Debates of March 8th, 2013

Question No. 1110

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, York West, ON]

With regard to government expenditures on media monitoring, what are the details of all spending, by each department and agency, including the nature, scope, duration of, and contract for media monitoring, the names of the contracted services provided, and the file numbers of all such contracts?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 1111

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, York West, ON]

With regard to government expenditures, since January 1, 2006: has any department or agency contracted the services of any firm to provide automated telephone voice messages, also known as robocalls, and, if so, (i) which departments or agencies, (ii) when were these services purchased, (iii) what was the purpose of the automated telephone voice messages, (iv) what were the costs, (v) which firms were contracted to provide the services, (vi) what was the nature, scope and duration of the contracted work, including the total number of calls, (vii) what is the file number of any contract for the provision of such services?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 1112

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, York West, ON]

With regard to transportation, since January 1, 2006, has the government engaged in any study or consultation concerning the extension or reconstruction of Highways 389 and 138 in the province of Quebec, and if so, what are the titles and file numbers of any reports, studies, dossiers or other documentation related to this matter?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 1114

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

With regard to Health Canada, how many drug identification number submissions has the Health Products and Food Branch received since January 1, 2006, and of those, how many were approved and how many were denied, subdivided by reason for denial?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 1116

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

With regard to Employment Insurance: (a) how many individuals have utilized the Extended Employment Insurance Benefits Pilot Project in each fiscal year, by province, from the year of the project’s inception; (b) what is the estimated number of EI recipients who were working while on claim between August 7 2011, and August 4, 2012, who will opt to revert to the rules that existed under the previous pilot project; (c) has the government undertaken any analysis or studies to compare the impact on income for individuals in each province between the previous and the new pilot project; (d) has the government undertaken any analysis or studies concerning the impact of changes to the Working While on Claim Pilot Project on the (i) economy of particular provinces or regions, (ii) cost of providing provincial social services in any particular provinces; and (e) if any of the answers to (c) or (d) are affirmative, what are the titles, file numbers, and results of any such analyses or studies?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 1117

