Debates of Sept. 18th, 2023

Question No.1653—

[Alistair MacGregor, NDP, Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC]

With regard to the targets in the Food Policy for Canada: (a) does the government believe that keeping the price of food low will help ensure Canadians have access to food and contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of ending hunger by 2030; (b) what efforts has the Canadian Food Policy Advisory Council made to ensure that affordability is included and measured as a target of the Food Policy for Canada; and (c) what are the details of all community-based initiatives that have been invested in, including the (i) name of the project, (ii) amount of funding received, (iii) expected outcomes?

[Lawrence MacAulay, Liberal, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, with regard to (a), the Government of Canada recognizes that rising inflation is challenging many Canadians to meet their essential needs, including accessing food.

The Food Policy for Canada has a suite of measures to strengthen food systems and improve Canadians’ food security through an initial investment of $134.4 million, and an additional $10 million in Budget 2023 for community-led infrastructure projects to promote access to nutritious food.

The Government of Canada is working to make life more affordable for Canadians and contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Develop Goal of ending hunger by 2030. The government delivered important improvements to a range of income supports, such as the Canada Child Benefit, old age security, guaranteed income supplement, and tax credits for low-income workers and their families. The 2023 federal budget included a new, one-time Grocery Rebate to offer inflation relief to lower-income families which was dispersed on July 5, 2023.

With regard to (b), after the Canadian Food Policy Advisory Council was established in 2021, a working group was assembled to make recommendations to the Minister related to reducing food insecurity in Canada. The working group presented 3 recommendations: (1) Set a target to reduce food insecurity by 50% by 2030, based on the Canadian Income Survey's 2019 baseline. Further, seek to eliminate severe food insecurity. (2) Alleviate the disproportionate impact of food insecurity on Black and Indigenous people; and (3) Enhance measurement of food insecurity in Canada noting the comprehensive report that was submitted with recommendations on measurement and reporting.

With regard to (c), the Government of Canada has invested significantly into community-based initiatives to support Canada’s food systems. Under the Food Policy for Canada, the 5 year Local Food Infrastructure Fund, or LFIF, is designed to improve access to safe, nutritious, and culturally diverse food. It provides support to community-based, not-for-profit organizations to reduce food insecurity by establishing and/or strengthening local food systems.

A comprehensive accounting of projects funded under the Local Food Infrastructure Fund, including the name of the recipient, the agreement number and duration, a brief project description, the funding amount and location of the recipient are listed as part of the Open Government website.

For example, in 2022, Cold Lake First Nations received just over $200,000 Canadian to create a food system. The objective of this project is to purchase food processing equipment, cold and dry storage, fish harvesting equipment, food forest, garden beds with irrigation and kitchen upgrades.

Question No.1659—

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

With regard to the government’s research and analysis on policies and programs that could reduce the poverty rate for children, since fiscal year 2014-15: (a) what reports, studies, or analyses have been done on implementing a guaranteed livable income; (b) of the reports in (a), what studies incorporated the Canada Emergency Response Benefit or the Canada Recovery Benefit; (c) what were the conclusions of each report listed in (b); and (d) which jurisdictions were included in the government’s review of existing basic income projects to help reduce child poverty?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, with regard to (a) and (b), Employment and Social Development Canada, or ESDC, monitors basic income research and reports, as well as the outcomes of basic income pilots in Canada and internationally. ESDC conducts ongoing policy analysis of basic income in a Canadian context and has identified many considerations including benefit level and cost, program design and interaction with existing benefits, implementation and interaction with provincial/territorial programming, and impact on the labour market. Recent analyses on basic income have not incorporated consideration of the precise parameters and impacts of the Canada Emergency Response Benefit or the Canada Recovery Benefit.

With regard to (c), some of the Government’s programs have many features of a partial basic income. This includes the Canada Child Benefit for families and the Guaranteed Income Supplement for low-income seniors. Moreover, if a provincial or territorial government decides to proceed with a basic income pilot, ESDC would be pleased to share federal-level administrative, survey, and tax data that could support program design and evaluation.

For proactive disclosure purposes, a Question Period note on basic income is available at https://search.open.canada.ca/qpnotes/record/esdc-edsc,GouldJan2022-011

With regard to (d), ESDC’s review of existing and past basic income projects includes domestic projects in Ontario and Manitoba and international projects in Finland, the Netherlands, the United States and Spain.

