Debates of Sept. 18th, 2023

(Return tabled)

Question No.1544—

[Cheryl Gallant, Conservative, Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON]

With regard to Transport Canada (TC), the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA), and air travel: (a) what is the role of (i) TC, (ii) CTA, in ensuring that air traffic delays are correctly reported to air traffic control towers; (b) for each of the last five years, how many and what percentage of total flight delays were reported due to (i) mechanical issues, (ii) air traffic congestion, (iii) weather conditions, (iv) other issues, if known; (c) what actions, if any, have been taken by either TC or the CTA, since January 1, 2022, to (i) reduce flight delays, (ii) increase flight delay transparency, (iii) invest in improved flight reporting technologies; (d) how does TC ensure the (i) safe, (ii) efficient, (iii) transparent, reporting of flight information between air traffic controllers and Nav Canada; (e) what measures has TC implemented to improve coordination and communication between air traffic controllers and airlines when flight delays are caused by (i) adverse weather conditions, (ii) equipment failures, (iii) labour shortages, (iv) labour disputes; (f) how does TC hold Nav Canada accountable when flight delays, runway safety or shortages impact safety and passenger experience; and (g) what steps has the CTA taken to ensure compliance with the Canadian Aviation Regulations and international aviation regulations in reporting of flight delays caused by (i) runway maintenance, (ii) air traffic congestion, (iii) security incidents at airports?

(Return tabled)

Question No.1545—

[Ted Falk, Conservative, Provencher, MB]

With regard to COVID-19 vaccine safety and the messaging on the government's webpage titled "Vaccination and pregnancy: COVID-19": (a) what is the scientific basis for government officials' statements that COVID-19 vaccines are categorically safe for pregnant and breastfeeding women; (b) did Health Canada (HC), the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), or the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) identify a need for observational studies regarding potential vaccine-related health outcomes in breastfed infants and toddlers as a result of exposure to vaccinated mothers or their breastmilk to detect safety signals of concern, and implement necessary precautions, and, if so, what are the details of all such studies, including those that the government relied on, including, for each (i) who conducted the study, (ii) the methodology, (iii) the findings; (c) if the answer to (b) is none, why were no such studies required; (d) did HC, PHAC, or NACI study or review studies on the impact of the vaccines on menstrual cycles, and, if so, what conclusions or estimates were reached in relation to the number and percentage of recipients whose cycles were impacted; (e) what is HC's response to the peer-reviewed article by Thorp & Associates, titled "COVID-19 Vaccines: The Impact on Pregnancy Outcomes and Menstrual Function", and what changes, if any, were made to public vaccine guidance or advice as a result of the study's findings; and (f) does the government acknowledge that for certain individuals or age ranges, such as newborns, the risks associated with the vaccine outweigh the potential benefits and, if so, for which individuals does the government recognize that this situation may apply?

(Return tabled)

Question No.1546—

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

With regard to the expenditures of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for Quebec Regions, for fiscal years 2020–21 and 2021–22, broken down by administrative region and electoral district in Quebec: (a) what is the total amount for each region for these fiscal years; and (b) what is the detailed breakdown of the amounts by program?

(Return tabled)

Question No.1547—

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

With regard to the automobile and manufacturing industry in Canada: (a) did the government work with global automobile or manufacturing businesses to boost existing investments in the automobile sector or to attract new investments in new factories, new products, including electric vehicles and batteries, or new jobs, in each province since 2022; (b) did the government consider making investments in new chemical plants to process critical and strategic minerals, and, if so, what types of plants and which municipal locations were considered; and (c) did existing battery recycling plants receive funding, and, if so, (i) in which year, (ii) for which plant, (iii) in what amount, (iv) through which program?