[Craig Scott, NDP, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

With regard to the policies and practices concerning treatment of persons under the control of Canadian forces in Afghanistan in any part of the period from September 12, 2001, to present: (a) were each of Canada’s Defence Intelligence, Canadian Security and Intelligence Service, and the Canadian Security Establishment amongst the intelligence agencies based at Kandahar Air Field (KAF) base; (b) what other intelligence agencies, Canadian or non-Canadian, were based at KAF or operated out of KAF without being based there; (c) is the government aware of a military facility in Kandahar commonly known as Graceland and, if so, what sort of facility was, or is, it, and what institutional actors operated, or operate, from this facility; (d) is the government aware of a military facility in Kandahar commonly known as Gecko and, if so, what sort of facility was, or is, it, and what institutional actors operated, or operate, from this facility; (e) how do, or did, the facilities and the institutional actors operating from Gecko and Graceland (i) relate to each other, (ii) interact; (f) on what date did Canadian special forces, including JTF2, first arrive in Afghanistan and, if they have left, on what date did they leave Afghanistan; (g) if Canadian special forces, including JTF2, are currently in Afghanistan, whether as units or as individual personnel, in what capacity are they in Afghanistan; (h) has Canada ever transferred persons under its control to Afghan authorities with the knowledge that some of those persons would or could end up being held in the facilities of National Directorate of Security (NDS) Kabul; (i) does the government know of cases of persons under initial Canadian control who ended up being held in the facilities of NDS Kabul, whether under the control of NDS or whether under the control of one or more other Afghan or non-Afghan intelligence agencies and, if so, (i) how many, (ii) which other intelligence agency or agencies; (j) did Canada ever seek to trace persons who had been either detained by or otherwise under the control of Canadian special forces, including JTF2, and who Canada knew or suspected had ended up at NDS Kabul facilities and, if so, (i) for what reasons was tracing undertaken, (ii) how many persons did Canada seek to trace, (iii) what were the results of the efforts in terms of the number of persons who were located versus determining that persons were not traceable; (k) is the government familiar with the term, whether formal or informal, of “amplifying orders” being used in the Canadian military context, and, if so, what does this mean; (l) in the period in question (2001 to present), did General Rick Hillier ever issue “amplifying orders” that related, directly or indirectly, to the policy or practice of handing over persons under Canada’s control in Afghanistan to agents of another state, whether Afghan or non-Afghan and, if so, for each set of amplifying orders, (i) what were the dates of the orders, (ii) what previous orders, rules of engagement or other documents were being amplified, (iii) what was the content of the amplifying orders; (m) in relation to the May 25, 2006, capture of “11 suspected Taliban fighters” referenced at page 96 of Ian Hope, Dancing with the Dushman: Command Imperatives for the Counter-Insurgency Fight in Afghanistan (Canadian Defence Agency Press, 2008), could the government set out the manner in which each of these 11 persons controlled by Canadian forces were processed, including what is known about each’s subsequent trajectory after passing from the control of Canada until the point at which the government may have lost track of their whereabouts; (n) at any period and, if so, which periods, did the Canadian government consider that there were one or more categories of persons who Canada passed on to either Afghan or American authorities but who were not categorized as detainees, and did such categories have a designation, whether formal or informal; (o) were there persons under the control of Canadian forces who were transferred to Afghanistan, but who were not treated by Canada as covered by the provisions of the 2005 and 2007 Canada-Afghanistan Memorandums of Understanding on detainee transfer and, if so, on what basis were transfers of such persons not deemed covered by the agreements; (p) were there persons under the control of Canadian forces who were transferred to Afghanistan but whose existence and transfer was not made known to the International Committee of the Red Cross and, if so, on what basis was the Red Cross not informed; (q) during the 2011 Parliamentary process in which a Panel of Arbiters decided what information could be released to Parliament, were documents withheld from this process by the government if they concerned the transfer of persons that were not treated by Canada as covered by the provisions of the 2005 and 2007 Canada-Afghanistan Memorandums of Understanding on detainee transfer; (r) between September 12, 2001, and the entry into effect of the 2005 detainee-transfer Memorandum of Understanding, (i) how many detainees were transferred to US authorities, (ii) to which US authorities, (iii) how many detainees were transferred to Afghan authorities, (iv) to which Afghan authorities, (v) how many persons under the control of Canada, but not considered as detainees by Canada, were transferred to US authorities, (vi) to which US authorities, (vii) how many persons under the control of Canada, but not considered as detainees by Canada, were transferred to Afghan authorities, (viii) to which Afghan authorities; (s) between the entry into effect of the 2005 detainee-transfer Memorandum of Understanding and the entry into effect of the 2007 detainee-transfer Memorandum of Understanding, (i) how many detainees were transferred to US authorities, (ii) to which US authorities, (iii) how many detainees were transferred to Afghan authorities, (iv) to which Afghan authorities, (v) how many persons under the control of Canada, but not considered as detainees by Canada, were transferred to US authorities, (vi) to which US authorities, (vii) how many persons under the control of Canada, but not considered as detainees by Canada, were transferred to Afghan authorities, (viii) to which Afghan authorities; (t) between the entry into effect of the 2007 detainee-transfer Memorandum of Understanding and the present date, (i) how many detainees were transferred to US authorities, (ii) to which US authorities, (iii) how many detainees were transferred to Afghan authorities, (iv) to which Afghan authorities, (v) how many persons under the control of Canada, but not considered as detainees by Canada, were transferred to US authorities, (vi) to which US authorities, (vii) how many persons under the control of Canada, but not considered as detainees by Canada, were transferred to Afghan authorities, (viii) to which Afghan authorities; (u) before General Rick Hillier signed the 2005 detainee-transfer Memorandum of Understanding with Afghan Defence Minister Wardak, did General Hillier call or attempt to call the Canadian Defence Minister Graham from Afghanistan, in order to seek Graham’s authorization for Hillier to sign; (v) at the time of the signing of the 2005 detainee-transfer Memorandum of Understanding between Afghan Defence Minister Wardak and Canadian General Hillier, was the Ambassador of Canada to Afghanistan in the room when the document was signed and thus an eyewitness to each man signing the document; (w) have Canadian special forces, whether JTF2 or other, ever participated in operations designed to obtain control over or custody of persons in Afghanistan as a result of information, instructions or orders originating from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) or another US intelligence agency and, if so, in what periods and resulting in how many captures; (x) if not, have Canadian special forces participated alongside or in coordination with United States special forces for such capture operations in Afghanistan where it is known or reasonably assumed by Canada that the US special forces are acting on information, instructions or orders originating from the CIA or another US intelligence agency; (y) have there ever been and are there now Canadian military special forces in Pakistan; (z) have Canadian special forces, whether JTF2 or other, ever participated in operations designed to obtain control over or custody of persons in Pakistan as a result of information, instructions or orders originating from the CIA or another US intelligence agency and, if so, in what periods and resulting in how many captures; (aa) if not, have Canadian special forces participated alongside or in coordination with US special forces for such capture operations in Pakistan where it is known or reasonably assumed by Canada that the US special forces are acting on information, instructions or orders originating from the CIA or another US intelligence agency?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 1118