For proactive disclosure purposes, a HUMA Committee binder for the Minister of Seniors dated May 25, 2021, on the impact of COVID-19 on seniors, including the topic of basic income, is available at https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/corporate/reports/committe-binders/may-25-minister.html

Question No.1660—

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

With regard to the timeline of the government’s negotiations concerning the NextStar Energy battery plant in Windsor, Ontario: (a) on what date did the government enter into negotiations with Stellantis to ensure this facility would provide good paying jobs to workers; (b) what are the details of all agreements reached between Stellantis and the government that were made prior to May 15, 2023, including the (i) date the agreement was made, (ii) obligations of the government, (iii) document title or reference number, if the agreement was in writing; and (c) did the government have an agreement in writing with Stellantis prior to August 16, 2022?

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

Mr. Speaker, with regard to (a). there are two agreements currently in place with respect to the NextStar Energy battery plant in Windsor, Ontario. The first is the Contribution Agreement with NextStar for the construction of the plant under the Strategic Innovation Fund, or SIF, and the second is a Special Contribution Agreement, which was negotiated as part of the Government of Canada’s response to the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act, or IRA.

The SIF received approval to enter formal negotiations of the Term Sheet on February 26, 2022, while negotiations with respect to Canada’s response to the IRA were initiated after a letter was sent to the company on November 25, 2022.

The SIF received approval to finalize the Contribution Agreement on July 22, 2022, and approval to finalize the Special Contribution Agreement was received on June 29, 2023.

With regard to (i) of part (b), NextStar’s SIF Contribution Agreement was executed on September 30, 2022. With respect to the Government’s response to the IRA, no agreement had been reached prior to May 15, 2023. Since this time, the Special Contribution Agreement with NextStar was executed on July 5, 2023.

With regard to (ii) of part (b), the obligations of the government under the SIF can be found on the Projects: Strategic Innovation Fund site. The site provides an overview of all announced and active SIF projects.

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 on the site Canada and Ontario Establish An Auto Pact to Secure Stellantis-LGES and Volkswagen deals.

With regard to (iii) of part (b), the document title of the SIF agreement is: NextStar Contribution Agreement. With respect to the response to the IRA the document title is: Special Contribution Agreement for Lithium Ion Battery Manufacturing in Canada.

With regard to (c), as previously indicated, NextStar’s Contribution Agreement with SIF was executed on September 30, 2022. The work phase of the Stellantis project dates back to August 16, 2021, meaning the recipient is able to submit claims for eligible supported costs dating back to August 16, 2021.

With respect to Canada’s response to the IRA, the Government of Canada did not have an agreement in writing with Stellantis prior to August 16, 2022.

Question No.1661—

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

With regard to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation's regulations concerning amortizations periods for new mortgages: (a) what reports or analyses has the government conducted concerning increasing the amortization period up to 30 years; (b) what recommendations did the reports in (a) make; (c) does the government believe that increasing amortization periods to 30 years would make buying a new home more affordable; and (d) does the government intend to introduce legislative changes to increase amortization periods?

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Minister of Housing]

Mr. Speaker, in response to the question, changes concerning amortization periods for insured mortgages falls under the purview of the Minister of Finance.

Question No.1664—

[Lisa Marie Barron, NDP, Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC]

With regard to the Canadian Coast Guard’s Coastal Marine Response Network, broken down by coastal region: (a) what is the total number of coastal marine response teams ready to respond to incidents; and (b) what are the details of each team in (a), including the (i) location, (ii) number of individuals employed, (iii) funding provided by the government for equipment acquisition?

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries]

Mr. Speaker, with regard to the Canadian Coast Guard’s Coastal Marine Response Network, broken down by coastal region, with regard to (a), the Coastal Marine Response Team initiative is in its planning stage only so there are not yet any teams established and ready to respond to incidents. Indigenous and coastal communities are being engaged to determine their interest in co-developing this community response initiative. A pilot project that is a precursor to the Coastal Marine Response Team known as the Heiltsuk Marine Emergency Response Team, which is funded and supported as part of the Oceans Protection Plan renewal, is currently operating, with 12 response personnel, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, on the central coast of British Columbia in close collaboration with the Canadian Coast Guard. Coastal Marine Response Teams are anticipated to become operational beginning in 2025.

