House of Commons Hansard #75 of the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was police.

Topics

The EnvironmentPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:25 p.m.

Liberal

Scott Simms Liberal Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition containing hundreds of names from around Newfoundland and Labrador itself: on the west coast, from places like Stephenville and Corner Brook; on the east coast, from St. John's; and of course central, from Twillingate, Notre Dame Bay, as well Fogo Island. They are also from as far west as Calgary, Alberta.

The petition deals with the sunken freighter off the coast of Change Islands. It is spewing oil, and has been for the past little while. There has been a temporary solution in place with what they call a “cofferdam” over part of the hull.

However, these constituents are asking for a permanent solution: to permanently take that oil out of the boat so that we can be rid of this potential major environmental disaster.

Criminal CodePetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:25 p.m.

Conservative

Jim Hillyer Conservative Lethbridge, AB

Mr. Speaker, petitioners in my riding are not happy that there is a chance that Canada will have no laws around prostitution and human trafficking. They call upon the House of Commons to criminalize the offence to purchase sex with a woman, man, or child, and to make it criminal for pimps, madams, or others to profit from the proceeds of that sex trade.

Consumer ProtectionPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:25 p.m.

NDP

Andrew Cash NDP Davenport, ON

Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions to present today.

The first petition comes from constituents, largely seniors, in my riding on streets like Delaware, Symington, and Earlscourt. They are getting charged an extra $2, $3, $4 a month just to get their bills in the mail. The petitioners call on the government to stop all pay-to-pay fees. I am honoured to present that on their behalf.

EmploymentPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:25 p.m.

NDP

Andrew Cash NDP Davenport, ON

Mr. Speaker, the second petition pertains to the safety of workers. The people who signed this petition are calling for a national urban workers strategy, which would, among other things, end the misuse and abuse of unpaid internship programs.

41st General ElectionPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:25 p.m.

Green

Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to rise today to present two petitions. For the first one, all the petitioners are from Montreal. They are calling on the government to conduct a full, independent and adequately funded inquiry to determine what happened during the 2011 election concerning the robocalls, or fraudulent automated calls.

The EnvironmentPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:25 p.m.

Green

Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is from residents of the Vancouver area who are calling for the 1972 federal-provincial moratorium against oil tanker traffic to be respected as legislated.

Sherbrooke AirportPetitionsRoutine Proceedings

3:25 p.m.

NDP

Pierre-Luc Dusseault NDP Sherbrooke, QC

Mr. Speaker, today I have the honour to present a petition on behalf of a hundred or so people from Sherbrooke. The petition concerns the federal government's decision not to give Sherbrooke's airport facilities the necessary security screening services to operate an air service. This would have been beneficial to Sherbrooke's economy. It might have attracted investors and airline business. The Sherbrooke area is the only pool of 200,000 people or more in Canada that is not served by the airlines.

The petitioners are calling on Transport Canada to give the Sherbrooke airport the necessary security screening services to operate an air service with national airlines.

Questions on the Order PaperRoutine Proceedings

3:25 p.m.

Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre Saskatchewan

Conservative

Tom Lukiwski ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, the following questions will be answered today: Nos. 314, 315, 316, 320, 321 and 322.

Question No. 314Questions on the Order PaperRoutine Proceedings

3:25 p.m.

NDP

Pierre Nantel NDP Longueuil—Pierre-Boucher, QC

With regard to the Economic Action Plan 2014: (a) will the $25 million for the Canada Council for the Arts that will be made permanent be in addition to the $180 million in funding received by the Council for the Arts for 2013-2014, and if so, will the additional funds be allocated to a particular program; (b) will the $30.1 million that will be made permanent for the Canada Cultural Investment Fund be in addition to the funds allocated to the Investment Fund for 2013-2014, and if so, will the additional funds be allocated to a particular program; (c) will the $30 million for the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund that will be made permanent be in addition to the funding for 2013-2014, and if so, will the additional funds be allocated to a particular program; (d) will the $18 million for the Canada Arts Presentation Fund that will be made permanent be taken from the funding allocated to this fund for 2013-2014, (i) is the balance of the funds allocated for 2013-2014 guaranteed for 2015-2016, (ii) if it is an increase, will the additional funding be allocated to a particular program; (e) is the $9 million that will be made permanent for the Canada Book Fund an increase in the funding allocated to this fund for 2013-2014, (i) is the balance of the funds allocated to this fund for 2013-2014 guaranteed for 2015-2016, (ii) if it is an increase, will the additional funding be allocated to a particular program; (f) is the $8.8 million in funding that will be made permanent for the Canada Music Fund an increase compared with the funding allocated for 2013-2014, (i) is the balance of the funds allocated for 2013-2014 guaranteed for 2015-2016, (ii) if it is an increase, will the additional funding be allocated to a particular program; and (g) is it the government’s intention to renew the Canada Media Fund in 2015-2016, given that this fund will expire in 2013-2014 like the other funds mentioned above, but it was not mentioned in the Economic Action Plan 2014?

