Debates of March 29th, 2023

Question No.1242—

[Leslyn Lewis, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

With regard to the Canada Growth Fund (CGF): (a) what are the details of the proposed standards and metrics of the environmental, social and governance (ESG) framework to be imposed on investments; (b) how will deals be measured or assessed against the ESG framework; (c) what will be the ESG measurement and reporting standards required of companies; (d) will the CGF require that the measurements and reports in (c) be externally audited; (e) will the (i) measurements and reports, (ii) findings of the related audits, be made publicly available, and, if so, how; (f) what are the details of the corporate structure responsible for administering the Canada Growth Fund, including the (i) board composition, (ii) appointment process, (iii) terms of service; (g) what are the selection criteria, the process and the status for hiring the senior executive management team; and (h) what specific accountability mechanisms, if any, is the government putting in place to ensure that CGF funds, including operational funding, are not mismanaged or used fraudulently?

[Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, the Canada growth fund, or CGF, was incorporated by the Canada Development Investment Corporation, or CDEV, on December 13, 2022. The CGF is currently in a preoperational phase, and CDEV is undertaking work to support the implementation of the CGF, including reporting and accountability frameworks. Additional details will be released in the first half of 2023.

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. 1228, 1229, 1231, 1234, 1236, 1237, 1240, 1241, 1243 and 1244 could be made orders for returns, these returns would be tabled immediately.

[The Deputy Speaker, Chris d'Entremont]

Is that agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

Question No.1228—

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

With regard to aircraft owned by the government, broken down by department, agency or other government entity that owns the aircraft, excluding aircraft owned by the Department of National Defence: (a) what is the total number of aircraft currently owned by the government; and (b) what are the details of each aircraft, including (i) the make, (ii) the model, (iii) the age, (iv) the date of purchase, (v) the original purchase price, (vi) whether the aircraft was new or used when purchased, (vii) the estimated cost to operate per flight hour, (viii) the estimated hourly fuel usage, (ix) the operational readiness or the percentage of time the aircraft is available for use, (x) the primary purpose of the aircraft?

(Return tabled)

Question No.1229—

[John Barlow, Conservative, Foothills, AB]

With regard to the revocation of government security clearances since 2016, broken down by year: (a) how many individuals have had their security clearances revoked for cause (i.e. not as a result of retirement or resignation); (b) of the revocations in (a), how many were due to the individual spying or otherwise acting on behalf of a foreign government; and (c) what is the breakdown of (a) and (b) by department, agency, Crown corporation, or other government entity?

(Return tabled)

Question No.1231—

[Dan Albas, Conservative, Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, BC]

With regard to the one-time top-up to the Canada Housing Benefit and the dental benefits in Bill C-32, Fall Economic Statement Implementation Act, 2022: (a) since the applications opened in December 2022, how many applications have been received for the (i) Canada Housing Benefit top-up, (ii) dental benefits; (b) how many of the applications in (a) were (i) accepted, (ii) rejected; (c) what are the total amounts paid out to date to recipients of the (i) Canada Housing Benefit top-up, (ii) dental benefits; (d) how many separate individuals have received payments to date for the (i) Canada Housing Benefit top-up, (ii) dental benefits; (e) what is the total amount spent to date on advertising to promote the (i) Canada Housing Benefit top-up, (ii) dental benefit; (f) what is the total advertising budget, including amounts not spent to date, to promote the Canada Housing Benefit top-up; (g) what is the total advertising budget for the (i) current fiscal year, (ii) next fiscal year, to promote the dental benefit; and (h) what is the breakdown of each part of (a) through (d) by province or territory?

(Return tabled)

Question No.1234—

[Andrew Scheer, Conservative, Regina—Qu'Appelle, SK]

With regard to audits conducted by the Canada Revenue Agency, broken down by each of the last five tax years: (a) how many individuals and couples were chosen for personal income tax audits, broken down by each tax bracket; and (b) what percentage of the total number of personal income tax filers in each bracket do the numbers in (a) represent?

(Return tabled)

Question No.1236—

[Daniel Blaikie, NDP, Elmwood—Transcona, MB]

With regard to the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), since its inception: (a) what is the total number of individuals eligible for CERB who have (i) paid back their CERB debt in full, (ii) paid back their CERB debt partially, (iii) not paid back any portion of their CERB debt; (b) what is the total number of individuals who were deemed ineligible for CERB who have (i) paid back their CERB debt in full, (ii) paid back their CERB debt partially, (iii) not paid back any portion of their CERB debt; (c) how many individuals have had CERB debt recollected through (i) withholding of tax refunds or GST credits, (ii) reduction of EI benefits, (iii) garnishing of wages or other income, (iv) seizures or holds on bank accounts, (v) liens on homes or other properties; and (d) what is the total number of individuals with outstanding CERB debt who fall below the (i) low-income cut-off, (ii) market basket measure, (iii) low-income measure?