With regard to (b), as the initiative is in its planning stage there are no established teams, locations or individuals employed at this time. Nor has equipment been purchased through government funding.

Question No.1669—

[Brad Vis, Conservative, Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, BC]

With regard to the Black Entrepreneurship Program (BEP): (a) how many applicants applied to the BEP Black Entrepreneurship Loan Fund, since the program was launched; (b) of the $160 million allocated to the Black Entrepreneurship Loan Fund, (i) how much has been delivered to the successful applicants, (ii) what is the average loan amount; and (c) under the $92 million approved funding for the Ecosystem Fund component of the BEP, what metrics will be used to determine if program goals were met?

[Rechie Valdez, Liberal, Minister of Small Business]

Mr. Speaker, the Black Entrepreneurship Program, or BEP, builds on the broader Government of Canada commitment to address systemic barriers and racism against Black Canadians. The three pillars of the BEP were developed in consultation with Black Canadian communities to reflect the realities and needs of Black Canadians and is managed by Black led organizations to create stronger economic opportunities for Black Canadian business owners and entrepreneurs.

With regard to (a), the number of applicants that have submitted complete applications to the Black Entrepreneurship Program Loan Fund as at May 31, 2023 was 3,679.

With regard to (i) of part (b), the $160 million allocated to the Black Entrepreneurship Loan Fund is composed of two amounts: $30 million in Government funding through a contribution agreement with the Federation of African Canadian Economics, or FACE; and $130 million commitment of funds by the Business Development Bank of Canada, or BDC, to the Black Entrepreneurship Loan Fund. The $130 million are BDC funds, not appropriations, that are allocated as required when loans are approved.

As at May 31, 2023, the total amount of loans disbursed was $27,623,585. Government and BDC funds are part of this total.

With regard to (i) of part (b), the average loan amount as at May 31, 2023 was $90,351.

With regard to (c), the following regional development agencies, or RDAs, are delivering the BEP Ecosystem Fund in their respective regions: the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, or ACOA; the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, or CED-Q; the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario, or FedNor; the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, or FedDev Ontario; Prairies Economic Development Canada, or PrairiesCan; and Pacific Economic Development Canada, or PacifiCan.

Several metrics will be used to determine the ecosystem fund’s performance, which will be measured annually. These may include the number and value of projects approved by the ecosystem fund; the growth in the number of clients served; and the number of under-represented groups supported by the ecosystem fund, such as women and youth. These metrics are in addition to RDAs’ robust due diligence requirements related to project management, finance and reporting, such as analyzing the project’s viability and conducting a thorough client evaluation. Overall results from the BEP Ecosystem Fund will be included in each RDA’s Departmental Results Framework and will contribute to their shared core responsibility to support economic development in each region of Canada.

Question No.1670—

[Brad Vis, Conservative, Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, BC]

With regard to the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy (WES): (a) how many applicants applied to the WES Inclusive Women Venture Capital Initiative; (b) of the $15 million allocated to the Inclusive Women Venture Capital Initiative in budget 2021, how much of the funding has been delivered to successful applicants; (c) how many women entrepreneurs have accessed capital under the Women Entrepreneurship Loan Fund since the program started in 2018; (d) of the $55 million allocated to the Women Entrepreneurship Loan Fund in budget 2021, how much of the funding has been delivered to successful applicants; (e) how many applicants applied to the WES Ecosystem Fund (i) during the first call (January 11 to March 15, 2022), (ii) during the second call (July 28 to September 26, 2022); (f) of the $25 million allocated to the WES Ecosystem Fund's first call, how much of the funding was delivered; and (g) of the $40 million allocated to WES Ecosystem's second call, how much of the funding was delivered?

[Rechie Valdez, Liberal, Minister of Small Business]

Mr. Speaker, the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy, or WES, represents nearly $7 billion in investments and commitments from almost 20 different federal departments, agencies, and Crown corporations. This investment represents a “whole of government” approach to increasing women-owned businesses’ access to the financing, talent, networks, and expertise they need to start up, scale up, and access new markets. There are a number of initiatives under the strategy.

First launched through Budget 2018, the Government of Canada announced, in Budget 2021, new investments of $146.9 million over four years, starting in 2021-22, to further strengthen the WES. The new investments from Budget 2021 were used to create the Inclusive Women Venture Capital Initiative and the Women Entrepreneurship Loan Fund, as well as provide further funding to the WES Ecosystem Fund.

