Debates of Sept. 18th, 2023

Question No.1533—

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, with regard to part (a), the passport program conducted annual client satisfaction surveys with Canadians beginning in 2011. This included possible themes for the new Canadian passport. A new design is required in order to maintain the integrity of the new passport and to align with international security best practices of a five-year passport redesign cycle. Based on the survey results, a new passport theme, “The four seasons in Canada”, was proposed and subsequently approved by the Minister of IRCC.

With regard to part (b), consultations on the new theme and images occurred, including with the Government of Canada’s forensic specialists at the Canada Border Services Agency and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and with Canadian Heritage and Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada. Due to the secrecy of the passport design and security features, there were limitations to the number of groups that could have access to the design.

Question No.1534—

[Damien Kurek, Conservative, Battle River—Crowfoot, AB]

With regard to costs associated with the new passport design unveiled on May 10, 2023, as well as the accompanying news conference: (a) what were the total costs associated with the new passport, broken down by type of expense; and (b) what are the details of all contracts signed by the government related to the new passport, and the unveiling and promotion of the new design, including, for each, the (i) date, (ii) vendor, (iii) amount, (iv) description of the goods or services, (v) details of whether the contract was sole-sourced or awarded through a competitive bidding process?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, with regard to part (a), the passport redesign is a milestone from the ePassport Next Generation project. An expenditure authority in the amount of $161 million has been provided by the Treasury Board Secretariat to design, develop and deploy Canada’s ePassport Next Generation suite of travel documents and all related printing equipment, software and infrastructure by October 2024. This initiative is fully funded from the passport program revolving fund.

With regard to part (b), as part of the project, Canada launched a competitive procurement process in June 2016, and on May 24, 2019, a contract was awarded to the Canadian Bank Note Company, CBN, to deliver this solution for the Government of Canada. CBN was responsible, per the contract, for the development of the designs for the new passport. The contract awarded was for $284 million, as posted at https://buyandsell.gc.ca/procurement-data/request-your-own-supplier-contract-history-letter/canadian-bank-note-company-limited?order=award_date&sort=desc#award_date, for printed matter, including books, newspapers, pictures, manuscripts and forms.

Question No.1536—

[Tako Van Popta, Conservative, Langley—Aldergrove, BC]

With regard to judicial vacancies: what is the number of vacancies, as of May 16, 2023, broken down by province or territory and level (Federal Court, Superior Court of Justice, etc.)?

[Arif Virani, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, the Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs Canada updates the data pertaining to judicial vacancies shortly after the beginning of each month. It can be found at the following link: https://www.fja.gc.ca/appointments-nominations/judges-juges-eng.aspx.

Question No.1543—

[Dominique Vien, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

With regard to the $25 million announced in budget 2022 for the Menstrual Equity Fund: (a) how much of the $25 million has been spent to date; (b) what is the breakdown of spending by province and territory; (c) what is the breakdown of spending to date, by line item and type of expenditure; and (d) what are the details for all funding recipients to date, including, for each the (i) date, (ii) amount, (iii) recipient, (iv) location?

[Marci Ien, Liberal, Minister for Women and Gender Equality]

Mr. Speaker, the menstrual equity fund, MEF, is a pilot project intended to provide menstrual products to those most in need by addressing barriers related to affordability and stigma that some Canadians face when accessing menstrual products. Through extensive consultation in 2022-23 with grassroots organizations, and bilateral and group discussions with the indigenous women’s circle, not-for profit organizations, the private sector and provinces and territories, the Department for Women and Gender Equality, WAGE, discovered the complexity of the menstrual equity landscape across Canada. The pilot project is a first step to address challenges many menstruators face as they go about their daily lives. The pilot project will serve as a precursor in laying groundwork for future national solutions to menstrual equity in Canada, using key research results and data as made available through the first menstrual equity fund.

