House of Commons Hansard #120 of the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was regard.

Topics

Question No. 584Questions Passed as Orders for ReturnRoutine Proceedings

3:15 p.m.

Liberal

Anthony Rota Liberal Nipissing—Timiskaming, ON

With respect to the Federal Economic Development Initiative in Northern Ontario and each regional Economic Development Agency: (a) what is the detailed economic projection or forecast for each region of Canada with an Economic Development Agency; (b) what is the detailed economic projection or forecast for Northern Ontario; (c) in detail, what economic benefit did the Economic Development Agency for each region possessing such an Agency provide to that region; (d) in detail, what economic benefit did the Federal Economic Development Initiative in Northern Ontario provide to that region; (e) for each government project in Northern Ontario, what are the (i) name of the project, (ii) location of the project, (iii) amount of government funding, (iv) start date, (v) state of completion, (vi) cooperating agencies; (f) for each government project in each region with an Economic Development Agency, what are the (i) name of the project, (ii) location of the project, (iii) amount of government funding, (iv) start date, (v) state of completion, (vi) cooperating agencies; and (g) in detail, what is the projected economic impact on Northern Ontario of the establishment of a regional Economic Development Agency in Northern Ontario detailed in any and each government report examining, centrally or peripherally, a proposal therefor, produced between 2006 and the present?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 586Questions Passed as Orders for ReturnRoutine Proceedings

3:15 p.m.

Liberal

Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON

With respect to long-term care (LTC) medical facilities for veterans: (a) by province and territory, what is the history and the rationale for the closure of LTC medical facilities for veterans including, for each facility closed, (i) the name of the facility, (ii) the number of beds closed, (iii) the date of each closure, (iv) what became of the facility; (b) what are the requirements for access to LTC facilities for (i) Second World War veterans, (ii) modern day veterans; (c) what are the health challenges and, if possible, statistics for each identified challenge for (i) Second World War veterans, (ii) modern day veterans; (d) what percentage of Second World War veterans in LTC facilities have dementia or mental health challenges; (e) regarding Korean War veterans, (i) what percentage of them are expected to develop dementia or mental health challenges, (ii) what additional impacts might Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or traumatic brain injury play in serving these patients, (iii) by province and territory, what planning has been undertaken to meet this increasing demand, (iv) what, if any, thought has been given to developing specialized centres or beds to meet the increasing needs of this veteran population; (f) by province and territory, what are all LTC facilities (including hospitals, care, community care, and contract facilities) available to Second World War veterans and, for each facility, (i) how many beds are available, and how many were available at the facility’s maximum use, (ii) what is the wait time, (iii) what are the standards of care, how are they measured and how often, (iv) what are all specialized programs available to meet the medical needs of the aging veteran population, (v) what are all specialized programs available to veterans to improve their quality of life, (vi) what is the average distance of the facility from a veteran’s home or family, (vii) how many veterans are currently residing in the facility, (viii) what is the average stay of a veteran, (ix) what is the average cost per bed in the facility, (x) what is the average cost to the veteran, (xi) what is the average cost to the veteran’s family; (g) by province and territory, for each LTC facility identified in (f) and modern veterans, (i) how many beds are available, and how many were available at the facility’s maximum use, (ii) what is the wait time, (iii) what are the standards of care, how are they measured and how often, (iv) what are all specialized programs available to meet the medical needs of the aging veteran population, (v) what are all specialized programs available to veterans to improve their quality of life, (vi) what is the average distance of the facility from a veteran’s home or family, (vii) how many veterans are currently residing in the facility, and how this is expected to change over the next five to ten year period, (viii) what is the average stay of a veteran, (ix) what is the average cost per bed in the facility, (x) what is the average cost to the veteran, (xi) what is the average cost to the veteran’s family; (h) what are examples of (i) unique facilities, (ii) unique specialized programs to meet medical needs, (iii) unique programs to improve quality of life that might be replicated in other provinces and territories for Second World War veterans; (i) by province and territory, what are the requirements for Second World War veterans (i) to qualify to receive home care and health care benefits while they wait at home for an available bed, (ii) to be placed in a long-term care bed in a community facility; (j) by province and territory, how many veterans are currently on a wait list for LTC facilities (i) for Second World War veterans, (ii) modern day veterans; (k) how does Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) determine what it will contribute to the cost of a Second World War veteran’s long-term care and a modern day veteran’s care, and what is the (i) average monthly pay-out for each group, (ii) short-fall that must be provided by veterans, families or caregivers, by province and territory; (l) by province and territory, what are the comprehensive statistics from 2005 to 2010 regarding the demand by the Second World War veteran population and the modern day veteran population for beds, and what is the projection for demand over the next five years for each identified population; (m) by province and territory, for each LTC facility that do not appear to be using its full capacity, (i) what is the name of the facility, (ii) how many priority access beds are not being used, (iii) is there is a wait list, (iv) do forecasts show a need for beds in the future, (v) what plans, if any, are being made for the facility, (vi) how will VAC work with the facility and the province or territory to ensure a smooth transition; (n) what, if any, consideration has been given to expand the definition of eligible veterans for LTC facilities to include modern day veterans, and what eligibility criteria might be put in place; and (o) what challenges do modern day veterans have in accessing specialized LTC facilities, including, but not limited to, (i) competing with the general public for beds in LTC homes or hospitals, (ii) long wait lists, (iii) long distances from a veteran’s home and family, (iv) lack of expertise to address veterans needs such as amputee rehabilitation, PTSD treatment, and severe body and head trauma?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 587Questions Passed as Orders for ReturnRoutine Proceedings