(Return tabled)

Question No.1237—

[Daniel Blaikie, NDP, Elmwood—Transcona, MB]

With regard to the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), broken down by federal electoral district: what is the total number of individuals with outstanding CERB debt who fall below the (i) low-income cut-off, (ii) market basket measure, (iii) low-income measure?

(Return tabled)

Question No.1240—

[Martin Shields, Conservative, Bow River, AB]

With regard to the statement made by the Minister of Labour in the Senate on February 9, 2023, that “I need more workers in the oil and gas industry, not less”: (a) what is the minister's plan to get more workers employed in the oil and gas industry; and (b) how many more workers does the government estimate are needed in the oil and gas industry?

(Return tabled)

Question No.1241—

[Leslyn Lewis, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

With regard to the Smart Cities Challenge (SCC): (a) what are the specific results, outcomes, and measurable objectives expected to be achieved through the SCC; (b) what are the results of any performance assessments done to date; (c) how many smart cities projects have been approved to date, including, for each project, the (i) description, (ii) location, (iii) total federal funding, (iv) project status; (d) with which domestic and international stakeholders did consultations take place when proposing and implementing the SCC; (e) what are the names of all partners associated with the SCC program; (f) what is the role of each partner in (e) and what specific tasks is each partner expected to do; (g) was the former Sidewalk Toronto project at any time considered for Smart Cities funding or associated with the program in any way, and, if so, what are the details; and (h) what plans does the government have for expanding the SCC or starting new, similar initiatives?

(Return tabled)

Question No.1243—

[Leslyn Lewis, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

With regard to Canada’s participation in the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, from January 16 to 20, 2023: (a) how many individuals were part of Canada’s delegation in Davos; (b) who were the members of the delegation, including, for each, their (i) name, (ii) title, (iii) role; (c) what are the details of all meetings held in Davos involving the Deputy Prime Minister, including, for each, the (i) date, (ii) names and titles of the attendees, (iii) purpose of the meeting, (iv) agenda items, (v) summary of what occurred at the meeting, including any agreements made; (d) what are the details of all meetings held in Davos involving members of the Canadian delegation other than the Deputy Prime Minister, including, for each, the (i) date, (ii) names and titles of the attendees, (iii) purpose of the meeting, (iv) agenda items, (v) summary of what occurred at the meeting, including anything that was agreed to; (e) what are the details, including the summary of terms, of any agreements entered into during the forum; (f) what are the details of all follow-up action taken by the government as a result of what happened at the forum; and (g) what are the details of all memoranda or briefing notes prepared to support Canada’s delegation to the forum, including, for each, the (i) date, (ii) sender, (iii) recipient, (iv) title, (v) subject matter, (vi) summary of contents, (vii) file number?

(Return tabled)

Question No.1244—

[Leslyn Lewis, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

With regard to the Agile Nations Charter: (a) how was Canada selected to participate in the Panel on Agile Governance for the Post-Pandemic World and subsequently the Agile Nations; (b) how were the companies selected to participate in the Agile Nations discussions; (c) what are the details of Canada’s submissions or contributions to the early drafts of the Charter, including, for each, the (i) date, (ii) sender, (iii) recipient, (iv) title, (v) subject matter, (vi) summary of the contents, (vii) file number; (d) what are the differences between the different drafts of the Charter; (e) which officials negotiated the Charter on behalf of Canada, including, for each, their (i) name, (ii) title, (iii) role; (f) what are the details of Canada's initial interactions with the World Economic Forum or the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development with regard to an Agile Nations concept or panel, including the (i) date of the interaction, (ii) nature of the interaction (in-person, virtual, correspondence, etc.), (iii) sender, (iv) recipient, (v) title, (vi) subject matter, (vii) summary of the interaction, (viii) file number; (g) what consultations took place with the public or with Canadian stakeholders before Canada signed the Charter in November 2020; (h) are the plenary meetings and the working group meetings that have taken place since the inception of Agile Nations recorded and available for public viewing; (i) if the answer to (h) is affirmative, where can the public access the links to view the meetings, and if the answer is negative, why are they not available; (j) what consultations has the government undertaken for the development of the first and second Agile Nations work programs, including the (i) dates of applicable meetings, (ii) type of consultation, (iii) organizations consulted, (iv) summary of the feedback received; (k) what kinds of information and data is the government sharing with Agile Nations members and observers as part of its participation in the forum; and (l) what are the parameters for how department resources, both in terms of spending and personnel hours, are used in connection to Agile Nations projects within (i) the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, (ii) the Standards Council of Canada, (iii) Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, (iv) Health Canada?

(Return tabled)