House of Commons Hansard #171 of the 44th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was beer.

Topics

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Criminal Code Second reading of Bill C-283. The bill aims to amend the Criminal Code and Corrections and Conditional Release Act to allow federal inmates to serve sentences in designated addiction treatment facilities. Proponents argue it will reduce recidivism and offer rehabilitation for those struggling with substance abuse. However, critics raise concerns that it excludes vulnerable populations, including many Indigenous and Black persons, and may not address the root causes of addiction. 8300 words, 1 hour in 2 segments: 1 2.

Statements by Members

Question Period

The Conservatives highlight Canada's housing affordability crisis, with doubled mortgage payments, high rents, and low housing supply. They propose linking infrastructure funds to construction and converting empty federal buildings. The party also criticizes the carbon tax for increasing costs and the government's weakness in US trade relations.
The Liberals emphasize their national housing strategy, investing $4 billion for municipalities and accelerating supply. They highlight economic growth, record job creation, and poverty reduction, alongside affordability measures like dental care. The government defends its handling of foreign interference and champions green investments and US trade relations.
The Bloc criticizes the government's handling of Chinese foreign interference, demanding an independent public inquiry instead of a self-serving appointment. They also condemn Amira Elghawaby's actions, stating she is using her role to attack Quebec's Bill 21 rather than build bridges between communities.
The NDP focuses on the cost of living, affordable housing, and a Canadian job plan responding to the IRA. They seek veterans contract cancellation and criticize silence on India's actions in Punjab.
The Greens emphasize the IPCC report's call for deep emissions reductions, advocating a fracking ban and cancelling fossil fuel projects.

Procedure and House Affairs Members debate a report from the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, calling for a national public inquiry into foreign election interference. The NDP-led motion seeks a comprehensive inquiry into allegations of interference by China, Russia, Iran, and India, with the inquiry head chosen by unanimous agreement of House leaders. The Liberals, while agreeing on the need to address foreign interference, express concerns about a public inquiry's ability to handle classified information. Conservatives support a public inquiry but initially wanted to exclude Russian interference and accuse the NDP of "partisan games" and delaying tactics. 24400 words, 3 hours.

Opposition Motion—Tax Increase on Beer, Wine and Spirits Members debate a Conservative motion to freeze the Liberal government's 6.3% increase to the alcohol excise tax, set for April 1, 2023. Conservatives argue the increase, the largest in 40 years, will harm Canadians struggling with inflation and threaten jobs in the hospitality and alcohol sectors. Liberals counter the increase is minimal and highlight targeted affordability measures. The Bloc and NDP support the freeze, while also advocating for a restructuring of excise taxes to better support small Canadian breweries, wineries, and distilleries. 19300 words, 3 hours in 2 segments: 1 2.

Don Valley North Han Dong announces he will sit as an independent MP, citing "false" media reports about his loyalty to Canada and to clear his name, denying all accusations and reaffirming his commitment to human rights. 500 words.

Period for Questions and Comments Following Speeches Members debate the practice of MPs leaving after delivering speeches, thereby avoiding the subsequent question and comment period, raising concerns about accountability and parliamentary decorum. 1400 words, 10 minutes.

Supplementary Estimates (C), 2022-23 First reading of Bill C-43. The bill grants certain sums of money for the federal public administration for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2023. It passes with support from Liberals, Bloc, NDP, Greens, and Independents, while Conservatives oppose. 500 words, 10 minutes.

Interim Supply Members concur in interim supply, approving over $89.6 billion for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2024, to fund various government departments and agencies. 700 words.

Interim Supply First reading of Bill C-44. The bill grants sums of money to His Majesty for the federal public administration for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2024, and proceeds through its first, second, and third readings. 500 words, 10 minutes.

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Question No.1193—Questions Passed as Orders for ReturnsRoutine Proceedings

7:50 p.m.

Conservative

Blake Richards Conservative Banff—Airdrie, AB

With regard to Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC): (a) what are the details of all funding agreements VAC has, or has had, in place with the Canadian Virtual Hospice since January 1, 2020; (b) what are the details of any projects funded, in whole, or in part, with the Canadian Virtual Hospice, including, for each, the (i) project description, (ii) purpose of the project, (iii) amount of federal contribution; and (c) has VAC sent or received any correspondence or communication to or from the Canadian Virtual Hospice related to medical assistance in dying and, if so, what are the details of such correspondence or communication, including the (i) date, (ii) title, (iii) type of communication, (iv) sender, (v) recipient, (vi) summary of contents?