(Return tabled)

Question No.1551—

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

With regard to the export of military equipment and technology and the repression of widespread protests following the arrest and replacement of former president Pedro Castillo: (a) since December 2022, have officials from the Export Controls Division of Global Affairs Canada (GAC) undertaken an independent review to determine whether Peruvian authorities used any Canadian military equipment, including light armoured vehicles, crowd-control equipment and “less-lethal” equipment, in the crackdowns, and, if so, what were the findings of this review; (b) have Canadian authorities contacted their Peruvian counterparts to determine whether military equipment made in Canada was used in the violence, and, if so, what were their findings; (c) was authorization granted for the export of Canadian military equipment to end users involved in the violence; (d) have Canadian officials put the authorization of arms exports to Peru on hold; (e) has the government investigated what Canadian-sourced arms were used for in Peru prior to December 2022; (f) what are the details of the types of military equipment that have been authorized for export to Peruvian authorities since 2014, building on the information previously provided by GAC; and (g) what criteria, protocols or other considerations were taken into account in 2020 when the minister at that time decided to suspend arms exports to Belarus?

(Return tabled)

Question No.1552—

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

With regard to the approval rate of francophone foreign students: (a) what is the number of study permit applications (excluding applications for extensions) processed by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada for (i) 2022, (ii) 2023 (most recent data), and broken down by country of residence; and (b) on what figures and according to what calculation did the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship base her claim on May 18, 2023, that the “approval rate for francophone students from Africa went from 27 percent in 2022 to 35 percent this year”?

(Return tabled)

Question No.1553—

[Stephen Ellis, Conservative, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

With regard to expenditures at Health Canada, broken down by fiscal year for 2020-21, 2021-22, and 2022-23: (a) what was the total value of all expenditures under object code 0301 (advertising services); and (b) what was the total value of all expenditures under object code 04 (professional and special services)?

(Return tabled)

Question No.1554—

[Michelle Ferreri, Conservative, Peterborough—Kawartha, ON]

With regard to government funding related to drug supply and treatment: (a) what was the total amount spent by the government on providing "safer supply" drugs in the 2022-23 fiscal year; (b) what is the breakdown of (a) by province or territory; (c) what was the total amount spent by the government on opioid agonist therapy in the 2022-23 fiscal year; and (d) what is the breakdown of (c) by province or territory?

(Return tabled)

Question No.1555—

[Martin Shields, Conservative, Bow River, AB]

With regard to documents sent between the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission and the Department of Canadian Heritage, including the minister's office, about Bill C-11, An Act to amend the Broadcasting Act and to make related and consequential amendments to other Acts: what are the details of all such documents, including, for each, the (i) date, (ii) sender, (iii) recipients, (iv) type of document, (v) title, (vi) subject matter, (vii) summary of contents?

(Return tabled)

Question No.1556—

[Rob Morrison, Conservative, Kootenay—Columbia, BC]

With regard to expenditures related to the Cabinet retreat which took place in Vancouver from September 6 to 8, 2022: (a) what are the total expenditures related to the retreat; (b) what is the breakdown of the expenditures by type of expense (accommodation, hospitality, audio-visual, etc.); and (c) what are the details of all expenditures in excess of $1,000, including, for each, the (i) amount, (ii) vendor, (iii) description of the goods or services provided?

(Return tabled)

Question No.1557—

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

With regard to expenditures by the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General (OSGG): (a) what was the total amount spent on dry cleaning and laundry services by the OSGG in each of the last five fiscal years; (b) what is the breakdown of (a) by type of item (furniture, curtains, personal clothing, etc.) and type of service (dry cleaning, traditional laundry, etc.); and (c) what are the details of all expenditures over $1,000 that were made under code 0819 (Non-professional personal service contracts not elsewhere specified), since January 2, 2018, including, for each, the (i) date, (ii) amount, (iii) vendor, (iv) description of the goods or services?

(Return tabled)

Question No.1558—

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

With regard to Canada Post: (a) is Canada Post planning on restricting the use of polybags in any way, and, if so, how and what is the timeline for any future action; (b) since 2016, has Canada Post received any correspondence from any minister, exempt staff, or government official related to polybags, and, if so, what are the details of each, including the (i) date, (ii) sender, (iii) recipient, (iv) title, (v) subject matter, (vi) summary of the contents, (vii) type of communication; (c) since 2016, has Canada Post received any directives from the government that is causing it to prohibit the usage of polybags, and, if so, what was the directive and on what date was it received; and (d) what action, if any, will the government take to ensure that Canadian packers are not put at a competitive disadvantage compared to American packers as a result of Canadian restrictions on polybags?

(Return tabled)