House of Commons Hansard #38 of the 37th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was land.

Topics

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:15 p.m.

Canadian Alliance

Reed Elley Canadian Alliance Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise in the House to present several petitions today.

As the father of two adopted children who suffer from fetal alcohol syndrome, members will appreciate how I feel about the first petition. It calls upon Parliament, subsequent to a motion that was passed in the House on April 23, 2001, to enact legislation and regulatory changes that would prohibit the sale of alcoholic beverages in Canada unless the container in which the beverage is sold carries the following visible and clearly printed label: Warning: Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can cause birth defects.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:15 p.m.

Canadian Alliance

Reed Elley Canadian Alliance Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of approximately 1,200 Canadians from right across the country, these petitioners add to the growing total of thousands of people who have petitioned the House asking that Parliament take whatever action is required to maintain the current definition of marriage in law in perpetuity, and to prevent any court from overturning or amending that definition.

It is a pleasure to present these petitions.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:15 p.m.

Liberal

John Maloney Liberal Erie—Lincoln, ON

Mr. Speaker, I would like to present three petitions on the same subject.

The petitioners acknowledge that marriage is the best foundation for families and the raising of children. The definition of marriage as being between a man and a woman is being challenged and they call upon the House to pass legislation to recognize the institution of marriage in federal law as being a lifelong union of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:15 p.m.

Canadian Alliance

Bob Mills Canadian Alliance Red Deer, AB

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition signed by constituents in Red Deer.

The petitioners call upon Parliament to immediately hold a renewed debate on the definition of marriage and to take all necessary steps to preserve marriage as the union of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others.

PetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:15 p.m.

Canadian Alliance

John M. Cummins Canadian Alliance Delta—South Richmond, BC

Mr. Speaker, I have three petitions. Each of the petitions calls on Parliament to recognize marriage as a lasting union of a man and a woman to the exclusion of others. The petitioners call on Parliament to do whatever it can to ensure that that definition remains intact.

Questions on the Order PaperRoutine Proceedings

3:15 p.m.

Sarnia—Lambton Ontario

Liberal

Roger Gallaway LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, the following questions will be answered today: Nos. 55, 57, 59, 61 and 69.

Question No. 55Routine Proceedings

3:15 p.m.

Progressive Conservative

Norman E. Doyle Progressive Conservative St. John's East, NL

What quantities of fish were caught on the Grand Banks by foreign trawlers and landed in Newfoundland and Labrador ports between October 2001 and October 2003?

Question No. 55Routine Proceedings

3:15 p.m.

Halifax West Nova Scotia

Liberal

Geoff Regan LiberalMinister of Fisheries and Oceans

Mr. Speaker, about 17,990 tonnes of groundfish, primarily Greenland halibut and redfish, and 25,000 tonnes of shrimp were caught by foreign trawlers on the Grand Banks and landed in Newfoundland and Labrador ports during the period between October 2001 and October 2003

Question No. 57Routine Proceedings

3:15 p.m.

Progressive Conservative

Norman E. Doyle Progressive Conservative St. John's East, NL

With regard to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, what was the substance of all reports generated between January and October, 2003 on the amount of cod and other “moratoria species” that have been caught, or are suspected to have been caught, by foreign fleets on the Grand Banks

Question No. 57Routine Proceedings

3:15 p.m.

Halifax West Nova Scotia

Liberal

Geoff Regan LiberalMinister of Fisheries and Oceans

Mr. Speaker, preliminary estimates indicate that catches of moratoria species in 2003 are significantly higher than the 5,000 tonnes estimated in both 2001 and 2002. However, the final determination of catch for the period required has not yet been finalized. A more complete response will be provided when the analysis is complete.

Question No. 59Routine Proceedings

3:15 p.m.

NDP

Judy Wasylycia-Leis NDP Winnipeg North Centre, MB

With regard to housekeeping and grounds maintenance benefits available under the veterans independence program, VIP, to surviving spouses: ( a ) what is the total number of surviving spouses who could potentially benefit from extending eligibility for these benefits to all veterans spouses; ( b ) based on the current participation rate, what is the estimated number of spouses likely to participate in the program as a result of removing the September 1, 1990 cut-off restriction; and ( c ) what is the estimated cost of delivering these services to the total number of spouses in ( a ) and ( b )?

Question No. 59Routine Proceedings

3:15 p.m.

Markham Ontario

Liberal

John McCallum LiberalMinister of Veterans Affairs

Mr. Speaker, in response to (a), beyond those covered by the regulatory changes of December 3, 2003, we estimate there are between 1,400 to 2,800 surviving spouses of deceased veteran clients who (a) received VIP benefits and (b) who passed away before 1990, the first year spouses became eligible for VIP.

In response to (b),based on the current participation rate, it is estimated that between 1,000 and 2,000 of these surviving spouses would not be living in an institutional setting, and thus would likely participate based on need.