(Return tabled)

Question No.1194—Questions Passed as Orders for ReturnsRoutine Proceedings

7:50 p.m.

Conservative

Rick Perkins Conservative South Shore—St. Margarets, NS

With regard to government contracts on professional and special services which were signed since January 1, 2016, and that have a value greater than one million dollars: what are the details of all such contracts, including (i) the contract start and end dates, (ii) the vendor, (iii), the value, (iv) the description of work completed, (v) whether the contract was sole-sourced or awarded through a competitive bidding process, (vi) the reason the work was unable to be completed using existing public service resources?

(Return tabled)

Question No.1195—Questions Passed as Orders for ReturnsRoutine Proceedings

7:50 p.m.

Conservative

Rick Perkins Conservative South Shore—St. Margarets, NS

With regard to contracts entered into by the government where the vendor did not meet its contractual obligations, since January 1, 2019: what are the details of all such instances, including, for each contract, the (i) date, (ii) vendor, (iii) value, (iv) description of goods or services agreed to in the contract, (v) part of the contractual obligation which the vendor did not meet, (vi) corrective action taken, (vii) amount recovered by the government, if any?

(Return tabled)

Question No.1197—Questions Passed as Orders for ReturnsRoutine Proceedings

7:50 p.m.

NDP

Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC

With regard to the government’s contract with the Pacific Gateway Hotel in Richmond, British Columbia, for the provision of quarantine facilities and accommodations during the COVID-19 pandemic: (a) on what date was the contract signed; (b) what was the end date for the contract; (c) what was the rationale for awarding the contract; (d) how much has the government paid to date for all services provided by this site, broken down by type of cost (meals, security, etc.) and total cost per year; (e) what are the details of any other costs associated with the provision of quarantine facilities and accommodations at this site, including, for each, the (i) vendor, (ii) amount paid by the government, (iii) description of goods or services; (f) how many people elected to use this facility as a designated quarantine facility, broken down by total users per month and year; (g) is the government contractually required to continue paying for any services at this site following the end of pandemic restrictions, and, if so, what are the details, including amounts of any such required payments; and (h) has the government had to pay this site for any other cost related to the contract, such as damages, upkeep, or renovations, and, if so, what are the details, including dates and amounts of all such costs?

(Return tabled)

Question No.1198—Questions Passed as Orders for ReturnsRoutine Proceedings

7:50 p.m.

Conservative

Lianne Rood Conservative Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, ON

With regard to funding applications submitted to the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, broken down by fiscal year from 2019-20 to 2021–22 and by region: (a) how many applications were submitted; (b) what proportion of applications were submitted by small businesses; and (c) what was the success rate of applications submitted by small businesses?

(Return tabled)

Question No.1199—Questions Passed as Orders for ReturnsRoutine Proceedings

7:50 p.m.

Conservative

Lianne Rood Conservative Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, ON

With regard to the Regional Relief and Recovery Fund in Ontario, broken down by fiscal year since 2020-21: (a) what are the (i) names of the applicants, (ii) purpose of the projects, (iii) amounts of funding requested, (iv) amounts of funding approved, for all projects funded through the Regional Relief and Recovery Fund; (b) what percentage of projects benefited not-for-profit organizations; and (c) what percentage of projects funded were specifically designed to aid in economic recovery for individuals identifying as (i) Indigenous, (ii) LGBTQ2S+, (iii) racialized Canadians?

(Return tabled)

Question No.1201—Questions Passed as Orders for ReturnsRoutine Proceedings

7:50 p.m.

Conservative

Dan Mazier Conservative Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, MB

With regard to the statement in the government response to Order Paper question Q-965 that “93.5% of Canadians have access to high-speed Internet, or are targeted to receive access through program commitments”: (a) what is the breakdown of the percentage of Canadians who (i) currently have access to high-speed internet, (ii) do not currently have access, but are targeted to received access through program commitments; and (b) what is the breakdown of (a) in (i) rural areas, (ii) northern areas, (iii) First Nation reserve areas, (iv) each province and territory?

(Return tabled)

Question No.1202—Questions Passed as Orders for ReturnsRoutine Proceedings

7:50 p.m.

