Debates of Dec. 11th, 2017

Question No. 1285

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, with respect to parts (a) to (f), to be eligible for the disability tax credit, an individual must have a severe and prolonged impairment in physical or mental functions, as defined in the Income Tax Act and as certified by a medical practitioner. Eligibility is not based on a diagnosis, but rather on the effects of the impairment on their ability to perform the basic activities of daily living. Eligibility determinations are not made, or tracked, based on diagnoses. Therefore, the CRA is unable to respond in the manner requested as the data is not available.

Question No. 1289

[Kevin Waugh, Conservative, Saskatoon—Grasswood, SK]

With regard to Defence Construction Canada’s Annual Report 2016-2017, Section “Operating and Administrative Expenses” under 2016-17 fiscal year, what are the amounts for: (a) “Travel”, broken down by (i) accommodation, (ii) travel, (iii) per diems, (iv) incidentals; (b) “Relocation”, broken down by (i) FTEs, (ii) location; (c) “IT hardware”; (d) “IT software”; and (e)“Hospitality”?

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Mr. Speaker, with regard to Defence Construction Canada, DCC, and part (a), “travel” was broken down by (i) accommodation, $149,000.00; (ii) travel, $286,000.00; (iii) per diems, or meal allowances, $72,000.00; and (iv) incidentals, $22,000.00.

With regard to part (b), “relocation” was broken down by (i) FTEs, 12; and (ii) location, including 1, Kingston to Ottawa; 2, Ottawa to Valcartier; 3, Trenton to Kingston; 4, Montreal to Ottawa; 5, Toronto to Kingston; 6, Ottawa to Victoria; 7, Calgary to Victoria; 8, Ottawa to Borden; 9, Montreal to Edmonton; 10, Comox to Victoria; 11, Calgary to Cold Lake; and 12, London to Toronto.

With regard to (c), “IT hardware”, the cost was $130,000; (d), “IT software”, $55,000.00; and (e), “hospitality”, $31,000.00.

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, if the government's response to Questions Nos. 1267 to 1269, 1271, 1273 to 1276, 1280, 1281, 1283, 1284, 1286 to 1288, and 1290 could be made orders for return, these returns would be tabled immediately.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Is that agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

Question No. 1267

[Anne Minh-Thu Quach, NDP, Salaberry—Suroît, QC]

With regard to the Kathryn Spirit: (a) what amount has been spent by the government since 2011 for maintenance, related costs, abortive towing attempts and any other costs, broken down by (i) year, (ii) private supplier and lead department, (iii) description of the services offered by the supplier, (iv) description of tasks accomplished by public servants, (v) contract start and end date for the private supplier and start date and completion of tasks accomplished by public servants, (vi) value of the contract for each service and amount of expenses to complete tasks carried out by public servants, (b) for each service that used a private supplier, was it chosen by the Coast Guard or by public tender; (c) with respect to the contract awarded by the government to Groupe René Saint-Pierre and Englobe on October 20, 2017, (i) why did the government choose this consortium, (ii) was this consortium chosen according to the lowest bidder rule, (iii) what other companies bid for this contract, (iv) what is the list of all other proposals received by the government, (v) how did the government ensure that the consortium had the necessary expertise for the work and that there would be no environmental damage for the entirety of the work, (vi) has Groupe René St-Pierre Excavation or Englobe ever dismantled wrecks or dealt with hazardous products such as asbestos, PCB or any other product that would be in the wreckage, (vii) are there late penalties (financial or otherwise) if the vessel is not dismantled by the fall of 2018 and, if so, what are they, (viii) are there late penalties (financial or otherwise) if all the work provided for in the contract is not completed on time by the fall of 2019 and, if so, what are they?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 1268

[Mike Lake, Conservative, Edmonton—Wetaskiwin, AB]

With regard to government advertising outside of Canada, since January 1, 2016, what are the details of each such expenditure, broken down by department, agency, Crown corporation, or other government entity, including, for each, the (i) total amount spent, (ii) vendor, (iii) amount of contract, (iv) date, (v) medium of advertising, (vi) description of work completed, (vii) description of campaign associated with expenditure, (viii) file number of contract?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 1269

[Mike Lake, Conservative, Edmonton—Wetaskiwin, AB]