3:15 p.m.

Liberal

Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON

With respect to nuclear testing and operations: (a) what are each above-ground nuclear weapons trials in which Canadian military personnel participated between 1946 and 1963, and for each trial, (i) what was the number of Canadian personnel, (ii) what was their branch of the forces or to which branch were they related, in the case of civilian employees of the Government of Canada attached to elements of the air, army or naval forces of Canada for the purpose of scientific or technical support to the forces, (iii) what were their assigned tasks, (iv) did a radiation detection team go in before the test to establish the ‘background’ radiation levels and, if so, what were the measured levels, (v) what was the size of the test, (vi) what were measured levels of nuclear fall-out, (vii) what precautions were taken to protect personnel, (viii) what was the distance from the test, specifying, if any, varying distances for different groups, (ix) what was the length of exposure, (x) what were possible exposure routes, (xi) what was the average number of showers taken by those exposed, and any other decontamination methods employed, (xii) what were the measurements of contamination taken of personnel, and specifically any samples taken, (xiii) were any personnel measured for radiation levels after each shower or other decontamination methods employed, (xiv) were any health effects reported at the time of the test, including, but not limited to, nausea, diarrhoea, hair loss, radiation burns, vomiting, or radiation poisoning, (xv) was there any follow-up with personnel, including, but not limited to, dose reconstruction and samples, (xvi) is there any long-term tracking of health effects and trans-generational effects through a registry; (b) regarding Canadian military personnel and civilian employees of the Government of Canada attached to elements of the air, army or naval forces of Canada for the purpose of scientific or technical support to the forces involved in the two Chalk River Reactor clean-ups in 1952 and 1958, (i) what was their number, (ii) what was their branch of the forces, (iii) what were their assigned tasks, (iv) what were the measured levels of nuclear contamination in the Chalk River Reactors in both 1952 and 1958, (v) what precautions were taken to protect personnel, (vi) what were the measured levels of nuclear contamination of those exposed, and any samples taken, (vii) what was the length of exposure, (viii) what were possible exposure routes, (ix) what was the average number of showers taken by those exposed, and any other decontamination methods employed, (x) were personnel measured for radiation levels after each shower or other decontamination methods employed, (xi) were any health effects reported at the time of the clean-up, including, but not limited to, nausea, diarrhoea, hair loss, radiation burns, vomiting, or radiation poisoning, (xii) was there any follow-up with personnel, including, but not limited to, dose reconstruction and samples, (xiii) is there any long-term tracking of health effects and trans-generational effects through a registry; (c) what was “Task Force Warrior”, (i) how many people were employed, (ii) how many blasts were they exposed to, (iii) were there witnesses and, if so, how far were they stationed from the blasts, and how were they protected, (iv) how many of “Task Force Warrior” members have died, (v) what was their cause of death; (d) in ascending order of magnitude, what were the exposure levels for all identified incidents in (a), (b) and (c); (e) in ascending order of magnitude, what was the length of exposure for all identified incidents in (a), (b) and (c); (f) combining the information in (d) and (e) and other dose reconstruction methods, what was the severity of the event in ascending order for all tests; (g) what, if any, poor pregnancy outcomes, birth defects, developmental problems, cancers, cataracts and cardiovascular problems were tracked among Canadian Forces personnel and Government of Canada employees who supported the forces, following nuclear testing and the Chalk River clean-up for the years (i) 1946 to 1963, (ii) up to 2010; (h) was compensation for damages paid to households, businesses, farms, etc. in the area surrounding Chalk River in the years following 1952 and 1958 