In response to (c), the maximum estimated cost of VIP housekeeping and grounds maintenance for the total eligible spouses, group A, is $4.9 million for the current year and $3.6 million for those likely to participate, group B.

Question No. 61Routine Proceedings

3:15 p.m.

Progressive Conservative

Gary Schellenberger Progressive Conservative Perth—Middlesex, ON

For the last government fiscal year, how many auditors has Revenue Canada employed to verify the accuracy of personal and small business not medium or large businesses and not public companies income tax returns, what is the average salary for these auditors, and how much tax was collected due to the efforts of the auditors, i.e,. that would not have been collected if they had not been auditing?

Question No. 61Routine Proceedings

3:15 p.m.

Hamilton West Ontario

Liberal

Stan Keyes LiberalMinister of National Revenue and Minister of State (Sport)

Mr. Speaker, in response to the specific questions raised by the hon. member, the Canada Revenue Agency, CRA, formerly the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency, wishes to provide the following information which is based on individuals and unincorporated businesses, such as proprietorships, as well as small incorporated companies, with sales less than $15 million:

One, in the last fiscal period ending March 31, 2003, the CRA employed 4,462 auditors to verify the accuracy of personal and small business income tax returns. Two, the average salary of these auditors was approximately $55,000. Three, the total recoveries attributable to these auditors were approximately $1,774 million.

The number of auditors and their salary costs relate to auditors in tax services offices only and does not include any supporting functions or activities.

Question No. 69Routine Proceedings

3:15 p.m.

Canadian Alliance

Inky Mark Canadian Alliance Dauphin—Swan River, MB

With regard to migration integrity officers: ( a ) how many individuals are currently performing the function of a migration integrity officer; ( b ) what is the difference between migration integrity officers and migration integrity personnel; ( c ) what is the job description of a migration integrity officer; ( d ) what relationship does a migration integrity officer have with international intelligence agencies, the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and the Canada Border Services Agency; ( e ) how many complaints have been brought against migration integrity officers during the 2003 calendar year; ( f ) what type of document identification training does a migration integrity officer receive; ( g ) what type of protective clothing is issued to migration integrity officers, including all uniforms or protective clothing issued; ( h ) to whom does a migration integrity officer currently report and are there any plans to readjust their departmental reporting relationship; ( i ) what contracts have been awarded that relate to the migration integrity function; and ( j ) at what locations are migration integrity officers posted?

Question No. 69Routine Proceedings

3:15 p.m.

Edmonton West Alberta

Liberal

Anne McLellan LiberalDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness

Mr. Speaker, the Canada Border Services Agency, CBSA, responds as follows.

With regard to migration integrity officers, in response to (a), there are currently 45 migration integrity officers, MIOs.

In response to (b), the Canada Border Services Agency, CBSA, does not use the term migration integrity personnel. In most cases, however, each MIO has a dedicated locally engaged migration integrity assistant, MIA. Depending on the local environment, the classification level of the assistant and the nature of the work at the specific location, the MIA will provide program support ranging from responding to general questions about entry requirements up to providing on-site advice to airlines at the boarding gate.

In response to (c), major activities of the MIO can be broken into four areas as follows:

The control activities include providing advice and document expertise to airlines and providing training on documents and irregular migration to airline and host government.

The intelligence reporting activities cover the areas of irregular migration, people smuggling and trafficking; program integrity; organized crime; war crimes and human rights; national security; and anti-fraud trends.

The international liaison activities include promoting international cooperation and partnerships with foreign missions, agencies, host country officials, and key interest groups in the region of responsibility; and representing Canada in bilateral and multilateral discussions and negotiations involving anti-fraud, interdiction, control, intelligence and security.

The anti-fraud area of activities includes being a source of expertise on documents and program integrity; providing training, guidance and support to Canadian mission staff on document fraud and irregular migration; and data reporting.

The emphasis given to a particular area depends on the specific local requirements.

In response to (d), MIOs report to the CBSA Immigration Intelligence Branch. Many MIOs receive Canadian Security Intelligence Service, CSIS, and Royal Canadian Mounted Police, RCMP, briefings prior to posting. CSIS and RCMP are viewed as consumers of general MIO reporting on country events and trends in irregular migration. MIOs have no formal relationships with international intelligence agencies. Their principal international points of contact are with other diplomatic personnel, as well as with host government police, immigration and border agencies having responsibilities for immigration control matters.

In response to (e), for the period from January 1, 2003 to December 11, 2003, the Canada Border Services Agency, CBSA, did not exist as a distinct agency.

The CBSA was created by an order in council on December 12, 2003, from the transfer of components of the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency, Citizenship and Immigration Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. No complaints have been brought against MIOs for the period of December 12, 2003 to December 31, 2003, nor were any complaints brought against MIOs prior to the creation of the CBSA.

