Debates of Nov. 6th, 2023

Internationally Trained Dentists

[Tim Uppal, Conservative, Edmonton Mill Woods, AB]

Madam Speaker, I am honoured to rise to present a petition signed by almost 1,000 Canadians, many of whom are members of the Internationally Trained Dentists Association of Canada.

Internationally trained dentists are more than willing to prove their competence through their examinations, but the lengthy delays for exams, the lack of seats, lack of proper communication and transparency and the high costs for exams are leaving them broke and without accreditation.

Petitioners are calling on the government to recognize that the equivalency process conducted by the National Dental Examination Board of Canada needs to have complete procedural and financial transparency, to have better communication with its applicants and to work better with the provinces to review and audit the exam process so internationally trained dentists can quickly complete their examinations and get to work in Canada.

Military Chaplaincy

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

Madam Speaker, I am here to present a number of petitions today. I am going to start with a petition in light of recent events and of Remembrance Day coming up.

The folks who have signed this petition are calling on the House of Canada to respect the tradition of honouring and affirming the roles of faith in the Canadian Armed Forces. The Canadian Armed Forces chaplaincy program contributes to the health, morale and spiritual well-being of servicemen and women from all faiths and non-faith backgrounds. The Liberal government has attempted to undermine the rights of these servicemen and women by prohibiting chaplains from doing their job.

Petitioners are calling on the Government of Canada to reaffirm that the Canadian Armed Forces chaplaincy is free to support servicemen and women through public prayer in keeping with the hard-won and honourable traditions of the Canadian Armed Forces, especially on Remembrance Day.

Rights of the Unborn

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

Madam Speaker, the next petition is from Canadians across the country who note that nearly 300 babies die every day in Canada since the Morgentaler decision. In Canada, the law has no legal protections for the preborn. Only two countries in the world have zero protections for the preborn, being Canada and North Korea; over 98% of these deaths are caused by reasons outside social or personal convenience.

The heartbeat of a child starts at five weeks. The petitioners are calling on the Government of Canada to recognize the humanity of the preborn starting at five weeks.

Firearms

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

Madam Speaker, the next petition I have to present is from Canadians across the country who are concerned about the health and safety of Canadian firearms owners. The petitioners recognize the importance of owning firearms and are concerned about hearing loss caused by the noise levels of firearms, as well as the need for noise reduction.

The petitioners acknowledge that sound moderators are the only universally recognized health and safety device that is criminally prohibited here in Canada. Moreover, the majority of G7 countries have recognized the health and safety benefits of sound moderators, allowing them for use in hunting, sport shooting and noise pollution reduction. In many countries, they are mandated.

The petitioners are calling on the Government of Canada to allow firearms owners the option to purchase and use sound moderators for all legal hunting and sport shooting activities.

Human Rights

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

Madam Speaker, the next petition is from folks across the country who are concerned about the human rights protections of people in Turkey, Pakistan and Bahrain. The petitioners state that Turkish, Pakistani and Bahraini officials have committed gross human rights violations against thousands of Turks, including eight Turkish Canadians. The petitioners say that Turkish officials have killed hundreds, including Gokhan Acikkollu, and that they have wrongfully detained over 300,000 people.

Multiple human rights groups have confirmed these gross violations in Turkey. The petitioners ask the Government of Canada to closely monitor the situation and sanction Turkish officials who have committed these gross violations against eight Canadians and killed Gokhan Acikkollu. They also call on the Turkish, Pakistani and Bahraini governments to end all human rights violations in their respective countries.

Freedom of Political Expression

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

Madam Speaker, the next petition is from Canadians across the country who would like the House of Commons to recognize that Canadians have the right to be protected against discrimination. Canadians can and do face political discrimination, but it is a fundamental Canadian right to be politically active and vocal. It is in the best interest of Canadian democracy to protect public debate and the exchange of differing ideas; Bill C-257 seeks to add protection against political discrimination to the Canadian Human Rights Act.

Therefore, the petitioners call on the Government of Canada and the House of Commons to support Bill C-257, which would ban discrimination on the basis of political belief and activity, and to defend the rights of Canadians to peacefully express their political opinions.