With regard to artwork and graphic design work for government publications, since January 1, 2016: for each publication, what is the (i) total amount spent, (ii) vendor, (iii) amount of contract, (iv) date, (v) title of the publication, (vi) number of copies of the publication published, (vii) description of any campaign associated with publication, (viii) file number of contract?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 1271

[Bob Saroya, Conservative, Markham—Unionville, ON]

With regard to contracts signed by the government with Mingarelli and Company (M&C) Consulting Inc., since November 4, 2015, and for each contract: (a) what are the details, including the (i) value, (ii) description of the service provided, (iii) date and duration of the contract, (iv) internal tracking or file number; and (b) was the contract sole sourced?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 1273

[John Nater, Conservative, Perth—Wellington, ON]

With regard to the statutory responsibilities of ministers: what are the statutory responsibilities of (i) the Minister of Small Business and Tourism, (ii) the Minister of La Francophonie, (iii) the Minister of Science, (iv) the Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities, (v) the Minister of Status of Women, (vi) the Minister of Indigenous Services?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 1274

[Jim Eglinski, Conservative, Yellowhead, AB]

With regard to the study conducted by Corporate Research Associates for Employment and Social Development Canada titled “Understanding and Attracting Millenials”: (a) who approved the study; (b) what are all expenditures, including the finalized budget for the study, broken down by item; (c) when was the study conducted; (d) what were the study findings; (e) what is the website location where the study’s findings are located, if applicable; and (f) what range of ages or years of birth were considered “millennials” for the purpose of this study?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 1275

[Jim Eglinski, Conservative, Yellowhead, AB]

With regard to funding in the province of Alberta related to the Pine Beetle infestation, since January 1, 2016: (a) what are the details of all expenditures, including the (i) amount, (ii) recipient, (iii) date, (iv) description of project, goods, or services provided by expenditure, (v) program name under which funding was delivered; (b) what specific funding, including the possibility of one-time assistance, is planned in the future to combat the Pine Beetle infestation; and (c) why has the funding referred to in (b) not been spent yet?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 1276

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

With regard to changes to Compensation and Benefits Instructions, Chapter 205, Allowances for Officers and Non-Commissioned Members, that became effective on September 1, 2017: (a) what consultations were done prior to changing this policy; (b) what measures were taken to notify members of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) of the change; (c) when did the drafting of the revised policy begin; (d) when was the revised policy finalized; (e) what ministerial approval was required before implementing the revised policy; (f) what calculations have been done to understand the financial implications on (i) Paratroop Allowance (Monthly), (ii) Rescue Specialist Allowance (Monthly), (iii) Aircrew Allowance (Monthly), (iv) Land Duty Allowance (Monthly), (v) Diving Allowance (Monthly), (vi) Sea Duty Allowance (Monthly), (vii) Submarine Allowance (Monthly), (viii) Special Operations Allowance (Monthly), (ix) Special Operations Assaulter Allowance (Monthly), (x) Submarine Crewing Allowance (Monthly); (g) have any members of the CAF been asked to repay allowances awarded to them as a result of this policy change, and if so, how many; (h) if the answer in (g) is affirmative, have any members returned their allowance or portions of their allowances to the government, and if so, how many; (i) for each occupation listed in (f) what is the number of individuals who served under a temporary medical category or a medical employment limitation since 2015; and (j) how many individuals listed in (g) served continuously under a temporary medical category or a medical employment limitation for 180 days or more?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 1280

[Arnold Viersen, Conservative, Peace River—Westlock, AB]

With regard to the fleet of automobiles purchased or leased by the government, since November 4, 2015, and located at Canadian missions abroad, broken down by automobile, and by mission: what is the (i) make, (ii) model, (iii) year of manufacture, (iv) is it owned or leased, (v) year of purchase or lease by the government, (vi) price of purchase or lease in both Canadian dollars and local currency, (vii) vendor, (viii) diplomat, official, or government employee assigned to vehicle?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 1281

[Glen Motz, Conservative, Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner, AB]

With regard to the commitment on page 78 of the Liberal Party election platform to conduct a tax expenditure review in order to find $3 billion in annual savings by 2019-20: (a) what is the current status of the review; (b) which expenditures is the government considering cancelling or reducing; (c) for each instance in (b), what are the details, including (i) expenditure under review, (ii) department responsible for this expenditure, (iii) whether the department is considering cancelling or reducing this expenditure, (iv) potential savings from cancellation or reduction; (d) when did the review commence; (e) when will the review conclude; and (f) how will the results of the review be made public?