Question No. 314Questions on the Order PaperRoutine Proceedings

3:25 p.m.

St. Catharines Ontario

Conservative

Rick Dykstra ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage

Mr. Speaker, with regard to (a), this $25 million is part of the current parliamentary appropriation for the Canada Council of the Arts and was slated to sunset on March 31, 2015. The government announced in budget 2014 the permanent renewal of these funds starting in 2015-16.

With regard to (b), the $30.1million that is being made permanent for the Canada Cultural Investment Fund is the total amount of the budget allocated to the fund and was slated to sunset on March 31, 2015. The government announced in budget 2014 the permanent renewal of these funds starting in fiscal year 2015-16. As a result, from 2015-2016 onwards, the entire budget of the Canada Cultural Investment Fund will be permanent.

With regard to (c), the $30 million that is being made permanent for the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund is the total amount of the budget allocated to the fund and was slated to sunset on March 31, 2015. The government announced in budget 2014 the permanent renewal of these funds starting in fiscal year 2015-16. As a result, from 2015-2016 onwards, the entire budget of the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund will be permanent.

With regard to (d)(i) and (d)(ii), this $18 million, or 53.8% of the Canada Arts Presentation Fund’s $33.4 million annual budget, was slated to sunset on March 31, 2015. The government announced in budget 2014 the permanent renewal of these supplementary funds starting in fiscal year 2015-16. As a result, the entire budget of the Canada Arts Presentation Fund will be permanent from 2015-2016 onwards.

With regard to (e)(i) and (e)(ii), this $9 million, or 23% of the Canada Book Fund’s $39.1million annual budget, was slated to sunset on March 31, 2015. The government announced in budget 2014 the permanent renewal of these supplementary funds starting in fiscal year 2015-16. As a result, the entire budget of the Canada Book Fund will be permanent from 2015-2016 onwards.

With regard to (f)(i) and (f)(ii), this $8.8 million, or 36% of the Canada Music Fund’s $24.6 million annual budget, was slated to sunset on March 31, 2015. The government announced in budget 2014 the permanent renewal of these supplementary funds starting in fiscal year 2015-16. As a result, the entire budget of the Canada Music Fund will be permanent from 2015-2016 onwards.

With regard to (g), in budget 2011 the government announced that the $100 million would be provided on an ongoing basis, meaning that the entire budget of $134.1million is now the permanent funding for the Canada Media Fund, the CMF. In the past, $34.1million was provided through the department’s A-base funding, while the remaining $100 million was subject to renewal. For fiscal year 2013-14, the Government of Canada is contributing $134.1million to the CMF.

Question No. 315Questions on the Order PaperRoutine Proceedings

3:25 p.m.

NDP

Ruth Ellen Brosseau NDP Berthier—Maskinongé, QC

With regard to the project renewal application submitted on May 24, 2013, by the Maskinongé RCM Community Business Development Corporation for the period from September 1, 2013, to August 31, 2014, under the Skills Link Program identified by file number 12302048: (a) what are the administrative reasons behind a conditional approval for an earlier deadline of March 31, 2014; (b) why did the sponsor receive email confirmation on September 25, 2013, that his request was approved and that his project would be extended to August 31, 2014, and then a short time later was sent contradictory information to the effect that his request for disbursement and change in project deadline would be further delayed; (c) how did the analysis of the change in deadline affect his request for additional disbursement and how did this warrant an interruption of activities already underway; (d) what are the reasons that explain the delay in processing the request for disbursement and the change of deadline (September 2013 to date); and (e) when will the sponsor receive an answer to his request?

Question No. 315Questions on the Order PaperRoutine Proceedings

3:25 p.m.

Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley Nova Scotia

Conservative

Scott Armstrong ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment and Social Development

Mr. Speaker, with regard to (a), the project was approved for a period of 30 weeks from September 1, 2013, and ended on March 28, 2014.

With regard to (b), contact was established between Service Canada and the organization in September 2013 to discuss the possibility of extending and improving the project, as the organization has the capacity to serve a larger number of participants, 16 instead of 7. The organization received confirmation that it could submit an amendment request and that the request would be processed.

With regard to (c), the project ended on March 28, 2014, as per the agreement.

With regard to (d), ESDC has comprehensive review processes for its grants and contributions, which includes thorough measures for ensuring that due diligence is followed when assessing proposals, approving transfer payments, and verifying eligibility to its programs.

With regard to (e), following the assessment of the application, the applicant was notified that they can submit a new project proposal.

Question No. 316Questions on the Order PaperRoutine Proceedings

3:25 p.m.

NDP

Ruth Ellen Brosseau NDP Berthier—Maskinongé, QC

With regard to the application submitted on September 19, 2013, by the Carrefour jeunesse emploi de la MRC de Maskinongé for its project “Soutien en Emploi par un Plateau de Travail” under the Skills Link Program identified by file number 012424826: (a) what are the reasons behind the delay in processing the application; and (b) when will the sponsor receive an answer to his application?

Question No. 316Questions on the Order PaperRoutine Proceedings

3:25 p.m.

Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley Nova Scotia

Conservative

Scott Armstrong ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment and Social Development

Mr. Speaker, with regard to (a), ESDC has a comprehensive review process for its grants and contributions that includes thorough measures for ensuring that due diligence is followed when assessing proposals, approving transfer payments, and verifying eligibility to its programs.

With regard to (b), following the assessment of the application, the applicant will be notified in writing as to whether the project has been approved.

Question No. 320Questions on the Order PaperRoutine Proceedings

April 28th, 2014 / 3:25 p.m.

Bloc

Jean-François Fortin Bloc Haute-Gaspésie—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, QC

With regard to the Employment Insurance (EI) Operating Account and previous EI accounts for the last 10 years: (a) what was the actual total cost of the EI program (regular and special benefits); and (b) what was the actual total cost of administering the program for each of the last 10 years?

Question No. 320Questions on the Order PaperRoutine Proceedings

3:25 p.m.

Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley Nova Scotia

Conservative

Scott Armstrong ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment and Social Development

Mr. Speaker, the information requested is publicly available in the Public Accounts of Canada, under volume I, section 4, at the following link: http://epe.lac-bac.gc.ca/100/201/301/public_accounts_can/pdf/index.html.

Question No. 321Questions on the Order PaperRoutine Proceedings

3:25 p.m.

NDP

Jinny Sims NDP Newton—North Delta, BC

With regard to Labour Market Opinions (LMO) performed by Employment and Social Development Canada and previously by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada for the purposes of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, for the period from 2000 to the present: (a) what is the total number of applications, broken down by (i) year, (ii) region or province, (iii) industrial classification according to the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), (iv) program stream; (b) what is the number of applications approved, broken down by (i) year, (ii) region or province, (iii) industrial classification according to the NAICS, (iv) program stream; (c) what is the number of applications denied, broken down by (i) year, (ii) region or province, (iii) industrial classification according to the NAICS, (iv) program stream; (d) what is the average length of time between the receipt of an application and the issuance of a decision, broken down by (i) year, (ii) region or province, (iii) industrial classification according to the NAICS, (iv) program stream; (e) for each year, what was the median length of time that employers reported advertising for Canadian workers before applying for a LMO; (f) how many staff were assigned to process LMO applications in each year; (g) how many staff were assigned to monitor for compliance with LMO in each year; (h) how many staff were assigned to conduct investigations of apparent non-compliance in each year; and (i) how many employers have been sanctioned for cases of non-compliance in each year?

Question No. 321Questions on the Order PaperRoutine Proceedings

3:25 p.m.

Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley Nova Scotia

Conservative

Scott Armstrong ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment and Social Development

Mr. Speaker, the nature of this request requires significant data manipulation and would produce a prohibitively large document. As a result, Employment and Social Development Canada is unable to answer this question in the time allotted.

Question No. 322Questions on the Order PaperRoutine Proceedings

3:25 p.m.

Liberal

Ralph Goodale Liberal Wascana, SK

With regard to the Canada Research Chairs, for each fiscal year from 2013-2014 to 2027-2028, (i) what are the total funds allocated, (ii) what is the number of chair allocations funded, (iii) what is the amount of funding per chair?

Question No. 322Questions on the Order PaperRoutine Proceedings

3:25 p.m.

Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam B.C.

Conservative

James Moore ConservativeMinister of Industry

Mr. Speaker, for each fiscal year from 2013-14 to 2027-28, the response is as follows: with regard to (i), as of 2013-14, the ongoing annual program expenditure for the Canada Research Chairs, CRCs, is $265 million.

With regard to (ii), the number of chair allocations funded at any given time is prone to fluctuation, owing to such factors as time lags associated with program nomination and peer review cycles; retirement or mobility of professors, as chairs are not transferable between institutions; or universities not immediately utilizing all of the chair positions allocated to them.

With regard to (iii), there are two types of Canada Research Chairs. Tier 1 chairs, awarded to established researchers who are recognized as world leaders in their disciplines, are funded at $200,000 annually. Tier 2 Chairs, awarded to emerging research leaders, are funded at $100,000 annually.

Questions on the Order PaperRoutine Proceedings

3:30 p.m.

Conservative

Tom Lukiwski Conservative Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre, SK

Mr. Speaker, I ask that the remaining questions be allowed to stand.

Questions on the Order PaperRoutine Proceedings

3:30 p.m.

Conservative

The Speaker Conservative Andrew Scheer

Is that agreed?

Questions on the Order PaperRoutine Proceedings

3:30 p.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

Questions Passed as Orders for ReturnsRoutine Proceedings

3:30 p.m.

Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre Saskatchewan

Conservative

Tom Lukiwski ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mr. Speaker, furthermore, if Questions Nos. 309, 310, 312, 313, 317, 318 and 319 could be made orders for returns, these returns would be tabled immediately.

Questions Passed as Orders for ReturnsRoutine Proceedings

3:30 p.m.

Conservative

The Speaker Conservative Andrew Scheer

Is that agreed?