Debates of Nov. 16th, 2009

Question No. 445

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Minister of Natural Resources]

Mr. Speaker, the health and safety of Canadians is a top priority for the Government of Canada. In this regard, on December 15, 2008, the Minister of Natural Resources outlined the government’s five-point plan to protect the health and safety of Canadians over the short and long term which includes:repairing the Chalk River reactor as quickly as possible in a safe and reliable manner;maximizing the use of existing medical isotopes supplies; working with international producers to increase production and co-ordinate reactor operations including downtimes; developing, assessing and reviewing alternatives to the current supply of TC-99m; and identifying and assessing possible alternatives to medical isotopes currently in use.

More detailed information may also be found at the following website: www.nrcan-rncan.gc.ca/media/newcom/2008/200876s-eng.php

The plan also includes information on determining the requirements and options available for re-licensing the National Research Universal, NRU, reactor past October 31, 2011. The government continues to work with Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, AECL, the medical community and Canada’s global partners to move forward with this plan.

AECL and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, CNSC, signed the Protocol for National Research Universal Licensing Activities on August 4, 2008. The CNSC has been working with AECL to determine the regulatory requirements for extending the licence of the NRU beyond 2011. The CNSC will assess information submitted by AECL to determine whether the NRU can continue operation beyond its current licence period, and make recommendations to the commission regarding the renewal of the NRU’s licence.

The government has provided funding to AECL in fiscal year 2009-10 to enable AECL to continue its efforts towards re-licensing the NRU during this period.

In addition, with respect to supply of medical isotopes for Canadians, on May 28, 2009, the government announced the establishment of an Expert Review Panel on Medical Isotope Production to report on the best options for securing the supply of molybdenum-99 and technetium-99m over the medium to long term. The four members of the panel bring to the table expertise in health science, nuclear technology and business management. In response to a call for expressions of interest, 22 submissions on ideas for isotope supply have been received and are being reviewed by the panel, which will report to the government by November 30, 2009.

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns

[Tom Lukiwski, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, if Questions Nos. 422, 424, 425, 429, 431, 432, 434, 435, 436, 438, 439, 440, 441, 442, 443 and 444 could be made orders for returns, these returns would be tabled immediately.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Peter Milliken]

Is that agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

Question No. 422

[Ruby Dhalla, Liberal, Brampton—Springdale, ON]

With respect to the Communities at Risk: Security Infrastructure Pilot Program, what are: (a) the names of all applicants; (b) the amounts requested; (c) the amounts granted; (d) the descriptions of the projects; and (e) when applicable, the reasons of refusal?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 424

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

With regard to the current pandemic of new influenza A (H1N1) virus in Aboriginal (First Nations, Inuit, Metis) communities in Canada: (a) what were the containment measures taken to slow the spread of the virus within households, between households, and among communities; (b) what were the control measures taken in more remote areas to flatten the epidemiological peak; (c) what was the average length of time from symptoms to treatment for those Aboriginal peoples who required a stay in intensive care unit (ICU); (d) what percentage of hospitalizations, ICU cases, and deaths were among Aboriginal peoples, and how do these compare with the Canadian population at large; (e) what was the average length of time on a ventilator and the mean length of stay in an ICU for Aboriginal peoples; (f) what specific measures are being planned to reduce the time to treatment, hospitalizations, ICU, and deaths; (g) when will the results of the preliminary investigation in First Nations communities be available, specifically, (i) how many Aboriginal communities in Canada have a revised H1N1 pandemic influenza plan, (ii) how many have tested their plan, (iii) how many have necessary supplies in place; (h) what specific actions have been undertaken to address the fact that only two of 30 communities in northern Manitoba had a pandemic plan, and none had been tested; (i) where did the Minister of Health obtain the 90 percent figure she used in her August 28 response letter to Drs Bennett and Duncan; (j) what funding have Aboriginal communities requested, and what additional funds have been made available to Aboriginal communities for pandemic planning and response in 2009; (k) is there any encouragement to identify vulnerable people, such as pregnant women and those with underlying medical conditions, to take additional precautions, specifically, (i) how many communities lack necessary clean water for infection control measures, (ii) what funding and progress has been made to address this situation; (l) what measures are being put into place to decrease transmission in households where there is overcrowding; (m) are all Aboriginal people on the priority list for vaccine, or just communities in remote and isolated settings; (n) are anti-virals pre-positioned in all Aboriginal communities, should they be required urgently, and are there provisions for communities without registered nurses; and (o) what measures exist to ensure that remote and isolated communities will have the necessary human resources to ensure appropriate and timely treatment, particularly in communities where weather may impact help?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 425