International Development

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

Madam Speaker, the next petition is from Canadians across the country who are concerned about the Liberals' so-called international assistance policy, which has shown a lack of respect for cultural values and the autonomy of women in the developing world. It does so by supporting organizations that violate local laws at the expense of international development priorities, such as clean water and basic nutrition.

The Liberals' approach to international development has been criticized by the Auditor General for failing to meet measured results. The petitioners note that the Muskoka Initiative involved historic investments in the well-being of women and girls around the world; this initiative emphasized value for money and ensured that investments in the priorities identified by local women were made.

Therefore, the petitioners call on the Government of Canada to align its international development spending with the approach taken by the Muskoka Initiative. It should focus on ensuring that international development dollars meet the basic needs of vulnerable women around the world, rather than pushing an ideological agenda that conflicts with local values in developing countries, and securing measured outcomes.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. When members present multiple petitions, it is great and wonderful, but it is much appreciated if they can keep them as concise as possible. I understand other people want to present petitions.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

I want to remind members that they are to provide a brief statement. I know that the hon. member has tabled many petitions, but they have not been very lengthy. He is doing what he is supposed to be doing, so I will allow him to continue.

The hon. member for Peace River—Westlock.

Criminal Code

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

Madam Speaker, another petition that I have to present today is from Canadians across the country who want to note that it is established that the risk of violence against women increases while they are pregnant. Currently, in Canadian law, the injury or death of preborn children as victims of crime is not considered as an aggravating circumstance for sentencing purposes. Canada has no legal protection for preborn children, including the victims of violent crimes.

Justice requires that an attacker who abuses a pregnant woman and her preborn child be sentenced accordingly and that the sentence should match the crime. Therefore, the folks who have signed this petition are calling on the Government of Canada and the House of Commons to legislate the abuse of pregnant women and the infliction of harm on a preborn child as an aggravating circumstance for sentencing purposes in the Criminal Code.

Float Homes

[Bardish Chagger, Liberal, Waterloo, ON]

Madam Speaker, this is a petition for the Minister of Transport. Municipalities, property associations and thousands of individuals who are also residents of Ontario are concerned by the damage, including environmental, social, economic and public safety impacts, that unregulated float homes could potentially cause to our waterways in Ontario.

The problem is that there is a lack of consistency between provinces. These structures, in British Columbia, have been classified as float homes and not vessels. Therefore, petitioners are respectfully requesting that the Department of Transport, through the Minister of Transport, classify both existing and new float homes within Ontario as float homes and not vessels in a manner that is consistent with what was determined for the province of British Columbia in 2001. The petitioners look forward to a response from the government.

Animal Welfare

[Lindsay Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Madam Speaker, I rise with respect to a petition that is asking for the Department of National Defence to stop using pigs for Canadian military trauma training. The petitioners say that the continued use of these piglets is problematic because it does not accurately train soldiers as they need to be trained; human patient simulators, which accurately mimic human anatomy and physiology, are more applicable. The undersigned have asked the Minister of National Defence to bring an end to the use of animals in military trauma training and replace them with more advanced, human-relevant and less-expensive human patient simulators.

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 questions will be answered today: Nos. 1710, 1712, 1715 to 1719, 1724, 1725, 1732, 1733, 1735 and 1740.

Question No.1710—

[Dan Mazier, Conservative, Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, MB]

With regard to the Centre for Rural Economic Development, since its founding: (a) how much has been paid out in bonuses and performance awards, broken down by year; (b) how many employees received bonuses or performance awards each year; and (c) what are the details of the $400,000 listed, under the standard object 0306-subscriptions and data, in the government’s response to Order Paper Question Q-1449, including, for each contract, the (i) vendor, (ii) date, (iii) amount, (iv) description of the goods or services?

[Darrell Samson, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Rural Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency]

Mr. Speaker, between 2019 and late 2021, the centre for rural economic development was housed at Infrastructure Canada, INFC, and thereafter re-established at Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, ISED. As a result, this response reflects the combined records of both departments.