With regard to (a), the Inclusive Women Venture Capital Initiative, which is a part of the WES, funds projects led by not-for-profit organizations to strengthen and build a more inclusive risk and venture capital environment for Canadian women.

Twenty-six applications were received under the Inclusive Women Venture Capital Initiative, and five recipients were announced on March 8, 2023: the National Angel Capital Organization, or NACO; the Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association, or CVCA; the Small Scale Food Processor Association; Social Venture Connection, or SVX; and Elevate Toronto. The news release can be found on the following site: Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development announces the next phase of the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy - Canada.ca.

With regard to (b), the Inclusive Women Venture Capital Initiative funding will be allocated and delivered over fiscal years 2023-24 and 2024-25.

With regard to (c), another component of the WES, the Women Entrepreneurship Loan Fund, was announced on March 8, 2022, and provides loans of up to $50,000 to diverse women entrepreneurs. Following a competitive call for proposals, the following five organizations were selected as loan administrators: the Northumberland Community Futures Development Corporation, Coralus, the National Aboriginal Capital Corporations Association, Evol, and the Women’s Enterprise Organizations of Canada. The news release can be found on the following site: Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development announces the next phase of the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy - Canada.ca.

As at March 31, 2023, 185 women entrepreneurs have received loans to help start or grow their businesses since the Women Entrepreneurship Loan Fund became available in 2022.

With regard to (d), loans totalling more than $4.6 million have been delivered as at March 31, 2023 through the Women Entrepreneurship Loan Fund.

With regard to (i) of part (e), first launched in 2018, the WES Ecosystem Fund, which is also a part of the WES, is designed to help not-for-profit, third-party organizations strengthen capacity within the entrepreneurship ecosystem and offer business support such as training, mentorship, and financial literacy for women entrepreneurs.

Budget 2018 provided the WES Ecosystem Fund with $85 million, and it supported 52 projects. Budget 2021 provided renewed funding of $65 million for the WES Ecosystem Fund, which was allocated through two separate calls for applications referred to as “the first call” and “the second call” respectively.

In 2022, under the first call of the WES Ecosystem Fund, 101 applications were received and 8 were funded. Recipients of funding were announced on March 8, 2023. The news release can be found on the following site: International Women’s Day 2023: Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development announces recipients of funding under the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy - Canada.ca.

With regard to (ii) of part (e), in 2022, under the second call of the WES Ecosystem Fund, 97 applications were received and 16 were funded. Recipients of funding were announced on March 8, 2023. The news release can be found on the following site: International Women’s Day 2023: Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development announces recipients of funding under the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy - Canada.ca.

With regard to (f), as at May 31, 2023, approximately $2.1 million of funding has been delivered to successful recipients under the first call of the WES Ecosystem Fund.

With regard to (g), the WES Ecosystem Fund funding for the second call will be allocated and delivered over fiscal years 2023-24 and 2024-25.

Question No.1671—

[Alexandre Boulerice, NDP, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

With regard to Export Development Canada’s Canada account transactions to guarantee financing provided by commercial lenders to the Trans Mountain Corporation signed on April 20, 2022, March 24, 2023 and May 2, 2023, for each transaction: (a) was an assessment of the commercial viability of Trans Mountain Corporation completed prior to the guarantees being approved; (b) what evidence did the government rely on to complete this assessment; (c) what evidence did the Trans Mountain Corporation provide that it would be able to repay its commercial lenders; (d) what are the terms of the loan guarantees; and (e) if the Trans Mountain Corporation is unable to cover its debt to commercial lenders, what organizations within the government will be responsible for repayment?

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, these transactions were made under the Canada Account. The Canada Account is used to support export transactions which Export Development Canada is unable to support, but which are determined by the Minister of Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic Development, in concurrence with the Minister of Finance, to be in Canada's national interest. This is usually due to a combination of risks, including the size of the transaction, market risks, Export Development Canada's country capacity, borrower risks, or the financing conditions. All Canada Account transactions are disclosed on the following website: https://www.edc.ca/en/about-us/corporate/disclosure/reporting-transactions/canada-account.html

Question No.1677—

[Alex Ruff, Conservative, Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, ON]

With regard to the government halting activity with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB): (a) was an initial risk analysis of the organization completed prior to Canada partaking in the activities of the bank pertaining to Chinese Communist Party (CCP) influence, and, if so, what were the findings; (b) were concerns regarding CCP infiltration or control within the bank raised from Canadian executives to any federal departments prior to Bob Pickard resigning his post at the bank, and, if so, how were these concerns addressed; (c) does the AIIB have access to sensitive business and personal documents pertaining to businesses and citizens in Canada; (d) who or what department is tasked with conducting a review of AIIB and when will the review be completed; (e) how much money has Canada provided to the AIIB; and (f) of the money in (e), how much does the government expect to get back from the AIIB, and by what date?

