Debates of Sept. 14th, 2009

(Return tabled)

Question No. 298

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Vancouver Quadra, BC]

With respect to the Jericho Lands in Vancouver, British Columbia: (a) what are all of the documents outlining the government’s plans for the Jericho Lands; (b) which department or agency is in charge of the transition from military use to other use; (c) what is the timeline for the relocation of the regimental headquarters; (d) where are the family housing units currently located on the premises planned to be relocated and by when; (e) which department or agency will take custody when the Jericho Lands are vacated; (f) what dates and locations, if at all, did consultations take place with the public and Musqueam bands regarding the planned change in land use; (g) what is the process by which the government will divest itself of the Jericho Lands; and (h) have any commitments been made to sell, lease or transfer all or part of the Jericho Lands to any other organizations and, if so, to whom?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 299

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Vancouver Quadra, BC]

With respect to the University of British Columbia (UBC), for the fiscal years 2004 to present (and including Budget 2009): (a) which government departments, agencies, crown corporations and granting councils distributed research funding to UBC; (b) in what amounts were these funds distributed; and (c) for what projects or programs were these funds distributed?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 300

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Vancouver Quadra, BC]

With respect to Bill C-14, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (organized crime and protection of justice system participants) and Bill C-15, An Act to amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and to make related and consequential amendments to other Acts: (a) does the government have an assessment of the increase in incarceration (both numbers and duration) that will result from the enactment of these Bills and, if so, what is it; (b) does the government have an assessment of the number of new provincial jail cells in British Columbia that will have to be constructed to house an increased prison population resulting from these Bills and, if so, what is it; (c) does the government have an assessment of the number of new federal prison cells that will have to be constructed to house an increased prison population resulting from these Bills and, if so, what is it; (d) does the government have an estimate on the cost to build the increased provincial and federal prison capacity to house the predicted increase in incarcerated Canadians; and (e) what are the estimated annual operating cost for the estimated increase in prisoner capacity?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 301

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Vancouver Quadra, BC]

With respect to crime prevention programs in the province of British Columbia: (a) what crime prevention programs does the government fund, and what are the dates that they were created, (i) what is the budget of each program, (ii) how many spaces do they provide, (iii) who is the responsible authority for overseeing and managing these programs; (b) what crime prevention programs has the government cut funding for during the fiscal years 2004 to present and, in what amounts; (c) with respect to Budget 2009, what has been budgeted for each crime prevention program in British Columbia, (i) how many spaces will be provided, (ii) who is the responsible authority for overseeing and managing these programs; and (d) what crime prevention programs has the government cancelled during the fiscal years 2004 to present, (i) what was the cost of each program, (ii) how many spaces did they provide, (iii) who was the responsible authority for overseeing and managing these programs?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 303

[Dennis Bevington, NDP, Western Arctic, NT]

With respect to grants and contributions provided by the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development (1) contribution of $8,691.00 to 5681 N.W.T. LTD. dated January 8, 2009, (2) contribution of $95,000 to Braden Burry Expediting dated February 9, 2009, (3) contribution of $41,000 to the NWT & Nunavut Chamber of Mines dated February 28, 2009, (4) contribution of $63,000 to NWT Chamber of Commerce dated March 2, 2009): (a) what were these grants or contributions used for; (b) who authorized the disbursement of these funds; and (c) under which program was the funding provided under?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 304

[Dennis Bevington, NDP, Western Arctic, NT]

With respect to the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund announced in Budget 2009: (a) what projects have been approved for funding to date; (b) where are they located; (c) who are the partners involved; (d) what is the federal contribution; (e) what are each partner's contribution; and (f) has the funding flowed?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 306

[Todd Russell, Liberal, Labrador, NL]

With regards to the seal fishery: (a) how much has the government spent on advertising to promote the Canadian position on the seal hunt; (b) in how many media outlets, broken down by (i) province or country, if outside Canada, (ii) medium, such as newspaper, radio, television, internet, or other; (c) which countries, international bodies, non-governmental organizations, and supranational bodies such as the European Union, have the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and Ambassador for Fisheries Conservation met with to present Canada’s position on the seal fishery; and (d) when and where did each of these meetings take place?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 307

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

With regard to funding for pandemic response in the 2006-2007, 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 fiscal years: (a) what is the detailed breakdown of the (i) total funding allocated , (ii) total funding spent; (b) what are the official criteria required to access the pandemic response funding; and (c) what funding amounts have been distributed, on what date and towards what project?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 309