As previously reported in Question No. 1449, financial data for the period requested and the level of detail requested were not captured in INFC’s financial system. Therefore, and consistent with its response to Question No. 1449, INFC concluded that producing and validating a comprehensive response to the question could lead to the disclosure of incomplete and misleading financial information. As such, responses to (a) and (b) reflect the records of ISED.

The centre for rural economic development, since its founding, notes the following. With regard to part (a), in fiscal years 2019-20 and 2020-21, INFC had nil, as per the above justification. In fiscal year 2021-22, ISED had zero dollars in bonuses and $15,455.70 in performance awards. In fiscal year 2022-23, ISED had zero dollars in bonuses and $16,982.89 in performance awards

With regard to part (b), in fiscal years 2019-20 and 2020-21, INFC had nil, as per the above justification. For fiscal year 2021-22, ISED is withholding information in accordance with subsection 19(1) of the Access to Information Act, as the response contains information that when used alone or with other relevant data could identify individuals. For fiscal year 2022-23, ISED is withholding information in accordance with subsection 19(1) of the Access to Information Act, as the response contains information that when used alone or with other relevant data could identify individuals.

With regard to part (c)(i), in fiscal years 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22, ISED had no vendor. In fiscal year 2022-23, ISED’s vendor was Statistics Canada.

With regard to part (c)(ii), in fiscal years 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22, per ISED, there was no date. In fiscal year 2022-23, per ISED, the dates were January 17, 2023; January 17, 2023; and March 14, 2023.

With regard to part (c)(iii), in fiscal years 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22, ISED’s amount was nil. In fiscal year 2022-23, ISED’s amounts were $130,000, $130,000 and $140,000 respectively to the above dates.

With regard to part (c)(iv), a description of the goods or services, the $400,000 expenditure was for a project aimed at progressively expanding access to data required to support rural policy formulation and evaluation, rural programs and more broadly the rural data needs of various stakeholders across Canada. The project was led by a team of analysts at the Centre for Special Business Projects, CSBP, of Statistics Canada, in coordination with relevant subject-matter divisions across Statistics Canada.

With regard to the $400,000, INFC did not code under standard object 03 but rather under standard object 04, consistent with its internal coding practices on memoranda of understanding and other business arrangements. The letter of agreement was transferred to ISED along with the transfer of responsibility of rural economic development. The letter of agreement was in effect at INFC during fiscal year 2021-22 with Statistics Canada. The total amount paid for the contract was $400,000.

Question No.1712—

[Warren Steinley, Conservative, Regina—Lewvan, SK]

With regard to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), since November 4, 2015: what are the details of all studies, completed or ongoing, which were conducted by or on behalf of CMHC, related to taxes on primary residences, including, for each, (i) the amount spent, (ii) who conducted the study, (iii) the start and end dates, (iv) the findings, (v) the website address where details are located, if applicable?

[Chris Bittle, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing]

Mr. Speaker, with regard to completing or having any ongoing studies related to taxes on primary residences, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, CMHC, has nothing to report.

Question No.1715—

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

With regard to the implementation of Bill C-41, An Act to amend the Criminal Code and to make consequential amendments to other Acts: (a) what is the status of the required guidance for applicants to the authorization regime established by Bill C-41, including (i) which departments and agencies, and specifically which directorates, sectors, and branches, have been involved in drafting guidance for organizations wishing to submit an application, (ii) what privacy concerns have civil society organizations raised with government officials during consultations on guidance documents and what has been the government’s response to these concerns, (iii) was the deputy minister responsible for international humanitarian assistance or international development policy included in the consultations, and, if so, in what capacity; (b) what funds have been allocated under the new system, including (i) to which organizations, (ii) for work in which countries; (c) how many authorization applications has the government (i) made for its own activities, (ii) received from outside government, (iii) approved, and for which countries, (iv) sought for its own work in Afghanistan; and (d) what is the current list of countries and sub-regions for which an authorization is deemed necessary and which deputy ministers, including their departments and agencies, are involved in developing this list?

[Jennifer O'Connell, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, with regard to part (a), the government is developing operational guidance required for applicants that have been subject to consultation with both government departments and external stakeholders. This public-facing information will address all aspects of the regime, including in support of the authorization regime.