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

Mr. Speaker, I have instructed the Department of Finance to conduct a review of the allegations raised and of Canada’s involvement in the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. This review is ongoing.

Question No.1680—

[Brian Masse, NDP, Windsor West, ON]

With regard to the hiring and training of border services officers for the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) across Canada: (a) how many new CBSA officers were hired and trained in Canada since 2012; and (b) how many are projected to be hired in the next five years with the construction of the new Gordie Howe Bridge?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, the data was obtained using the CBSA's Corporate Administrative System, or CAS, and covers the period from January 1, 2012, to June 27, 2023.

With regard to (a), in 2012, 161 recruits became border services officers, or BSOs, and since the introduction of the Officer Induction Training Program, or OITP, the CBSA has trained 3,269 recruits. Therefore, the CBSA has had a total of 3,430 BSOs and BSO Trainees since 2012.

With regard to (b), the CBSA will be hiring approximately 260 BSOs to meet its staffing requirements at the Gordie Howe International Bridge.

Question No.1686—

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, North Okanagan—Shuswap, BC]

With regard to the Pacific Salmon Strategic Initiative (PSSI) announced on June 8, 2021: (a) what is the breakdown of how the $647.1 million is allocated in budget 2021; and (b) what is the breakdown of how the $98.9 million in amortization is allocated to (i) conservation and stewardship, (ii) enhanced hatchery production, (iii) harvest transformation, (iv) integrated management and collaboration, (v) contracted services, (vi) grants and other non-repayable disbursements to non-government entities?

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries]

Mr. Speaker, with regard to the Pacific Salmon Strategic Initiative, or PSSI, announced on June 8, 2021, and with regard to (a), Budget 2021 announced $647.1 million over five years plus $98.9 million in amortization as the accrual budget to implement PSSI. The $647.1 million funding breakdown is as follows: $346.4 million for Vote 1, $26.2 million for Vote 5, and $274.5 million for Vote 10.

With regard to (b), the $98.9 million is the amount of amortization that remains related to the Vote 5 allocation provided to PSSI over a five-year period commencing in 2021-22. When added to the $26.2 million referenced above, the total Vote 5 allocation is $125.1 million, which is broken down by the following assets: $81.5 million for buildings; $21.2 million for leasehold improvements for buildings; $8.3 million for communications equipment; $7.3 million for trailers; $3.5 million for vehicles; $2.6 million for scientific and laboratory equipment; $600,000 for vessels, and $15,000 for trades support equipment.

Question No.1691—

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

With regard to the government’s calculations for nitrous oxide emissions associated with nitrogen fertilizer use: (a) what were the data sources the government based its calculations on for the current nitrous oxide emissions from fertilizer use in Canada; (b) what data and emissions calculations did the government receive from each source in (a); (c) how did the government calculate the (i) total direct and indirect nitrous oxide emissions from the agricultural sector, each year from 2005 to 2020, (ii) sector’s share of national nitrous oxide emissions and percentage changes over time; and (d) what were the specific policy and scientific rationales for choosing a 30% reduction fertilizer emissions threshold?

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Minister of Environment and Climate Change]

Mr. Speaker, with regard to (a), the government’s calculations for nitrous oxide emissions associated with nitrogen fertilizer use are published in the National Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory Report, which is accessible at https://publications.gc.ca/site/eng/9.506002/publication.html.

With regard to (b), the government received data on fertilizer use, in agricultural markets each year, in metric tonnes of nitrogen, and at a provincial scale.

There are no known nationally representative statistics available to the government that track the quantity of nitrogen fertilizers applied on farms. As a result, the provincial fertilizer statistics are used as a proxy.

