Debates of March 18th, 2013

Question No. 1144

[Ted Hsu, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

With regard to Correctional Services Canada: (a) how many inmates can currently be accommodated at the Regional Treatment Centre (RTC) in Kingston; (b) how many inmates are expected to be accommodated in the psychiatric facility to be established at Bath Institution; (c) how many inmates are expected to be accommodated in the psychiatric facility to be established at Milhaven Institution; (d) how many beds are currently at the RTC in Kingston and how are they broken down in terms of single occupancy units, double occupancy units, and multiple occupancy units; (e) how many beds are expected to be available in the psychiatric facility to be established at Bath Institution and how are they broken down in terms of single occupancy units, double occupancy units, and multiple occupancy units; (f) how many beds are expected to be available in the psychiatric facility to be established at Milhaven Institution and how are they broken down in terms of single occupancy units, double occupancy units, and multiple occupancy units; (g) how many locked pharmacies are currently established at the RTC in Kingston; (h) how many locked pharmacies are expected to be set up in the psychiatric facility to be established at Bath Institution; (i) how many locked pharmacies are expected to be set up in the psychiatric facility to be established at Milhaven Institution; (j) how many common rooms are currently at the RTC in Kingston; (k) how many common rooms are expected to be set up in the psychiatric facility to be established at Bath Institution; (l) how many common rooms are expected to be set up in the psychiatric facility to be established at Milhaven Institution; (m) how many private interview spaces are currently at the RTC in Kingston; (n) how many private interview spaces are expected to be set up in the psychiatric facility to be established at Bath Institution; (o) how many private interview spaces are expected to be set up in the psychiatric facility to be established at Milhaven Institution; (p) how many cubicles are currently at the RTC in Kingston; (q) how many cubicles are expected to be set up in the psychiatric facility to be established at Bath Institution; (r) how many cubicles are expected to be set up in the psychiatric facility to be established at Milhaven Institution; (s) given that corrections officers at RTC received instruction from clinical staff to ensure that they would be able to work safely and effectively with inmates with psychiatric illness, will the officers at Bath and Milhaven receive similar instruction; and (t) how many officers from RTC will be directly transferred to work exclusively at the new RTC at Bath or Millhaven?

[Vic Toews, Conservative, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, with regard to (a), the current Regional Treatment Centre, RTC, can accommodate 143 inmates, plus five more in observation cells if required. As of January 24, 2013, there were 121 inmates at the RTC.

With regard to (b), 96 inmates are expected to be accommodated in the new RTC at Bath Institution.

With regard to (c), 26 inmates are expected to be accommodated in the new RTC at Millhaven Institution.

With regard to (d), there are 143 beds at the current RTC; all are in single cells. As of January 24, 2013, there were 121 inmates at the RTC.

With regard to (e), there will be 96 beds at the new RTC at Bath Institution, all single cells.

With regard to (f), there will be 26 beds at the new RTC at Millhaven Institution, all single cells.

With regard to (g), there is one pharmacy and five locked medication dispensaries at the current RTC.

With regard to (h), there will be no pharmacy at the new RTC at Bath Institution; however, there will be a locked medication dispensary.

With regard to (i), there will be no pharmacy at the new RTC at Millhaven Institution; however, there will be a locked medication dispensary.

With regard to (j), there are eight common rooms at the current RTC.

With regard to (k), there will be four common rooms in the new RTC at Bath Institution to accommodate eight ranges of offenders.

With regard to (l), there will be no common rooms for the new RTC at Millhaven Institution; however there will be space available within the institution as required.

With regard to (m), it is difficult to specify the exact number at the current RTC, as offices are often used for the purpose of private interviews.

With regard to (n), there will be four multi-purpose rooms to be used for private interview rooms at the new RTC at Bath Institution as part of the new general purpose building specific to the treatment centre needs.

With regard to (o), there will be a sharing of current private interview space at Millhaven Institution that will be available for both Millhaven and RTC staff.

With regard to (p), there are currently no cubicles at the current RTC.

With regard to (q), there will be 16 cubicles for staff at the new RTC at Bath Institution.

With regard to (r), there will not be any specific cubicles for staff at the new RTC at Millhaven Institution.

With regard to (s), correctional officers at the new RTCs, at both Bath and Millhaven Institutions, will receive the exact same instruction on working with inmates with psychiatric illness.

With regard to (t), the correctional officer deployment standards for both sites have not yet been finalized.