and, if so, in what amounts; (i) was a disease registry developed to track the health of Canadian Forces and Government of Canada personnel and their families who were exposed through nuclear testing or the clean-up of Chalk River, and, if not, why not and, if so, (i) when was the registry developed, (ii) who operated the registry, (iii) what information was tracked and for who, (iv) what follow-up has continued to 2010; (j) what critical integrative analyses, such as longitudinal evaluation of cancer amongst the two populations have been undertaken in Canada, and what information has been made available to the public; (k) what, if any, efforts has the government made to understand the trans-generational effects of exposure to radiation through nuclear testing and the clean-up of Chalk River; (l) what are all environmental, occupational, and veterans studies undertaken in Canada regarding exposure to radiation through nuclear testing or clean-up of Chalk River, and their findings; (m) what process was developed to identify an appropriate form of recognition beyond pension for both nuclear testing and the clean-up of Chalk River, (i) who was engaged in the process both within and across government agencies, (ii) what are all relevant stakeholders who were engaged, (iii) for each identified group in (i) and (ii) what were their recommendations, (iv) how was each recommendation considered, (v) was the recommendation accepted or rejected; (n) what consideration was given to providing awards for “presumptive” radiation health issues, including cancers, and other health conditions, and why was the recommendation not ultimately pursued; (o) how was the ex-gratia payment of $24,000 calculated as a suitable award, (i) what are all relevant stakeholders who were engaged, (ii) for each identified group, what were their comments on the calculated figure; (p) of the 700 former Canadian military personnel who participated in up to 29 United States and United Kingdom nuclear weapons trials between 1946 and 1963, identified in Dr. Clearwater’s report, (i) how many applied for the Atomic Veterans Recognition Program (AVRP), (ii) how many had one or more health conditions that might have been caused by their exposure, (iii) how many had children who might have had health conditions linked to a parent’s exposure, (iv) how many would have benefitted through a presumptive awards program; (q) did additional people come forward who were not included in Dr. Clearwater’s report, and if so, (i) how many applied for the AVRP Program, (ii) what processes did they have to follow in order to be recognized, (iii) how many of these were awarded an ex-gratia payment and how many were denied, and for each denial, what was the explanation given, (iv) how many sought an appeal, (v) how many were awarded an ex-gratia payment after one or more appeals; (r) of the 200 former Canadian military personnel who participated in the clean-up and decontamination activities in Chalk River, (i) how many applied for the AVRP Program, (ii) what processes did they have to follow in order to be recognized, (iii) how many of these were awarded an ex-gratia payment and how many were denied, and for each denial, what was the explanation given, (iv) how many sought an appeal, (v) how many were awarded an ex-gratia payment after one or more appeals; and (s) of the 900 identified people in Dr. Clearwater’s report, by province and territory, (i) how many of the Canadian Forces members or National Defence Civilian Employees were deceased on the date the application was completed, (ii) what was the cause of death for each of the deceased, (iii) how many estate executors, primary beneficiaries, or primary caregivers of these employees submitted an application on behalf of the deceased, (iv) what were the specific guidelines used to determine whether or not to award the ex-gratia payment, (v) how many ex-gratia payments were granted to one of the following, namely, the deceased forces veteran or National Defence Civilian Employee’s estate, their primary beneficiary, or their primary caregiver, (vi) how many ex-gratia payments were denied, and for each denial, what was the explanation, (vii) how many appeals were sought, (viii) of these, how many were awarded?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 588Questions Passed as Orders for ReturnRoutine Proceedings

3:15 p.m.