With regard to part (a)(i), a broad range of government departments and agencies have supported the drafting of this guidance. They include the criminal law policy section, the centre for information and privacy law, and legal services of the Department of Justice; federal policing national security through the Royal Canadian Mounted Police; the financial crimes and security division of the Department of Finance Canada; the charities directorate of the Canada Revenue Agency; the public international law bureau, international crime and terrorism policy division and Afghanistan division of Global Affairs Canada; the Canadian Security Intelligence Service; and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

With regard to part (a)(ii), civil society organizations raised concerns regarding the collection of information as part of the application process required to facilitate the statutory security review requirement. The authorization regime will present a balance between clarifying permissible action and mitigating the risk of terrorist financing. Accordingly, this requires that certain information be collected from the directing officials of applicant organizations to enable the investigative agencies’ exercise of due diligence when reviewing applications.

Significant consideration has been given to managing and protecting personal information and limiting access to it for the purposes of the regime. Collection, use and disclosure authorities or limits are embedded throughout the legislative scheme for the regime. For example, the legislation contains safeguards with respect to limiting the use of this information for the administration and enforcement of the authorization regime under section 83 of the Criminal Code. The application will seek to collect sufficient information required to efficiently advise the Minister of Public Safety in their decision to grant an authorization, taking into account the risks and benefits of the activity.

With regard to privacy and transparency, the government is developing a multi-institutional privacy impact assessment, PIA, to identify privacy risks or gaps, ensure compliance with privacy laws and policies, minimize privacy intrusions and develop a mitigation plan to address identified risks. The PIA will be submitted to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner and a summary of the PIA will be made public.

Organizations also raised concerns about the upcoming requirement to table an annual report to Parliament on the regime. Once the authorization regime is operational, the extent of information that will be available and the level of involvement from stakeholders will be determined.

With regard to part (a)(iii), the deputy minister responsible for international humanitarian assistance or international development policy was not included in the consultations.

With regard to part (b), the authorization regime was designed to enable organizations to conduct needed activities in geographic areas that are controlled by a terrorist group. Organizations may conduct said activities with government funding or private donor funds. Once the regime is operational, the government will track the value of proposed projects and the associated source or sources of funds.

With regard to part (c), the annual report to Parliament on the regime is intended to provide statistics such as how many applications have been received, granted and refused, among other things. It is important to note that Bill C-41 received royal assent on June 20, 2023, and since that date, a humanitarian exception pursuant to subsection 83.03(4) of the Criminal Code has been in effect. This meets the immediate need for humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan and avoids the necessary process that will be associated with the authorization regime.

With regard to part (d), to remove the burden on potential applicant organizations of having to determine themselves which geographic areas are controlled by a terrorist group, the legislation includes a provision that allows an eligible person or organization to seek such information from the Minister of Public Safety. Subsection 83.032(2.1) of the Criminal Code provides, “The Public Safety Minister must, at the request of an eligible person or an organization, provide to that person or organization information in writing about whether an authorization is required to carry out an activity or a class of activities in a given geographic area.”

The threat landscape is continuously shifting, and a complicating factor is that territorial control is often disputed and can change frequently between the control of internationally recognized governments, terrorist organizations and/or their auxiliaries. As such, the government will not be maintaining a list of geographic areas that are controlled by a terrorist group, and instead will respond to inquiries on a case-by-case basis.

Question No.1716—

[Rick Perkins, Conservative, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

With regard to the government's funding assistance for the electric battery plant with Volkswagen Canada in St. Thomas, Ontario: what is the contracted construction schedule of the battery plant, including the anticipated day each stage of development will begin, until production commences?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, with respect to key milestones, it was announced on March 13, 2023, that Volkswagen and its subsidiary PowerCo will establish an electric vehicle battery manufacturing facility in St. Thomas, Ontario, making it the company’s first overseas battery cell plant. This news was shared on the Government of Canada’s website, found here: https://www.canada.ca/en/innovation-science-economic-development/news/2023/03/canada-and-ontario-welcome-historic-investment-from-volkswagen.html.