With regard to part (a), none of the funding for the national pilot for a menstrual equity fund committed in budget 2022 has been spent to date. The Department for Women and Gender Equality dedicated time in the 2022-23 fiscal year to undertake research, engagement and analysis to inform the design of the pilot, which centres on selecting one national not-for-profit organization to distribute menstrual products to grassroots organizations in select yet-to-be determined pilot sites, and to partner with several grassroots organizations already advancing menstrual equity to scale up their education and awareness activities. A targeted call for proposals was launched on May 29, and will close on June 23, to solicit applications from national organizations. Funding will only be allocated to the successful national organization once the final agreement is in place.

With regard to part (b), through the MEF pilot project, WAGE will test a pan-Canadian approach to menstrual product distribution and increase education and awareness on menstruation. One national organization will be selected to implement the pilot across Canada, in diverse geographical contexts with high concentrations of low-income populations disproportionately impacted by period poverty, including high-density urban areas; rural, northern and remote locations; and indigenous and two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex plus, 2SLGBTQI+, communities. While it is expected that the pilot will have locations in most of the provinces and territories, the estimated breakdown of spending by province and territories will not be known until the agreement with the selected national organization is finalized.

With regard to part (c), no funds have been spent to date.

With regard to part (d), the funding has not yet been allocated.

Question No.1548—

[Sébastien Lemire, Bloc, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

With regard to the national sport organizations (NSOs) that have signed an agreement with the Office of the Sports Integrity Commissioner and have a contribution to pay for signing on to the “Abuse-Free Sport” program: (a) how many participants are covered; (b) what is the detailed description of those participants; (c) how much did each NSO pay out in 2021-22, in 2022-23 and for the current year 2023-24; (d) how was this calculation (formula) arrived at, and what is the value of each of the parameters of the formula that applies to each NSO; and (e) how many complaints have been received for each quarter in English and French?

[Carla Qualtrough, Liberal, Minister of Sport and Physical Activity]

Mr. Speaker, the information requested is not available in Canadian Heritage databases or tracking systems. The data is the property of the office of the sport integrity commissioner. The questions should therefore be referred to the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada’s Abuse-Free Sport program.

Question No.1549—

[Sébastien Lemire, Bloc, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

With regard to each of the complaints received by the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner: (a) on what date was the complaint filed; (b) which sport organization was the complaint filed; (c) how long did it take the Office of the Commissioner to render a decision; (d) what is the status of the complaint; (e) what is the name and title of the person responsible for addressing the complaint; (f) was the person in (e) a public servant or a contractor; (g) if the person in (e) is a contractor, how much did the services of this person cost and what was the hourly rate; and (h) was any paid travel required to handle this complaint?

[Carla Qualtrough, Liberal, Minister of Sport and Physical Activity]

Mr. Speaker, the information requested is not available in Canadian Heritage databases or tracking systems. The data is the property of the office of the sport integrity commissioner. The questions should therefore be referred to the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada’s Abuse-Free Sport program.

Question No.1550—

[Blake Desjarlais, NDP, Edmonton Griesbach, AB]

With regard to the processing of refugee travel documents, broken down by fiscal year since 2015-16: (a) what service standards exist for the processing of refugee travel documents and for those documents identified as urgent; (b) what is the total number of applications processed; (c) of the applications in (b), how many were identified as urgent; (d) what is the current backlog of (i) normal, (ii) urgent, applications; (e) what is the total number of employees dedicated to processing (i) urgent, (ii) non-urgent, refugee travel documents; and (f) what measures does the government have in place to ensure that applications are processed in the order in which they are received?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, insofar as Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada is concerned, the response to part (a) of the question is as follows.

The service standards for the processing of refugee travel document applications from 2015-16 to 2019-20 consisted of four service levels: for applications received by mail, 20 days; for applications received in person via mail-out or pickup, 10 days; for applications submitted in person with express service request, two to nine business days as required for pickup; and for applications submitted in person with urgent service request, within two business days for pickup.

In response to parts (b) and (c) of the question, the total numbers of applications processed for each calendar year, with urgent cases in parentheses, are as follows: for 2015-16, 2,957 (249); for 2016-17, 11,773 (357); for 2017-18, 15,716 (387); for 2018-19, 17,476 (369); for 2019-20, 23,121 (701); for 2020-21, 10,364 (2); for 2021-22, 12,248 (1,067); for 2022-23, 15,567 (1,596); and for 2023-24, 2,281 (109).