Liberal

Marcel Proulx Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC

Since the 2008-2009 fiscal year, what are all the contracts of less than $10,000 awarded by Natural Resources Canada, including the supplier’s name, the date, the description and the value?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 589Questions Passed as Orders for ReturnRoutine Proceedings

3:15 p.m.

Liberal

Marcel Proulx Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC

Since the 2008-2009 fiscal year, what are all the contracts of less than $10,000 awarded by the Department of Finance, including the supplier’s name, the date, the description and the value?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 591Questions Passed as Orders for ReturnRoutine Proceedings

3:15 p.m.

Liberal

John McKay Liberal Scarborough—Guildwood, ON

With respect to the provision within the Official Development Assistance Accountability Act which sets out a duty of consultation for the competent Ministers: (a) which international agencies and civil society organizations were consulted by Ministers in 2008 and 2009; (b) what were the themes and subject areas of those consultations; (c) what were the views expressed by civil society organizations and international agencies on those themes and subjects; (d) how were those views taken into account when forming opinions under the Act; (e) did the consultation process invite consideration of the human rights impact of aid provided in target countries and, if not, why not; (f) was participation by international agencies and civil society organizations open-ended or limited to a select group of participants; and (g) was the consultation process public?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 593Questions Passed as Orders for ReturnRoutine Proceedings

3:15 p.m.

Conservative

Harold Albrecht Conservative Kitchener—Conestoga, ON

With regard to the 2005 Montreal Climate Change Conference, what are the details of all contracts for goods or services relating to the conference, specifying for each contract (i) the name of the contractor, (ii) a description of the goods or services provided, (iii) the value of the contract, (iv) whether or not there was an open bidding process for the contract?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 595Questions Passed as Orders for ReturnRoutine Proceedings

3:15 p.m.

Liberal

Bryon Wilfert Liberal Richmond Hill, ON

With regard to the government’s efforts to lobby support for its proposed purchase of F-35 fighter jets for use by the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Forces: (a) what are the details of all government promotion and communications efforts pertaining to this purchase, including Ministerial and Prime Ministerial travel expenditures relating to these efforts, as well as travel expenses of other government officials or representatives and members of the Canadian Forces who have been dispatched across the country to discuss this issue with private individuals or organizations (i) between January 1, 2010 and May 26, 2010, (ii) between May 27, 2010 and July 15, 2010, (iii) since July 16, 2010; and (b) how many person-hours have officials and officers from the Canadian Forces dedicated to promoting and communicating this purchase since July 16, 2010?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 596Questions Passed as Orders for ReturnRoutine Proceedings

3:15 p.m.