With regard to (i) of part (c), the government uses methodologies consistent with the 2006 guidelines from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC, that use, for the most part, country-specific parameters derived from Canadian research as reported in the National GHG Inventory Report.

A detailed description of the methodology is available in Annex 3.4, section A3.4.5, in Part 2 of the 1990-2021 National Inventory Report. Nitrogen from organic and inorganic sources are distributed to the landscape according to the procedure described at the beginning of section A3.4.5.

Regarding direct emissions, the current approach is based on three Canadian scientific publications, namely Liang et al. 2020; Rochette et al. 2018; and Pelster et al. 2022, which summarize the research that has been carried out in Canada over the past 30 years. A base Emission Factor, or EF, for growing season and non-growing season nitrous oxide emissions is established for areas of Canada that have a unique combination of climate, landscape and soils, called ecodistricts considering multiple factors including the topography of the cropland, moisture regimes, precipitation, potential evapotranspiration, and soil texture, all of which influence how much nitrous oxide is emitted when fertilizer is applied. These base EFs are then further adjusted with factors to account for the nitrogen source, cropping system, tillage and irrigation, which are additional factors that relate to how farmers manage the land that further impact the amount of nitrous oxide that is emitted to the atmosphere.

As for indirect emissions, these are estimated from volatilization and redeposition of nitrogen, and leaching and runoff losses.

A country-specific method was used to estimate ammonia emissions from inorganic nitrogen application. This approach derives ammonia emission factors based on the type of inorganic nitrogen fertilizers, the degree of incorporation into soil, crop type and soil chemical properties.

For leaching and runoff losses, a modified IPCC Tier 1 methodology is used to estimate nitrous oxide emissions from leaching and runoff of inorganic and organic nitrogen fertilizers, and crop residue nitrogen from agricultural soils. The fraction of nitrogen leached from the soil is determined for each ecodistrict and varies from 0.05 to 0.3, depending on the climatic characteristics of the region.

More details on specific equations used in the direct and indirect emission calculations are published in the National Inventory Report Annex 3.4, ECCC, 2023.

With regard to (ii) of part (c), the agriculture sector’s share of emissions are calculated based on the results reported in the National GHG Inventory Report. The fraction is based on the quantity of emissions coming from the agricultural sector, which are reported in Chapter 6 of the National Inventory Report, relative to the total sum of all nitrous oxide emissions coming from all sectors in the inventory report.

In 2021, the agricultural sector emitted 54 megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, or 8.1% of Canada’s total emissions, which are 670 megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. Nitrous oxide emissions from agricultural soils were 19 megatonnes in 2021, making up 35% of the emissions from the agricultural sector. Nitrous oxide emissions increased from 15 megatonnes in 1990 to 23 megatonnes in 2021, representing an increase of 52%.

In 2021, nitrous oxide emissions from agriculture, or 23 megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, contributed to 75% of Canada’s total nitrous oxide emissions, or 30 megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. The contribution of agricultural nitrous oxide to national nitrous oxide emissions rose from 43% in 1990 to 75% in 2021.

With regard to (d), the fertilizer target was developed based on scientific literature and internal analysis that points to the potential for optimizing nitrogen fertilizer use with an accompanying reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, while maintaining or increasing yield. The reduction percentage of 30% was the result of an iterative process weighting various factors and characteristics, such as: ambitious, considering climate goals and international efforts; technically achievable, given that the technologies and know-how largely exist; economically feasible, given potential cost savings and increased yield through efficiency gains and better management; and scientifically defensible, given that it is supported by research findings relevant to Canadian context.

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Madam Speaker, if the government's responses to Question Nos. 1523, 1524, 1529, 1530, 1532, 1535, 1537 to 1542, 1544 to 1547, 1551 to 1561, 1563, 1564, 1566, 1567, 1569, 1573, 1574, 1577 to 1579, 1582, 1584 to 1586, 1589 to 1596, 1598 to 1601, 1604, 1606, 1608 to 1611, 1613 to 1615, 1616, 1620 to 1622, 1626 to 1629, 1631 to 1633, 1635 to 1637, 1639, 1641 to 1645, 1647 to 1652, 1654 to 1658, 1662, 1663, 1665 to 1668, 1672 to 1676, 1678, 1679, 1681 to 1685, 1687 to 1690, 1692 and 1693 could be made orders for return, these returns would be tabled in electronic format immediately.