In response to part (d) of the question, the backlog of applications in the certificate of identity section does not differentiate between applications for certificates of identity and refugee travel documents. The total inventory was approximately 38,300 applications as of June 6, 2023, with 29,800 considered backlog, having been received prior to February 1, 2023. The backlog was expected to be cleared by September.

The volume of urgent applications as of June 6, 2023 was 1,600. Urgent service fees are not being charged, but applications are being treated as priority for the purpose of meeting immediate needs.

With respect to part (e) of the question, the total number of passport officers for this line of business is approximately 18-20: 15 passport officers are working on urgent requests and current files that fall under the Service Fees Act; three to five passport officers are working on files from the backlog, that is, pre-February 1, 2023, files; and an additional 20 passport officers from across the department are processing applications during overtime, focusing on the backlog.

In answer to part (f) of the question, a first-in, first-out method is used unless the files are urgent. However, since the Service Fees Act came into effect, applications in the backlog and those received post February 1, 2023, are treated separately.

Question No.1562—

[Gerald Soroka, Conservative, Yellowhead, AB]

With regard to judicial vacancies in the province of Alberta as of June 1, 2023: (a) how many vacancies are there in Alberta, broken down by level and type of court; (b) of the vacancies in (a), how long has each position been vacant for; (c) does the government have a timeline to fill each vacancy, and, if so, (i) when will all of the vacancies be filled, (ii) how many of the vacancies will be filled by the end of 2023; (d) what is the current backlog in the court's calendar, broken down by level and type of court; and (e) what is the government's reason as to why the vacancies have not yet been filled?

[Arif Virani, Liberal, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada]

Mr. Speaker, with regard to judicial vacancies in the province of Alberta as of June 1, 2023, the Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs Canada updates the data pertaining to judicial vacancies shortly after the beginning of each month. It can be found at the following link: https://www.fja.gc.ca/appointments-nominations/judges-juges-eng.aspx.

Any information regarding judicial vacancies in Alberta’s provincial courts should be sought from the Alberta Ministry of Justice.

The current vacancy number presents an incomplete picture. Despite the significant number of appointments made this year, there has been a high number of judges retiring or electing to become supernumerary. This means they have opted to work part-time, which despite their continuing to hear cases is noted as a vacancy that needs to be filled. Vacancies have also been created by elevating trial judges to an appellate court.

I will continue to make high-quality, diverse appointments, and the number of vacancies will decline. A total of 18 appointments have been made across the country since July 26, 2023. The government has also added 116 new judicial positions since 2015.

The new judicial appointment process, announced in October 2016, is showing real results for Canadians and is fostering a judiciary that reflects the rich diversity of Canadian society. For the first time, we are tracking how many new judges identify as indigenous, visible minorities, people with disabilities, members of ethnocultural groups and 2SLGBTQI+.

We have also heard from diverse bar associations and others within the legal community to reach new networks of potential candidates and encourage them to put their names forward for consideration.

Under the new process since 2016, more than half, nearly 54%, or 308 out of 569, of judges appointed or elevated by our government are women, 4% are indigenous,14% are visible minorities, 6% identify as 2SLGBTQI+ and 33% are functionally bilingual, meaning they are able to fulfil four core competencies in both official languages.

By contrast, from 2007-2015, 32%, or less than one-third of new judges appointed by the previous government were women.

Our government has appointed more than 645 judges since November 2015. These exceptional jurists represent the diversity that strengthens Canada.

We look forward to continuing to work together with the legal community to achieve a judiciary that truly looks like Canada.