Conservative

Tony Baldinelli Conservative Niagara Falls, ON

With regard to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) transferring refugees to Niagara Falls, Ontario, from the province of Quebec: (a) when was the first transfer of refugees from Quebec to Niagara Falls; (b) since the date of the first transfer, how many refugees have been transferred from Quebec to Niagara Falls in total; (c) what is the monthly breakdown of the number of refugee transfers from Quebec to Niagara Falls; (d) which hotels is the government using to lodge refugees in Niagara Falls; (e) how many hotel rooms are currently being occupied by refugees in Niagara Falls; (f) what is the capacity of each hotel room that is being occupied by refugees in Niagara Falls; (g) how many refugees are staying in each hotel room in Niagara Falls; (h) what is the average length of time IRCC expects (i) an individual refugee, (ii) a refugee family, to be lodged in a Niagara Falls hotel room; (i) for all refugees being lodged in government funded Niagara Falls hotel rooms, and without identifying names or other personal information, how many days has each refugee stayed; (j) what is the average cost per night that IRCC pays per refugee for staying in a Niagara Falls room; (k) for the night of February 1, 2023, what was the total cost IRCC paid hoteliers to house refugees located in Niagara Falls; (l) what is the average cost that IRCC pays per refugee who lives in a Niagara Falls hotel room for daily meals and refreshments; (m) for the day of February 1, 2023, what was the total cost IRCC paid hoteliers to feed refugees located in Niagara Falls; (n) what are the countries of origin for refugees who have been transferred from Quebec to Niagara Falls; (o) how many refugees come from each country of origin; (p) how many funds have been transferred by the federal government to the municipality of Niagara Falls to deal with the influx of refugees in the city; (q) how many funds have been transferred by the federal government to the Region of Niagara to deal with the influx of refugees in the region; (r) how many funds have been transferred by the federal government to local not-for-profit, charitable, and non-governmental organizations in Niagara Falls to deal with the influx of refugees in the city; (s) what are the names of the specific not-for-profit, charitable, and non-governmental organizations who have received federal government funding; (t) what is the breakdown of funding for each organization to date; (u) how many more refugees does IRCC currently plan to transfer from Quebec to Niagara Falls; (v) since the IRCC began transferring refugees to Niagara Falls from Quebec, how many refugees have moved out of government funded hotel rooms in Niagara Falls and into personal accommodations; (w) when does the federal government plan to stop paying for refugee hotel rooms in Niagara Falls; and (x) what are the terms and conditions of the financial agreement that IRCC has with each hotelier located in Niagara Falls that houses refugees and receives federal monies to provide this service?

(Return tabled)

Question No.1203—Questions Passed as Orders for ReturnsRoutine Proceedings

7:50 p.m.

Conservative

Michael Barrett Conservative Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON

With regard to the Memorial to the Victims of Communism: (a) what specific work was done on the memorial between January 1, 2022, and February 1, 2023; (b) what is the monthly breakdown of (a); (c) is the 2023 target completion date stated in the government's response to Order Paper question Q-519 still accurate, and, if so, when in 2023 will the memorial be completed; and (d) if the 2023 target completion date has been delayed, what is the new target completion date and what is the reason for the delay?

(Return tabled)

Question No.1204—Questions Passed as Orders for ReturnsRoutine Proceedings

7:50 p.m.

Conservative

Gérard Deltell Conservative Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC

With regard to expenditures related to the government's participation in the Conference of the Parties (COP27) in Egypt, in November 2022: what is the breakdown of the $1,077,126.40 spent on hotels and other accommodations, as referenced in the government's response to Order Paper question Q-1039, including (i) what hotels were used, (ii) how much was spent at each hotel, (iii) how many rooms were rented at each hotel and for how many nights, (iv) what was the room rate, or range of room rates, paid at each hotel, (v) how many different individuals' accommodations the $1,077,126.40 covered?

(Return tabled)

Question No.1205—Questions Passed as Orders for ReturnsRoutine Proceedings

7:50 p.m.

Conservative

Adam Chambers Conservative Simcoe North, ON

With regard to phone lines paid for by the government, broken down by cellular line versus traditional landline, for each part of the question: (a) how many phone lines was the government paying for as of January 1, 2023; (b) how many of the phone lines are dormant; (c) how many of the phone lines are active but have not been used or have not had any activity in the last year; (d) how many of the phone lines are considered redundant; and (e) what was the total amount spent on phone lines during the 2022 calendar year, broken down by service provider?

(Return tabled)

Question No.1206—Questions Passed as Orders for ReturnsRoutine Proceedings

7:50 p.m.

Conservative

Jeremy Patzer Conservative Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK

With regard to the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB): how many government employees were fired or terminated as a result of receiving CERB payments while also being employed by the government, broken down by department, agency, or other government entity?

(Return tabled)

Questions Passed as Orders for ReturnsRoutine Proceedings

7:50 p.m.

Liberal

Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB

Madam Speaker, I ask that all remaining questions be allowed to stand at this time.