In response to (f), in addition to basic immigration officer or foreign service immigration officer training which includes elements of document examination and fraud detection, all MIOs attend a three week specialized training course which includes one week of intensive document examination and fraud detection training. At the end of the document training each officer must pass an exam by jury.

There is substantially more emphasis given to document training than given by counterparts. United Kingdom immigration service airline liaison officers receive one day of document briefing; the United States currently intends to provide only a half day briefing on documents under its immigrant security initiative deployments overseas.

The answer to (g) is none. As the MIO is not an enforcement field officer, no protective clothing is required in the performance of his or her duties.

In response to (h), MIOs currently report to Control Division, Immigration Intelligence Branch of the CBSA. The CBSA is a new agency and although it is reviewing its structure, there is no existing plan to amend the present reporting relationship for MIOs.

In response to (i), The CBSA was created by an order in council on December 12, 2003, from the transfer of components of the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency, Citizenship and Immigration Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. No contracts have been awarded relating to the migration integrity function for the period of December 12, 2003 to March 10, 2004.

In response to (j), the MIOs are posted in 39 strategic locations overseas in Africa and the Middle East, the western hemisphere, Europe, and Asia-Pacific.

Questions Passed as Orders for ReturnsRoutine Proceedings

3:15 p.m.

Liberal

Roger Gallaway Liberal Sarnia—Lambton, ON

Mr. Speaker, if Questions Nos. 58, 68 and 71 could be made orders for returns, these returns would be tabled immediately.

Questions Passed as Orders for ReturnsRoutine Proceedings

3:15 p.m.

The Speaker

Is that agreed?

Questions Passed as Orders for ReturnsRoutine Proceedings

3:15 p.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

Question No. 58Routine Proceedings

3:15 p.m.

Progressive Conservative

Norman E. Doyle Progressive Conservative St. John's East, NL

To which and to how many foreign trawlers did Canadian authorities issue citations for illegal fishing on the Grand Banks between 1992 and 2003?

Return tabled.

Question No. 68Routine Proceedings

3:15 p.m.

Canadian Alliance

Inky Mark Canadian Alliance Dauphin—Swan River, MB

With regard to immigration queue data: ( a ) how many cases are currently considered active within the immigration application queues; ( b ) how many cases are currently considered inactive within the immigration application queues; ( c ) how many cases are currently considered active within the permanent resident queues; ( d ) how many cases are currently considered inactive within the permanent resident queues; ( e ) how many cases are currently considered active and inactive in the “removal orders issued” queues; ( f ) how many cases with removal orders executed are currently considered active and inactive in the queues; ( g ) how many student visa applications are currently considered active in the queues; ( h ) how many student visa applications are currently considered inactive in the queues; ( i ) how many visitor visa applications are currently considered active in the queues; and ( j ) how many visitor visa applications are currently considered inactive in the queues?

Return tabled.

Question No. 71Routine Proceedings

3:15 p.m.

Canadian Alliance

Inky Mark Canadian Alliance Dauphin—Swan River, MB

With respect to the government's Voluntary Sector Initiative (VSI): ( a ) how does the department evaluate “value for money” in connection with VSI grants; ( b ) what, if any, audits has the department conducted on any of the agencies that have received grants; ( c ) what groups have received grants and what did they produce; ( d ) how much of the grant money has gone to operational and administrative expenses; ( e ) what types of outcome or results-oriented evaluations have been conducted to date; ( f ) is the VSI a permanent program or does it have a “termed” mandate; ( g ) if there are audits, who conducts them and what are they measuring; and ( h ) how does the department report “value for money” to Parliament in relation to the VSI program?

Return tabled.

Question No. 71Routine Proceedings

3:15 p.m.

Canadian Alliance

John M. Cummins Canadian Alliance Delta—South Richmond, BC

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I have some questions on the Order Paper. Questions Nos. 11 and 13 were asked on February 2; Question No. 17 was asked on February 3; and the last one was asked only on March 25. However, some of these questions date back to the previous Parliament. I know from documentation I received under access to information that the answers were prepared for the last Parliament and I still have not got them.

If the rumour mill is correct, this Parliament may be winding down and my questions have not been answered. I would like to get those answers.

The point on the fourth question, Question No. 80, is that the question relates to the government position on nautical charts. The fishing and boating season is increasing now with the better weather. It is important that those questions be answered.

Question No. 71Routine Proceedings

3:20 p.m.

Liberal

Roger Gallaway Liberal Sarnia—Lambton, ON

Mr. Speaker, I know nothing of the specifics of these questions. However, there are two remedies. I can undertake to determine where they are in terms of the process, or, if we have gone beyond the time limit, they could be referred to the standing committee.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that the remaining questions be allowed to stand.

Question No. 71Routine Proceedings

3:20 p.m.

The Speaker

Is that agreed?