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

With regard to the current outbreak of new influenza A (H1N1) virus, including its potential global spread, and including the probability that it will become widely established: (a) seeing as swine is an important reservoir for the new virus, what specific measures are being undertaken by animal and human health experts in Canada to monitor swine; (b) what, if any, funding has been made available for a coordinated surveillance effort; (c) how does the new H1N1 compare with the 1918 H1N1 virus and H5N1, particularly regarding the adaptation markers and virulence, and are the current human cases of H1N1 similar (in pattern) to the possible cases of influenza between the spring and fall of 1918 and, if so, what lessons can be learnt; (d) what planning is being undertaken for a worse-case scenario, especially if a more virulent virus emerges during the course of a pandemic can never be ruled out; (e) what specific measures are being taken to reduce the spread of H1N1 in local communities (and particularly in low resource areas) and institutions, and in the future, at what point should affected provinces consider activating aggressive containment or mitigation efforts for affected communities; (f) what new surveillance is taking place in the southern hemisphere, particularly in respect to the Americas’ flyways, humans, and pig populations; (g) has the source of H5N1 infection in the Fraser Valley of British Columbia been established and, if so, what is the source, and is it endemic; (h) what steps are being taken to address the source of H5N1 infections in the Fraser Valley, particularly with the approach of the Vancouver Olympic Games; (i) what specific preventive and treatment recommendations, if any, will be provided to young adults and pregnant women; (j) what are the predicted impacts on the Canadian economy and society should a pandemic occur if illnesses and deaths are concentrated in a young, economically productive age group, and what specific measures can be implemented to reduce these effects; (k) what underlying medical conditions may make individuals more at risk of complications or more likely to experience severe or lethal infections, and how will this information be related to at-risk groups; (l) how might our current disease burden influence the impacts of a possible H1N1 pandemic, and how might these impacts be reduced; (m) what is the known full clinical spectrum of the disease caused by H1N1, does it impact multiple organs and, if so, which ones, what specific supportive therapies might be given, and will there be resources to provide these; (n) what specific steps have been taken to engage the private and voluntary sector in Canada, what percentage of organizations are prepared for the economic and social impacts of a possible pandemic, and what measures are being taken to better prepare these sectors; (o) what percentage of Canadian companies activated their pandemic response plans because of the H1N1 epidemic, and what are the learnings from these companies; (p) since the emergence of the H1N1 epidemic, what steps have been taken to evaluate the effectiveness of communications among all stakeholders, including the levels of public awareness, degree of concern, and complacency; (q) what, if any, steps could have been taken to contain the spread of H1N1 infection in Canada, and going forward, what is the decision framework to move from a policy of containment to mitigation; (r) what will be the decision process for deciding whether to produce and stock seasonal or new influenza A (H1N1) vaccines for Canada; (s) what specific measures will be taken to avoid complacency about the H1N1 virus and keep the public engaged; (t) what steps are being taken to monitor antiviral resistance in Canada, (i) what alternative therapies, including, new antiviral agents for flexibility in developing prophylaxis treatment, benefits of combination therapies and novel therapies, including, monoclonal antibodies, are being explored to deal with this possibility, (ii) what resources are being provided for these efforts, (iii) how will it be decided who has been exposed and requires treatment, (iv) how will antivirals be distributed in the event of a pandemic; (u) what specific funding is being provided for clinical vaccine studies for commercial-scale production of both antigen and adjuvant for a novel H1N1 influenza vaccine; (v) how quickly will influenza A (H1N1) vaccines be available, (i) what regulatory processes would need to be modified, (ii) what delays might occur in production, (iii) how could these be overcome; (w) will vaccines being developed now be effective if the virus causes a mild pandemic in the warmer months and changes into something more severe in the fall; (x) who specifically is likely to receive priority for vaccination with a future pandemic vaccine, and how can decision makers engage citizens regarding ethical choices in order that the public understand the decisions that will have to be made during a pandemic; (y) what advice is being given to medical personnel and community members regarding masks, (i) what is the Canadian stockpile of N-95 and surgical masks, (ii) could Canadian companies supply enough of the required masks for a serious outbreak, (iii) what is the Canadian supply of respirators and does it meet the needs of the government’s estimate; and (z) what is the possibility of a wider clinical spectrum of H1N1, and a longer medical legacy (i.e. long-term sequelae)?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 311

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

With respect to non-financial assets and Crown Corporations owned by the government, how much value does the government ascribe to: (a) Via Rail; (b) the Canada Post Corporation; (c) the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation; (d) the CN Tower; (e) Canada House; (f) the National Arts Center; (g) the Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd; (h) the Royal Canadian Mint; (i) the Canadian Museum of Nature; (j) the Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation; (k) the National Gallery of Canada; (l) the National Museum of Science and Technology Corporation; (m) the four ferry boats owned by Marine Atlantic; (n) its 55 prisons, treatment centres, and healing lodges; (o) the Canada Ports Corporation; and (p) the National Capital Commission?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 316

[Pat Martin, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

With regards to the $500 million for Recreational Infrastructure Canada-RInC: (a) how much of the original amount has been spent to date; (b) which projects have been funded and what is the (i) name, (ii) location, (iii) timeline, (iv) result of each project; (c) what is the expected spending of the fund by the end of this fiscal year; and (d) what are the partners for each project, and what have they contributed to each project?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 318

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

With respect to the $1.7 billion invested in Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) over the last three years: (a) on what date, in what amount, and for what purposes, were the disbursements made; (b) what amount was earmarked specifically for repairs to the Chalk River reactor, (i) what repairs have been made, on what date, and at what cost, (ii) what repairs remain to be addressed, (iii) what is the estimated cost of fixing the reactor’s remaining deficiencies, (iv) what work plan is in effect to correct them; (c) what amount went to executive compensations, including performance bonuses, and which executives received such compensation, and in what amount; (d) what amount was spent on private sector consultants, (i) which consultants were so hired, and for what services, (ii) which contracts were the subject of a non competitive, or sole-source, bid process; (e) what amount was spent to assess future consideratons to privatize AECL, (i) if private sector actors were involved, which ones, (ii) what services did they render, and at what cost; (f) what is the business case to privatize AECL, in whole or part; and (g) what amount was spent on assessing the market value of AECL, in whole or part, (i) what evaluations were given, on what date, (ii) who undertook the evaluations on AECL’s behalf?

(Return tabled)