[Randall Garrison, NDP, Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC]

With regard to salmon conservation on Vancouver Island: (a) given that a salmon conservation stamp costs an individual $6.30 with one dollar of that going to the Pacific Salmon Institute, where does the rest of the revenue from the salmon conservation stamp go; (b) how much money does the government provide for salmon enhancement on Vancouver Island on an annual basis; (c) how has this funding been allocated; and (d) who has this funding gone to over the past five fiscal years?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 1119

[Manon Perreault, NDP, Montcalm, QC]

With regard to funding from Human Ressources and Skills Development Canada for education regarding changes to Registered Disability Savings Plans and the Disability Tax Credit: (a) which organizations received funding and how much did each receive; (b) what were the criteria for receiving funding; (c) how many organizations applied to receive funding; and (d) what kind of evaluation process exists for this funding and what kind of criteria is the evaluation based on?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 1121

[David McGuinty, Liberal, Ottawa South, ON]

With respect to advertising paid for by the government, broken down by fiscal year for each fiscal year from fiscal year beginning April 1, 2006 up to and including the first half of fiscal year 2012: (a) how much did the government spend on advertising; (b) what was the subject of each advertisement, (i) how much was spent on each subject; (c) which departments purchased advertising, (i) what are the details of the spending by each department in this regard; (d) for each subject and department in (b) and (c), how much was spent for each type of advertising, including, but not limited to (i) television, specifying the stations ,(ii) radio, specifying the stations, (iii) print, i.e. newspapers and magazines, specifying the names of the publications, (iv) the internet, specifying the names of the websites, (v) billboards, specifying the locations of the billboards, (vi) bus shelters, specifying the locations, (vii) advertising in all other publically accessible places; (e) for each type of advertisement in (d), was it in Canada or off shore; (f) for each, subject in (b), department in (c) and type of advertising in (d), what is the time period where the advertising ran; (g) for each individual purchase of advertising, who signed the contracts; (h) for every ad, who was involved in producing it; (i) for every ad, was a third party involved in running it or was a third party co-ordinating other ads based on those of the government; and (j) for every ad, were the purchase and running of the ad timed for any specific event, such as sporting event?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 1123