Liberal

Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON

With respect to tobacco use in Canada: (a) for each year between 2000 and 2009, (i) on average, how many Canadian children started smoking every day, (ii) what percentage of 15-year-olds became regular smokers, (iii) how many adults smoked, (iv) how many working days were lost as a result of smoking-related illnesses, (v) what percentage of smokers who continued to smoke died before they reached age 65, (vi) how many deaths were caused by smoking, and how did tobacco-related deaths rank in terms of premature and preventable deaths, (vii) how many life years were lost to tobacco use, (viii) what percentage of Canadians gave up smoking, (ix) how much money did the government raise in cigarette taxes; (b) for the periods from 2000 to 2005 and 2006 to 2009, what were the financial and human health costs of smoking in Canada, including, but not limited to, (i) morbidity and mortality of smokers, (ii) morbidity and mortality costs of those exposed to second-hand smoke, (iii) drug costs, (iv) hospital costs, (v) institutional costs, (vi) physician costs, (vii) workers' absenteeism, (viii) future earnings lost by reason of death, (ix) fires; (c) is Health Canada required by law to refresh tobacco warnings and, if so, how often; (d) why has Canada not refreshed or enlarged the health warning messages that appear on its cigarette packages since 2000; (e) have any stakeholders (i) asked the government to revise the Tobacco Products Information Regulations (TPIR) to refresh the current cigarette health warnings, (ii) asked the government not to revise these regulations and, if so, who were they and on what date were these representations made; (f) with respect to the renewal of the TPIR, and since September 1, 2009, has any elected representative or official associated with the Prime Minister's Office, the Privy Council Office, Justice Canada, the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Industry Canada or Health Canada met with any industry associations, manufacturers or importers of tobacco products or their representatives and, if so, with whom and on which dates; (g) has the government reviewed the consistency of mandating health warning messages that occupy 70 percent or more of the principal display space of tobacco product packaging with international trade, intellectual property, investment or other commercial agreements to which Canada is a party and, if so, what decisions were made in this regard; (h) has Health Canada established a research work plan, policy or regulatory development work plan for the fiscal years 2010-2011 or 2011-2012 and, if so, what are the objectives of such a plan or plans; (i) has the government commissioned any studies to review whether revising the TPIR to increase the size of health warning labels would affect in any way the proportion of cigarettes sold in Canada on which excise taxes have not been paid and, if so, (i) by whom were these studies conducted, (ii) when were they completed, (iii) what were the conclusions of each report; (j) is the position of the government that it continue to examine the renewal of warning messages on tobacco packaging, but that it is not ready to move forward at this time and, if so, what detailed measures are being taken to examine the renewal of warning messages; (k) since January 1, 2003, what is the total cost of Health Canada's (i) staff time, (ii) commissioned research directed towards the revision of the TPIR; (l) did Health Canada research the use of an image of Barb Tarbox, who spent the last months of her life warning Canadians about the consequences of smoking, as part of a health warning message for cigarettes and, if so, what were the results of that research; (m) did Health Canada plan to add a toll-free, quit smoking number to cigarette warning labels and, if so, why have those plans not been put in place; (n) at the Health ministers meeting in September 2010, which provinces, if any, were supportive of (i) updating warning labels, (ii) establishing a national quit line; (o) has the government established reasons why it cannot revise the TPIR while concurrently pursuing a strategy to reduce contraband tobacco sales and, if so, what are those reasons; and (p) what consideration, if any, has Health Canada given to developing a bill to stop the illegal sale of tobacco products over the internet, by mail order and by the telephone, including the illegal sale to youth?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 597Questions Passed as Orders for ReturnRoutine Proceedings

3:15 p.m.

Liberal

Anita Neville Liberal Winnipeg South Centre, MB

Since the 2008-2009 fiscal year, what are all the contracts of less than $10,000 awarded by Western Economic Diversification Canada, including the vendor’s name, the date, the description and the value?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 598Questions Passed as Orders for ReturnRoutine Proceedings

January 31st, 2011 / 3:15 p.m.

Liberal

Anita Neville Liberal Winnipeg South Centre, MB

Since the 2008-2009 fiscal year, what are all the contracts of less than $10,000 awarded by Public Safety Canada, including the vendor’s name, the date, the description and the value?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 599Questions Passed as Orders for ReturnRoutine Proceedings

3:15 p.m.

Liberal

Anita Neville Liberal Winnipeg South Centre, MB

Since the 2008-2009 fiscal year, what are all the contracts of less than $10,000 awarded by Health Canada, including the vendor’s name, the date, the description and the value?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 600Questions Passed as Orders for ReturnRoutine Proceedings

3:15 p.m.

Liberal

Anita Neville Liberal Winnipeg South Centre, MB

Since the 2008-2009 fiscal year, what are all the contracts of less than $10,000 awarded by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, including the vendor’s name, the date, the description and the value?