On April 21, 2023, the Prime Minister announced that Volkswagen would be investing $7 billion Canadian toward this project, which is the largest electric vehicle-related investment in Canadian history. Construction of the plant is expected to begin in 2024. Once completed in 2027, the plant will produce batteries for up to one million electric vehicles per year. Additional details on this announcement were shared on the Prime Minister of Canada’s website, found here: https://www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/news-releases/2023/04/21/volkswagens-new-electric-vehicle-battery-plant-will-create-thousands.

Question No.1717—

[Rick Perkins, Conservative, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

With regard to the April 21, 2023, news release by the Office of the Prime Minister on the Volkswagen battery plant in St Thomas, Ontario, (a) how was the estimated return on the investment calculated for the announced $200 billion generated by the battery plant; (b) what is the projected (i) final value on investment, (ii) initial value of investment, (iii) final cost of investment; and (c) how was each figure in (a) and (b) calculated, including the methodology and figures used for each calculation?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, with regard to part (a), after production ramp-up and assuming full capacity utilization of 90 gigawatt hours, the value of battery production from the PowerCo plant is estimated to reach $200 billion in less than 15 years, which is well within the average lifespan of a plant in this sector. The calculation is based on the average price of a battery cell in 2022 multiplied by an annual production rate of 90 gigawatt hours.

With regard to part (b), Volkswagen is investing $7 billion to establish its first overseas electric vehicle battery manufacturing plant in St. Thomas, Ontario.

Canada has committed to providing PowerCo with production support to match the advanced manufacturing production credit in the United States’ Inflation Reduction Act, equalling $35 U.S. per kilowatt hour for battery cells. Canada’s support will only be provided for what is produced and sold, and will phase out by 25 percentage points every year beginning in 2030. After 2032, the credit would be eliminated. The agreement also has the flexibility to be adjusted should the U.S.’s advanced manufacturing production credit be changed. For PowerCo, this means support ranging between $8 billion and $13.2 billion depending on production levels, two-thirds of which will be provided by Canada and one-third of which will be provided by Ontario.

Canada will also provide funding under the strategic innovation fund, SIF, for capital expenditures of up to $700 million for PowerCo.

With regard to part (c), the figure in part (a) is estimated based on the average price of a battery cell in 2022 of $120 U.S. per kilowatt hour, per BloombergNEF, converted to Canadian dollars using the average Canada-U.S. exchange rate for 2022, which was one dollar U.S. for $1.3013 Canadian, multiplied by the production rate of 90 gigawatt hours over a 15-year time period.

The figures in part (b) are the publicly reported value of Volkswagen’s investment and the funding committed to by the Government of Canada.

Question No.1718—

[Ryan Williams, Conservative, Bay of Quinte, ON]

With regard to the government's announcement related to the electric battery plant with Stellantis Canada in Windsor, Ontario: what is the contracted construction schedule of the battery plant, including the anticipated day that each stage of development will begin, until battery production commences?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Minister of Innovation]

Mr. Speaker, with respect to key milestones, it was announced on March 23, 2022, that LG Energy Solution and Stellantis had created a joint venture with a total investment of more than $5 billion Canadian, or $4.1 billion U.S., toward a facility to manufacture batteries for electric vehicles in Canada. As per the announcement, the plant construction activities were scheduled to begin in late 2022, with production operations planned to launch in the first quarter of 2024. The facility will be operational by 2025. This news was shared on the Government of Canada’s website, found here: https://www.canada.ca/en/innovation-science-economic-development/news/2022/03/government-of-canada-welcomes-largest-investment-in-canadas-auto-industry-with-the-first-large-scale-domestic-ev-battery-manufacturing-facility.html.

Following this announcement, on July 6, 2023, LG Energy Solution, Stellantis, the Government of Canada and the Province of Ontario released additional information about the project and the level of support to be provided to secure this investment. Information with respect to the government’s obligations under the special contribution agreement was released in a statement from Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. The statement can be found here: https://www.canada.ca/en/innovation-science-economic-development/news/2023/07/canada-and-ontario-establish-an-auto-pact-to-secure-stellantis-lges-and-volkswagen-deals.html.