedDev Ontario to be transferred to the Agency with particular reference to the sharing of operating or administration costs for these programs, and will this relationship change in subsequent fiscal years?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 517

[Frank Valeriote, Liberal, Guelph, ON]

With regard to the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario): (a) at which offices are the Agency’s 2009-2010 Southern Ontario Development Program’s applications being received and processed, and will this arrangement change in subsequent fiscal years; (b) was the $50 million transferred to the Business Development Bank of Canada by FedDev Ontario this year administered by the Business Development Bank of Canada; (c) was the $27.5 million transferred from FedDev Ontario to the National Research Industrial Assistance Program this year administered by the National Research Industrial Assistance Program; (d) what will be the Agency’s total funding allocation to the Agency’s core Southern Ontario Development Program in fiscal year 2010-2011, and each subsequent fiscal year according to the government’s five year $1 billion commitment to the Agency in budget 2009; (e) will all of the Agency’s funding through the Southern Ontario Development program in 2010-2011 and each subsequent year be made available for applications; (f) what proportion of the operating or administrative costs will the Agency assume in administering each of the Community Adjustment Fund, the Recreational Infrastructure Canada Program, the Economic Development Initiative, the Community Futures Program, the Eastern Ontario Development Program, the Ontario Potable Water Program, the Building Canada Fund, the Canada-Ontario Infrastructure Program, the Canada Strategic Infrastructure Program, the Canada-Ontario Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund, the Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund top up, in fiscal year 2010-2011, at what total operating cost to the Agency; and (g) what amount of the funds from the programs established before the Agency’s creation but stated by FedDev Ontario to be administered by the Agency in the future as outlined in question (f), count toward the total of the government’s five year $1 billion commitment to the Agency in budget 2009?