Question No.1565—

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

With regard to the April 11, 2023 announcement by the Prime Minister that Canada would send 21,000 assault rifles and 2.4 million rounds of ammunition to Ukraine: (a) what are the details of the 2.4 million rounds of ammunition, including the (i) amount of rounds by each caliber, (ii) amount being spent per round by caliber or type, (iii) names and addresses of the vendors and whether they are also the manufacturers; (b) were any of the manufacturers in (a) not Canadian, and, if so, who made this decision and what was their rationale; (c) what are the details of the 21,000 assault rifles, including the (i) manufacturer, (ii) quantity of each model and type, (iii) cost per unit, (iv) location where the rifle was manufactured; (d) if the government is paying Colt Canada a markup for any rifles or rounds of ammunition, what is the (i) manufacturer's, (ii) marked up, price; and (e) what is the total amount which will be spent on the (i) 21,000 assault rifles, (ii) 2.4 million rounds of ammunition?

[Bill Blair, Liberal, Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, Canada stands firmly with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people as they fight to defend their sovereignty, freedom and independence in the face of Russia’s illegal invasion. National Defence has been unwavering in its support and will continue to supply Ukraine with the tools and equipment it needs to defend its sovereignty and security and win this war.

Since February 2022, National Defence has committed over $1.5 billion in military aid to Ukraine, including armoured vehicles, heavy artillery, body armour, gas masks, helmets, drone cameras, funding for high-resolution satellite imagery, anti-armour weapons systems, rocket launchers and small arms and ammunition, as well as other highly specialized pieces of military equipment. The announcement of April 11, 2023, of 21,000 rifles and 2.4 million rounds of ammunition, as part of a total package valued at approximately $59 million, is a further example of Canada’s steadfast support.

With the exception of items sourced directly from the Canadian Armed Forces inventory, the Canadian Commercial Corporation is the contracting authority for equipment purchased by the Government of Canada from Canadian industry for donation to Ukraine. In regard to the current purchase, the Canadian Commercial Corporation awarded the contract for both rifles and ammunition to Colt Canada Corporation, a Canadian company.

The 21,000 rifles purchased are all variants of the Canadian Armed Forces C7/C8 platform chambered in 5.56 mm, manufactured by Colt Canada Corporation. The 2.4 million rounds of ammunition are a variety of calibres, including 5.56 mm, 7.62 mm, .308 calibre, and .50 calibre. Specific details regarding the rifles and ammunition, such as number of rounds broken down by type and by calibre or the number of rifles broken down by model, cannot be disclosed for reasons of operational security. Colt Canada Corporation was contracted to provide this ammunition but does not manufacture it. Instead, Colt Canada sourced the ammunition from its supply chain, which spans North America. The Government of Canada is not paying Colt Canada Corporation a marked-up price on either the rifles or the ammunition.

In accordance with a request from the Government of Ukraine and in order to maintain operational security for Canadian personnel and Ukrainian forces, Canada does not publicize the details of contracts related to military assistance to Ukraine.

More information about Canada’s military support to Ukraine can be found at the following link: https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/campaigns/canadian-military-support-to-ukraine.html.

Question No.1568—

[Michael Kram, Conservative, Regina—Wascana, SK]

With regard to the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence: on what date did the government sign a bilateral funding agreement with the Government of Saskatchewan?

[Marci Ien, Liberal, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth]

Mr. Speaker, negotiations are under way with the provinces and territories, including Saskatchewan, to establish bilateral funding agreements to support the implementation of the national action plan to end gender-based violence. A bilateral funding agreement with the Government of Saskatchewan concerning the national action plan to end gender-based violence has not been signed at this time.

On February 28, 2023, I announced that a bilateral agreement had been established with the Government of Saskatchewan in the amount of $1,000,000 to support crisis hotlines across Saskatchewan. Supporting crisis hotlines is an important initiative that is part of the ongoing efforts by the governments of Canada and Saskatchewan to address gender-based violence in the province. This funding is helping crisis hotlines offer more robust services, resources and support to serve the urgent needs of all survivors of gender-based violence and their families, no matter where they live in Saskatchewan.

Question No.1570—

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

With regard to government protection for whistleblowers: (a) what specific protection is provided for whistleblowers who publicize wrongdoing by ministers or ministerial exempt staff; and (b) what mechanisms, if any, are in place to ensure that ministers, exempt staff, or other government officials do not punish such whistleblowers?