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

With respect to the current pandemic of new influenza A (H1N1): (a) who is at the top of the pandemic organizational chart for the country; (b) what gaps still exist in the government’s overarching plan, recognizing that it is an ever-evolving plan, and by what date will identified gaps be addressed; (c) what money remains from the $400 million contained in the budget of 2006 as ‘to be set aside as a contingency to be accessed on an as-needed basis’; (d) what funds have been spent since the start of the pandemic in Canada to address response, specifically, (i) what government departments have tested their pandemic plan, (ii) what departments operationalized their plans or part of their plans in the spring, and updated their plans since the lessons learned from the spring; (e) should there be an election, what is the pandemic preparedness plan for Elections Canada, both to protect the health and well-being of its employees and Canadians; (f) what are the outstanding issues among medical personnel in terms of preparedness, and how are these issues being addressed; (g) what was the process for monitoring swine herds prior to April 24, 2009, and how has it increased since that date; (h) what is the purpose behind the absence of a Canadian notifiable swine influenza surveillance system; (i) what is known of the clinical spectrum of the disease at this time, and what are the possible long-term impacts on lungs, and other organs, and potential long-term costs to the healthcare system; (j) by what date are provincial and territorial vaccine distribution plans to be in place, what oversight exists to ensure they are in place, and will they be made public; (k) what contingency plans are being put in place should Canadian distributors run out of stock of N95 masks; (l) will there be a compensation package should there be challenges with the vaccine; (m) what recommendations are being made to those with chronic conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and immunocompromised patients, and how is this information being relayed to these groups to see their doctor now; (n) what are the details of the “alternative strategies” being developed by provinces and territories; (o) what are the details of adding a “small amount of amantadine” to the National Emergency Stockpile System, and is its use in combination thought to be effective when the virus is resistant to amantadines; (p) are there any other alternative therapies being explored to address antiviral resistance and, if so, what funds are being allocated to the effort; (q) will 500 ventilators meet the potential intensive care unit (ICU) burden considering Canada’s ICU cases were around 20% of its hospitalized, compared to 15% in

(Return tabled)

Question No. 429

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Ottawa South, ON]

With respect to Canada’s oil industry: (a) what is the total amount of projected royalties or revenues to the federal government from existing and proposed projects to exploit Canada’s oil sands in each fiscal year during the period of 2009- 2018; (b) how much money is the federal government spending by itself, or in cooperation with other levels of government, private or non-government organizations, on environmental protection mitigation measures as the oil sands are exploited; (c) what is the status of oil and gas licensing and permitting with regards to the exploitation of fossil fuels in the Beaufort Sea; (d) what is the status of the proposed pipeline construction from Fort McMurray to the western coast of British Columbia; (e) what role is the federal government contemplating or playing in the process surrounding this pipeline, its potential construction, environmental assessment, and potential funding or financing; and (f) does this role extend to fiscal incentives, loan guarantees, Export Development Canada financing or other measures?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 431

[Dan McTeague, Liberal, Pickering—Scarborough East, ON]

With respect to the use of government owned fleet of Challenger jets since February of 2006: (a) how many times has the fleet been used; (b) what are the names and titles of the passengers present on each flight manifest; (c) who authorized each flight; (d) what were all of the departure points and destinations of these aircrafts; (e) what were the total operational costs associated with each of these flights; and (f) what were the total food and beverage costs associated with each flight?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 432

[Dan McTeague, Liberal, Pickering—Scarborough East, ON]

With regard to the government's Economic Action Plan, for each of the project announcements in the electoral district of Pickering—Scarborough East: (a) what was (i) the date of the announcement, (ii) the amount of stimulus spending announced, (iii) the department which announced it; and (b) was there a public event associated with the annoucement and, if so, what was the cost of that event?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 434

[Scott Andrews, Liberal, Avalon, NL]

With regard to government revenue from offshore oil production under the jurisdiction of the government of Newfoundland and Labrador, specifically the existing projects of Hibernia, Terra Nova and White Rose: (a) what have been the amounts and sources of revenue received by the government of Canada from each of these projects for each fiscal year since 2005; and (b) what are the projected amounts and sources of revenue from these projects to the government of Canada for each fiscal year from 2009 to 2011?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 435

[Scott Andrews, Liberal, Avalon, NL]

With regard to ongoing discussions between the government and the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) regarding amendments to the existing NAFO Convention: (a) what are the specific proposed amendments that will change any aspect of (i) the current ability for NAFO to impose management decisions inside the Canadian 200-mile Exclusive Canadian Zone, (ii) the current decision resolution mechanism; (b) what members brought forward these specific amendments; and (c) has the government objected to any of the proposed amendments to the Convention, and, if so, (i) which amendments, (ii) what were the bases of the objections?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 436

[Scott Andrews, Liberal, Avalon, NL]

What is the total amount of government funding, allocated within the constituency of Avalon in fiscal year 2007-2008 up to and including the current fiscal year, listing each department or agency, initiative and amount?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 438

[Marlene Jennings, Liberal, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC]

With regard to each of the 13 airports in Canada that are designated as international airports, what are the required noise abatement procedures and noise control requirements specified by the Minister of Transport in the Canada Air Pilot and the Canada Flight Supplement, including the procedures and requirements relating to, but not limited to, (i) preferential runways, (ii) minimum noise routes, (iii) hours when aircraft operations are prohibited or restricted, (iv) arrival procedures, (v) departure procedures, (vi) duration of flights, (vii) the prohibition or restriction of training flights, (viii) visual flight rules or visual approaches, (ix) simulated approach procedures, (x) the minimum altitude for the operation of aircraft in the vicinity of the aerodrome?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 439

[Marlene Jennings, Liberal, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC]

With regard to Bill C-50, An Act to amend the Employment Insurance Act and to increase benefits: (a) what methodology is being used to estimate the number of Canadians to which this legislation will extend Employment Insurance benefits; (b) what timeframe is involved in the government’s claim that this legislation will assist 190,000 Canadians; (c) how many Canadians are currently receiving Employment Insurance benefits; and (d) for each of the last ten fiscal years, including the current one, what percentage of Employment Insurance recipients exhaust their benefits before securing new employment?