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

With respect to the government’s position on chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI): (a) does the government track clinical trials on CCSVI currently being undertaken by other countries and, if yes, what are all clinical trials, identified by phase, currently being undertaken worldwide, (i) which countries are undertaking Phase lll trials; (b) does the government question whether CCSVI exists and, if yes, (i) why does the government not question whether treating CCSVI actually improves quality of life for Canadians with multiple sclerosis (MS); (c) how many cases of "major complications associated with venous angioplasty" have occurred in Canada and, if it is not possible to give this number, why, (i) what are identified complications to CCSVI and, for each complication, how many cases versus the number of procedures undertaken have occurred; (d) what are all procedures that have been performed on veins in Canada, including, procedures for Budd-Chiari syndrome and May-Thurner syndrome; (e) what is the government's position on ballooning veins and why does it consider that ballooning veins even once could be unsafe on fragile veins, even though participants involved in the proposed clinical trial will experience two procedures-one real, one simulated-in a one-year period; (f) is the government consulting with Canadians with MS, if so, (i) provide a list of all CCSVI groups the Minister of Health has met with along with the dates of the meetings, (ii) provide a list of all MS groups the Minister of Health has met with along with the dates of the meetings, (iii) provide the number of Canadians with MS the Minister of Health has met and the dates of all meetings, and if the government is not consulting, (iv) why not; (g) how does inviting the investigators of the seven MS-funded CCSVI studies to participate in the consensus workshop on ultrasound imaging meet CIHR's conflict of interest guidelines; (h) what were the results of the consensus workshop on ultrasound imaging, and specifically, (i) what exact imaging procedure will be used in the clinical trials, (ii) will the investigators use Dr Zamboni's procedure and, if so, will they be trained by Dr Zamboni, (iii) will the investigators use multi-modal imaging and, if so, what techniques, (iv) what training will investigators undergo, by whom, what is the number of procedures they will have to perform, and how will “sufficiently practiced” be ensured; (i) approximately how many Canadians with MS have died since November 2009, and by what EDSS score will Canadians with MS have worsened, on average by, since the same time period, and specifically, (i) how many are diagnosed each month, (ii) how many die each month; (j) when will patient accrual actually begin for clinical trials which were to begin on November 1st; and (k) what, if any, research or investment has been undertaken to consider whether to investigate the handling of the CCSVI file, particularly in relation to the “fast-tracking” of a new procedure in Canada, and the down-loading of services to provinces, (i) what are the dates, results and recommendations of any research, (ii) the dollar amount of any investment, (iii) if results and recommendations are available, will Health Canada be acting upon them and when?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 1127

[Chris Charlton, NDP, Hamilton Mountain, ON]

With regard to Labour Market Opinions issued by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada: (a) for the Labour Market Opinions applied for since January 1, 2011, broken down by month, what is (i) the total number of applications, (ii) the number of applications approved, (iii) the number of applications denied, (iv) the average length of time between the receipt of an application and the issuance of the decision; (b) for the Accelerated Labour Market Opinions applied for since the program began, broken down by month, what is (i) the total number of applications, (ii) the number of applications approved, (iii) the number of applications denied, (iv) the average length of time between the receipt of an application and the issuance of the decision, (v) the number of decisions issued later than ten days after receipt of the application; (c) since April 2011, broken down by month, region and industry, how many companies have been found in non-compliance with their Labour Market Opinion, which companies were they, what were the violations and what restitutions did they make for their non-compliance; and (d) since April 2011, broken down by month, region and industry, how many companies have been found in non-compliance with their Accelerated Labour Market Opinion, which companies were they, what were the violations and what restitutions did they make for their non-compliance?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 1132

[Jean Crowder, NDP, Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC]

With regard to the role of Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSEC) as a lead agency in protecting the government's information systems: (a) how many requests did CSEC receive from other government departments to provide expertise or information regarding protection of information systems; (b) how many staff were assigned to each request; (c) how many of the requests received was CSEC able to satisfy and how many requests were not provided a response that satisfied the request; (d) if CSEC was unable to satisfy a request for assistance, what was the reason; (e) are there any significant staffing issues that CSEC is facing that would not allow CSEC to satisfy these requests; (f) for each year from 2008 to 2012, what products, including publications, and services did CSEC/Information Technology Security provide and to whom; (g) what plans, research and development activities have been undertaken from 2008 to 2012 and what is the current status; (h) what summative evaluations have been done of the services offered to other departments; (i) for each year from 2008 to 2012 how many staff were off on (i) sick leave, (ii) administrative leave, (iii) long-term disability; (j) for years 2008 to 2012 how many audits or performance reviews were completed; (k) what were overall staff numbers in fiscal year 2011-2012; (l) what will be the overall staff numbers after Budget 2012 implementation; (m) how many of those positions include senior staff with the ability to protect Canada’s information system from attack; and (n) for each year from 2008 to 2012, how much of the government’s bandwidth was taken up with spam or other malicious attacks, broken down by (i) incoming bandwidth, (ii) outgoing bandwidth?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 1133

[Hoang Mai, NDP, Brossard—La Prairie, QC]

With regard to the Export Development Corportaion, Business Development Bank of Canada, Farm Credit Canada, and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Agency, since January 7, 2007, how much has been spent on: (a) radio advertising; (b) television advertising; (c) cinema advertising; (d) internet advertising; (e) advertising in print daily newspaper; (f) advertising in print magazines; (g) advertising in print weeklies or community papers; (h) public opinion research; (i) advertising design and production?