Question No. 1152

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

With respect to the government’s answering of Order Paper questions: (a) how many times last year did the government estimate the cost of answering an Order Paper question, and as a result of the cost, did not provide an answer to the Order Paper question; (b) for each instance identified in (a), (i) what was the question, (ii) who did the analysis, (iii) how much time did it take to do the analysis, (iv) how was the estimate calculated; (c) for each instance identified in (a), (i) were consultants hired, (ii) if so, what was their hourly rate; (d) for each instance identified in (a), if consultants were not hired, was providing answers to Order Paper questions part of the regular job duties of the individual(s) involved in preparing the answer; (e) how many times last year did government Members ask for an estimate of the cost to answer an opposition Member’s Order Paper question; and (f) for each instance identified in (e), (i) what was the question, (ii) who did the analysis, (iii) how much time did it take to do the analysis, (iv) how was the estimate calculated?

[Tom Lukiwski, Conservative, Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre, SK]

Mr. Speaker, with regard to (a) and (b), during this Parliament the Government of Canada has answered over 1,100 order paper questions, which, combined, contained several thousand subquestions, and it would require an extensive manual search to determine the number of times when the government could not fully answer a question.

Government organizations assigned to produce responses to order paper questions must first assess whether the information requested is available and can be obtained from information systems or other types of sources. Organizations also take into account the deadline for producing the response to a particular order paper question--i.e., in almost all cases, order paper questions call for a response within 45 calendar days as specified under Standing Order 39 of the House of Commons. If no relevant and reliable information is found, the government will respond that it cannot answer. Where the research would require significant organizational resources and an extensive manual search of paper files, an organization may respond that it cannot answer the question in the time available. In these cases, the government response usually provides a reason. The estimated cost of producing the response is not the determining factor, and there is no specified limit on the cost of producing a government response. The estimated cost of a response is calculated based primarily on the time spent researching and drafting the government response.

With regard to (c) and (d), government responses to order paper questions are usually researched and drafted by officials within the organization who have expertise in the subject matter of the question. The Privy Council Office does not track the use of consultants to produce government responses.

With regard to (e), to date during the 41st Parliament, the member for Fort McMurray--Athabasca has placed three questions on the order paper requesting the estimated cost for producing government responses to a range of order paper questions.

With regard to (f)(i), the three questions were as follows:

Q-385 — December 12, 2011—For questions Q-1 through Q-376 on the order paper, what is the estimated cost of the government's response to each question? Q-512 — March 8, 2012—With regard to questions Q-386 through Q-509 on the order paper, (a) what is the estimated cost of the government's response to each question; and (b) what is the estimated cost of the government's response to this question? Q-901 — September 24, 2012—With regard to questions Q-513 through Q-818 on the order paper: (a) what is the estimated cost of the government's response to each question; and (b) what is the estimated cost of the government's response to this question?

With regard to (f)(ii), each organization estimated the cost of producing its response to the order paper questions listed in Q-385, Q-512 and Q-901.

The Privy Council Office compiled the cost estimates provided by each organization to produce the government responses to Q-385, Q-512 and Q-901.

With regard to (f)(iii), it took the Privy Council Office approximately 37.5 hours to compile the cost estimates reported in the response to Q-512 and 94.5 hours to compile the cost estimates reported in the response to Q-901. This information was not compiled for the response to Q-385.

With regard to (f)(iv), organizations use the following guideline to estimate the costs of producing government responses: the total number of hours spent by officials, generally subject-matter experts, who researched, drafted, reviewed and approved a response and the related Statement of Completeness, not including coordination activities by departmental Parliamentary Affairs staff or review by ministers’ offices; and the cost of translating the response into the second official language for tabling in the House of Commons.

The estimated salary cost of producing a government response is based on 80% of an analyst position with a PM-06 mid-range annual salary, salary cost of $89,000, plus 20% of an executive’s time with an EX-01 mid-range annual salary, salary cost of $26,880, for a total estimated annual salary of $116,160, or $60.00 per hour. These salary costs include the 20% cost of employee pension and benefits.

The total cost of producing government responses to the 624 order paper questions listed in Q-385, Q-512 and Q-901 is $2,892,744.65.

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. 1113, 1122, 1129, 1130, 1131, 1135, 1139, 1140, 1141, 1142, 1143, 1149, 1150, 1153, 1154 and 1155 could be made orders for returns, these returns would be tabled immediately.

[The Speaker, Andrew Scheer]

Is that agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

Question No. 1113

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

With regard to government announcements on or around November 23, 2012, in relation to changes to the travel.gc.ca website: (a) what were the total travel and accomodation costs associated with the announcements or related meetings and events for all individuals who participated, including those of staff members or other government employees; (b) other than travel and accomodation costs, what were all other costs for (i) the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities and for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario in Ottawa, (ii) the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Calgary, (iii) the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs (Americas and Consular Affairs) in Toronto, (iv) the Minister of Natural Resources in Montreal, (v) any other Minister or Parliamentary Secretary; and (c) other than travel and accomodation costs, what were all the costs for persons named in (i) through (v) in any other locations?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 1122

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Ottawa South, ON]