[Anita Anand, Liberal, President of the Treasury Board]

Mr. Speaker, public servants who disclose wrongdoing within or relating to the public sector, under either the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act or under any other act of Parliament, are protected from reprisal for having made that disclosure. They may not be fired, demoted, disciplined or subjected to any other measure that adversely affects their employment or working conditions because they have made a protected disclosure.

The Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act provides that public servants may make a disclosure to their supervisor, or to the senior officer designated by the chief executive of their organization, or to the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner. In circumstances where there is not sufficient time to make the disclosure in one of these ways, and the disclosure is related to a serious offence under an act of Parliament or of the legislature of a province, or there is an imminent risk of a substantial danger to the life, health and safety of persons or the environment, the public servant may make a protected disclosure to the public.

Under section 42.3 of the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act, anyone who takes a reprisal against a public servant, or who directs that a reprisal be taken, commits an offence and is guilty of either an indictable offence and is liable to a fine or imprisonment, or both; or is guilty of an offence punishable on summary conviction and liable to a fine or imprisonment, or both.

Question No.1571—

[Karen Vecchio, Conservative, Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON]

With regard to Global Affairs Canada (GAC) and the Mission Cultural Fund: (a) (i) why, (ii) on what day, did the program cease operations; (b) did the government conduct any study on the effectiveness of the program, and, if so, what are the details, including, (i) who conducted it, (ii) when it was completed, (iii) what the findings were; (c) is there any other program or proposed program at GAC that will provide funding for celebrity chefs' airfares or the telling of seniors' sex stories abroad, and, if so, what are the details of the replacement program?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, the following reflects a consolidated response approved on behalf of Global Affairs Canada ministers.

With regard to part (a) of the question, as scheduled, the mission cultural fund, or MCF, sunsetted on March 31, 2023, and ceased activities.

Regarding part (b), a departmental evaluation of the MCF was conducted in 2020 by the diplomacy, trade and corporate evaluation division of Global Affairs Canada. The evaluation is publicly accessible on the departmental website at https://www.international.gc.ca/gac-amc/publications/evaluation/2020/mcf-fcm-final-evaluation.aspx?lang=eng.

With regard to part (c), there is no replacement program or proposed program to replace the MCF.

Question No.1572—

[Eric Melillo, Conservative, Kenora, ON]

With regard to the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and shrinkflation: (a) will the government be lowering the size or volume threshold for items which are subject to GST when they are under a certain level (e.g., 500 ml of ice cream); (b) if the answer to (a) is affirmative, (i) on what items will the threshold be lowered, (ii) what will be the new threshold, (iii) when will the new threshold take effect; and (c) if the answer to (a) is negative or unconfirmed, how much additional GST revenue is the government expected to receive as a result of shrinkflation, and what will the additional revenue be used for?

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

Mr. Speaker, at this time, there are no plans to change the existing, long-standing size thresholds used in respect of basic groceries and snack foods.

Under the goods and services tax and harmonized sales tax, or GST/HST, suppliers of goods and services in Canada report and remit the total amount of GST/HST collected on their taxable supplies to the Canada Revenue Agency. Neither the Canada Revenue Agency nor the Department of Finance Canada collect data on the GST/HST collected, or not collected, on types of specific goods and services, by particular methods of sale or by types of packaging. The Department of Finance does not have any public estimates that it is able to share on the potential amount of additional tax revenue from changes in the packaging or size of basic groceries.

When the goods and services tax and harmonized sales tax, or GST/HST, was introduced, it was determined that basic groceries should be zero-rated or fully relieved of tax, reflecting a widely held view of Canadians that staple grocery items should not be taxed. Accordingly, under the GST/HST sales of many beverage and food items for human consumption are tax-relieved, including fruits and vegetables, eggs, breakfast cereals, most milk products, and fresh meat, poultry and fish.

The Canada Revenue Agency is responsible for the administration of the GST/HST system, including the determination of the tax status of specific food and beverage items.