Debates of May 1st, 2019

Eye Health

[Sheri Benson, NDP, Saskatoon West, SK]

Madam Speaker, I have the honour to table two petitions today.

The first is from Canadians who are calling on the government to implement a national framework for action to promote eye health and vision care. They talk about the number of Canadians with vision loss being expected to double in the next 20 years and say that there is an emerging crisis in eye health and vision care, particularly among Canada's most vulnerable populations. Children, seniors and indigenous people are at particular risk.

Therefore, the petitioners are asking the government to acknowledge that eye health and vision care are growing public health issues, and they are calling on the government, through the development of a national framework for action, to promote eye health and vision care, which will benefit all Canadians through the reduction of vision impairment resulting from preventable conditions and the modification of known risks.

Pensions

[Sheri Benson, NDP, Saskatoon West, SK]

Madam Speaker, the second petition is from petitioners who are calling on the government to withdraw Bill C-27. They state that before the 2015 federal election Canadians were clearly promised, in writing, that defined benefit plans that have already been paid for by employees and pensioners should not be retroactively changed to target benefit plans.

The petitioners also state that Bill C-27, tabled by the Minister of Finance, would precisely permit this change, thereby jeopardizing the retirement income security of Canadians. Therefore, the petitioners are calling on the Government of Canada to withdraw Bill C-27, an act to amend the Pension Benefits Standards Act, 1985.

Refugees

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Madam Speaker, I have several petitions here.

The first is calling on the government to assist internally displaced persons in governmental refugee programming.

Equalization Payments

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Madam Speaker, I also have a petition to review the equalization formula, given the punitive policies against the energy sector the government has undertaken.

Status of Women

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Madam Speaker, I have one very interesting e-petition, signed by nearly 13,000 Canadians, with regard to the Prime Minister's groping allegations, which occurred in Creston, British Columbia. These people are calling on the Prime Minister to be held to the same standard he has set for his caucus.

Rail Transportation

[Robert Aubin, NDP, Trois-Rivières, QC]

Madam Speaker, not a week goes by without dozens of people from Trois-Rivières asking me to present this petition on their behalf.

The petitioners call on the Minister of Transport...to take the interests of the people of Trois-Rivières into account and invest in undertaking construction of the high-frequency train project in 2018.

I know full well that this is 2019, but this gives you an idea of the perseverance of the people of Trois-Rivières when it comes to this project.

Human Organ Trafficking

[Jamie Schmale, Conservative, Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, ON]

Madam Speaker, I am tabling this petition in support of Bill S-240, which would combat the scourge of forced organ harvesting. I understand that the bill is in the other place, and I hope it will be passed quickly.

Pensions

[Peter Julian, NDP, New Westminster—Burnaby, BC]

Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to add more petitioners to the thousands of Canadians who are demanding that the government withdraw Bill C-27.

I would like to pay tribute to JoAnne and Dale Lauber and all the activists involved from the BC Retired Teachers' Federation who have been approaching members of Parliament and collecting signatures. These teachers have given all their lives to the community and continue to give to better our country.

All these petitioners, the thousands who have signed thus far, are saying that given that the government actually promised that it would not gut defined benefit plans, Bill C-27 should be withdrawn, because it would jeopardize the retirement income security of Canadians who have negotiated defined benefit plans as a form of deferred wages.

Human Organ Trafficking

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to table a petition in support of Bill S-240, which is now back in the Senate. The petitioners hope it passes very quickly.

Human Rights

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Madam Speaker, I also table a petition in support of Pakistani Christian asylum seekers who find themselves in Thailand. There is concern about the need for protection and humane treatment of these asylum seekers, who often face very difficult conditions when they are in Thailand, having fled the challenges and persecution Christians face when they are in Pakistan.

Questions on the Order Paper

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

Madam Speaker, the following question will be answered today: Question No. 2312.

Question No. 2312

[David Tilson, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

With regard to part (c) of the government's response to Q-2104, which was tabled on January 28, 2019, and states that “The client submits a completed application by mail to the Permanent Resident Card Processing Centre in Sydney, Nova Scotia. The application is verified for completeness. If it is not complete, the application is returned to the client.”: (a) what are the average wait times for the return of applications which are not complete; and (b) is there any priority given to applications that have been deemed incomplete, once they are returned back to the Permanent Resident Card Processing Centre for a second time, or are the applications subject to the same waiting and processing times as a brand new application?

[Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Madam Speaker, insofar as Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, IRCC, is concerned, in response to (a), as of March 5, 2019, the average processing time for IRCC to verify an application for completeness was 29 days from the day IRCC receives the original application. If it is not complete, the application is returned to the client. The return time has decreased significantly in the past year, from an average of 87 days between October and December 2018 to the current processing time of 29 days. These numbers do not include mailing time and are in calendar days.

As of March 5, 2019, the processing time to renew a permanent resident card was 32 days from the day the application is received to the day a final decision is made. The processing time does not include card printing time, which has a three-day service standard, and mailing time.

Note that the processing times are subject to change depending on available resources and volume of applications received.

In response to (b), applications previously returned as incomplete and resubmitted are subject to the normal processing times. They are not given priority processing.

Questions Passed as Orders for Return

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

Madam Speaker, if the government's response to Questions Nos. 2310, 2311 and 2313 to 2322 could be made orders for return, these returns would be tabled immediately.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, Carol Hughes]

Is that agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

Question No. 2310

[Murray Rankin, NDP, Victoria, BC]

With regard to housing investments and housing assets held by the government: (a) how much federal funding has been spent in the riding of Victoria on housing over the period of 1995 to 2017, broken down by year; (b) how much federal funding is scheduled to be spent on housing in the riding of Victoria over the period of 2015 to 2019, broken down by year; (c) how much federal funding has been invested in cooperative housing in riding of Victoria over the period of 1995 to 2017, broken down by year; (d) how much federal funding is scheduled to be invested in cooperative housing in the riding of Victoria over the period of 2015 to 2019, broken down by year; (e) how many physical housing units were owned by the government in riding of Victoria over the period of 1995 to 2017, broken down by year; (f) how many physical housing units owned by the government are scheduled to be constructed in the riding of Victoria over the period of 2015 to 2019, broken down by year; and (g) what government buildings and lands have been identified in the riding of Victoria as surplus and available for affordable housing developments?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 2311

[Murray Rankin, NDP, Victoria, BC]

With regard to federal funding in the constituency of Victoria, between April 2016 and January 2019: (a) what applications for funding have been received, including for each the (i) name of the organization, (ii) department, (iii) program and sub-program under which they applied for funding, (iv) date of the application, (v) amount applied for, (vi) whether funding has been approved or not, (vii) total amount of funding, if funding was approved; (b) what funds, grants, loans, and loan guarantees has the government issued through its various departments and agencies in the constituency of Victoria that did not require a direct application from the applicant, including for each the (i) name of the organization, (ii) department, (iii) program and sub-program under which they received funding, (iv) total amount of funding, if funding was approved; and (c) what projects have been funded in the constituency of Victoria by organizations tasked with sub-granting government funds (i.e. Community Foundations of Canada), including for each the (i) name of the organization, (ii) department, (iii) program and sub-program under which they received funding, (iv) total amount of funding, if funding was approved?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 2313

[Larry Maguire, Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

With regard to all work permit applications processed by the High Commission of Canada located in Pretoria, South Africa, broken down by year since January 1, 2015: how many were (i) approved, (ii) denied?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 2314

[Luc Thériault, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

With regard to federal spending in the riding of Montcalm, for each fiscal year since 2010-11, inclusively: what are the details of all grants and contributions, and all loans to every organization, group, business or municipality, broken down by the (i) name of the recipient, (ii) municipality of the recipient, (iii) date on which the funding was received, (iv) amount received, (v) department or agency that provided the funding, (vi) program under which the grant, contribution or loan was made, (vii) nature or purpose?

(Return tabled)

Question No. 2315

[Luc Thériault, Bloc, Montcalm, QC]

With regard to federal spending in the riding of Gaspésie—Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine, for each fiscal year since 2010-11, inclusively: what are the details of all grants and contributions, and all loans to every organization, group, business or municipality, broken down by the (i) name of the recipient, (ii) municipality of the recipient, (iii) date on which the funding was received, (iv) amount received, (v) department or agency that provided the funding, (vi) program under which the grant, contribution or loan was made, (vii) nature or purpose?