With respect to government buildings in the National Capital Region; (a) what are the buildings in which federal employees work, specifying the municipal address; and (b) what is the number of indeterminate federal employees and of term federal employees who work in each of those buildings?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 1129

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

With regard to the government’s Strategic and Operating Review, broken down by department: (a) what are every initiative that saves money by transferring employees from one physical location to another and for each such initiative, what is the (i) the task or function performed by the employee, (ii) the number of employees being transferred; (b) for each of these positions, what is the: (i) the position’s current classification, (ii) the anticipated pay classification after the transfer; (c) what is the current of location of jobs; (d) what is the new location of jobs; (e) what are the expected savings; and (f) what are the expected costs to complete transfer of positions?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 1130

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

Since January 1, 2006, what are the particulars, including the nature of any claim or legal action, amount, date of payment, and government official to whom the payment was made, of all legal fees paid in accordance with (i) section 8.6.1 of the Policies for Ministers Offices, (ii) section 6.1.14 of the Policy on Legal Assistance and indemnification, (iii) predecessor provisions to either of these two sections?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 1131

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

With regard to government communications: (a) for each press release containing the phrase “Harper government” issued by any government department, agency, office, Crown corporation, or other government body, since September 21, 2012, what is the (i) headline or subject line, (ii) date, (iii) file or code-number, (iv) subject-matter; (b) for each such press release, was it distributed (i) on the web site of the issuing department, agency, office, Crown corporation, or other government body, (ii) on Marketwire, (iii) on Canada Newswire, (iv) on any other commercial wire or distribution service, specifying which service; and (c) for each press release distributed by a commercial wire or distribution service mentioned in (b)(ii) through (b)(iv), what was the cost of using that service?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 1135

[Sylvain Chicoine, NDP, Châteauguay—Saint-Constant, QC]

With regard to the Government Employees Compensation Act and the financial compensation provided to injured reservists by the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Forces between 2006 and 2012: (a) how many Canadian Forces reservists were injured during service between 2006 and 2012, sorted by year and province; (b) how many Canadian Forces reservists injured during service were medically released between 2006 and 2012; (c) how many Canadian Forces reservists injured during service had their injuries declared to Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) by the Canadian Forces between 2006 and 2012, sorted by year and province; (d) how many declarations of injury during service for Canadian Forces reservists were made to provincial workers’ compensation authorities by HRSDC between 2006 and 2012; and (e) of those who were medically released between 2006 and 2012, how many are receiving a disability pension?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 1139

[Scott Andrews, Liberal, Avalon, NL]

With regard to Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade officials who work in the department and who met with Mr. Loyola Sullivan of Ocean Choice International between June 1, 2011, and May 10, 2012: (a) what are the names of the officials, broken down by (i) deputy ministers, (ii) associate deputy ministers, (iii) senior assistant deputy ministers, (iv) assistant deputy ministers, (v) directors, (vi) managers; (b) what is the functioning title of the officials in (a); and (c) what were the (i) date of the meetings, (ii) location of the meetings, (iii) topics discussed, (iv) details of any briefing notes or materials prepared or used for the meetings?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 1140

[Scott Andrews, Liberal, Avalon, NL]

With regard to federal grants and contributions, what were the amounts paid out in the riding of Avalon between April 1, 2011, and December 10, 2012, broken down by the (i) identity and address of each recipient, (ii) start date for the funding, (iii) end date for the funding, (iv) amount allocated, (v) name of the program under which the funding was allocated?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 1141

[John McKay, Liberal, Scarborough—Guildwood, ON]

With regard to the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy: (a) what are the details of the winning bids submitted by Seaspan and Irving Shipbuilding; (b) why were the winning bids not asked to submit cost estimates for any of the vessels; (c) where did the government’s original $33 billion estimate come from and how was it calculated; (d) have cost estimates been discussed with the winning bidders subsequent to the awarding of the contracts; (e) which companies, if any, has the government contacted or been contacted by, regarding contracts relating to the winning bids; (f) does the government have any other cost estimates produced by either a government department or independent source regarding the winning bids; (g) with respect to the Seaspan bid, is $2.6 billion the only cost estimate that the government is in possession of; (h) with respect to the Irving bid, is $3.1 billion the only cost estimate that the government is in possession of; (i) with respect to the Armed Arctic Patrol vessels, what is the operational and service cost estimate for both the Arctic Patrol Ships and Replenishment ships and over what period of time; (j) has the government created an estimate of the operational and sustainment costs for a period greater than a 25 year lifespan for the vessels; (k) does the Navy currently have adequate personnel to man and operate the ships once they enter service without compromising current operational capabilities and readiness; (l) by what date does the government expect to take delivery of the first Arctic Patrol Ship and the first Replenishment Ship; and (m) by what date does the government expect to take delivery of the full fleet of both the Arctic Patrol Ships and Replenishment Ships?

(Return tabled)