Debates of Oct. 30th, 2024

(Return tabled)

Question No.2913—

[Chris Warkentin, Conservative, Grande Prairie—Mackenzie, AB]

With regard to contracts between any government department, agency, Crown corporation, or other government entity and Speakers Spotlight, since November 4, 2015: what are the details of each contract, including the (i) date of event associated with the contract, (ii) amount, (iii) name of the speaker, (iv) event description and purpose of the speech?

(Return tabled)

Question No.2915—

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

With regard to the terms of the Pacific Salmon Commercial Licence Retirement Program (LRP) under the Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative (PSSI), broken down by each harvest area: (a) how many individual commercial salmon licenses have been retired each year broken down by gear type; (b) what were the average prices paid; and (c) what were the highest and lowest prices?

(Return tabled)

Question No.2917—

[Ted Falk, Conservative, Provencher, MB]

With regard to Health Canada's (HC) establishing the safety of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in 12-15 year olds: (a) what serious adverse events (SAEs) did the pharmaceutical company disclose to Canada's health agencies for this age group pre-authorization; (b) since approving the product in this age group, has the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), the National Advisory Committee on lmmunization (NACI) or HC become aware of additional adverse events (AEs) or SAEs that the pharmaceutical company had not disclosed during the initial authorization process; (c) if the answer to (b) is affirmative, (i) what AEs and SAEs has the PHAC, the NACI and HC become aware of, (ii) when were they discovered, (iii) what are the means by which Canada's health agencies were provided this information; (d) prior to authorizing this product in this age group, was the PHAC, HC or the NACI given information about (i) the SAEs of a 12-year-old trial participant named Maddie de Geray who was diagnosed with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy which rendered her reliant on a wheelchair and feeding tube, (ii) any other specific SAE cases in this cohort following the Pfizer inoculation; (e) if the answer to (d) is affirmative, what was the date and means by which the PHAC, the NACI or HC became aware of these cases; (f) if the answer to (d) is negative, has Ms. De Geray's diagnoses been added to HC's list of SAEs on the HC website in this age group; (g) has the PHAC, HC or the NACI been aware that the adverse events experienced by trial participant Maddie de Geray were not properly disclosed within their trial studies as described in the scientific publication of said trial (i.e. NEJM - Frenck et al. 2021); (h) did the PHAC, HC or the NACI take any action after discovering the lack of proper disclosure of Maddie de Geray's SAEs by Pfizer; (i) what was the age stratified risk-benefit analysis for 12-15 year olds in relation to the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at the time of authorization, on May 5, 2021; (j) what was the data and calculations for quantifying the risks and benefits that Canadian health agencies used to authorize or approve the product in this age group; (k) what data indicated that the benefits of the vaccine outweighed the risks at the time of authorization; (l) since the roll-out of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in this age group, (i) what are the top ten SAEs identified in this cohort, (ii) how have these SAEs been communicated to the medical community and the public at large; (m) what type and frequency of SAEs in 12-15-year-old would invoke an unfavourable benefits-risk ratio for healthy children and for children with underlying medical conditions; and (n) is HC, the PHAC or the NACI aware of any other jurisdictions worldwide that no longer recommends the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines in children at (i) six months of age, (ii) between six months and two years (iii) between two to five years, (iv) between five to 12 years, (v) between 12-15 year, (vi) between 15-18 years?

(Return tabled)

Question No.2920—

[Brad Redekopp, Conservative, Saskatoon West, SK]

With regard to a Statistics Canada report titled “Police-reported crime statistics in Canada, 2022”, The Daily — Police-reported crime statistics in Canada, 2022, and the report that there has been a 43% increase in the rates of level 1, 2, and 3 sexual assaults between 2015 and 2022: (a) does Public Safety Canada acknowledge that level 1, 2, and 3 sexual assaults have increased 43% in that time period, and, if not, why not; (b) when did Public Safety Canada learn of the 43% increase in the rates of level 1, 2, and 3 sexual assaults; (c) how long was the delay between Public Safety Canada learning of the 43% increase and the establishment of mitigation measures to reduce the number of level 1, 2, and 3 sexual assaults, broken down by the dates the measures were undertaken by Public Safety Canada and its public safety partner agencies; (d) has Public Safety Canada and its public safety partner agencies taken measures to mitigate this increase of level 1, 2, and 3 sexual assaults broken down by specific measures, including the funds allocated and spent by each specific mitigation measures?

(Return tabled)

Question No.2921—

[Brian Masse, NDP, Windsor West, ON]

With regard to the Canada Border Services Agency's (CBSA) Request for Assistance Program (RFA), which has historically been an effective tool for Intellectual Property (IP) rights owners to prevent counterfeit goods from crossing the Canadian border and entering the commerce stream, and having cut the RFA program significantly: (a) does the government have plans to (i) reassess the cuts to training and processes that limit CBSA officers from efficiently searching, identifying and detaining the counterfeit products, (ii) reinvest in the RFA program in the next years, and, if so, when, (iii) work and discuss the impacts that these cuts have had on Canadians, businesses and trade noting that Canada is the only G7 country on the 2023 United States Trade Representative Watchlist, (iv) meet directly with the Customs Immigration Union to ensure that the frontline officers participate in the process to reestablish increased searches, identification and counterfeit products processes; and (b) how much estimated value has been confiscated each year from this program and from how many seizures for the last ten years at all ports of entry to Canada?

(Return tabled)

Question No.2922—

[Brian Masse, NDP, Windsor West, ON]

With regard to the federal target of achieving 100% Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) market share in Canada by 2035: (a) what is the government doing now, and what was done to date to address the lack of available public charging stations throughout the country to meet the demand for ZEVs; (b) what is the number of current public charging stations available through Canada, including locations, number, and types of chargers; (c) what is the projected number of public charging stations needed to meet demand by 2035; (d) did the government consider or have plans to increase the amount of the federal Incentives for Zero-Emission Vehicles Program (iZEV) from $5000; (e) did the government consider or have plans to match the United States’ federal incentive program to provide an equal and fair incentive for purchasing domestic vehicles; (f) did the government consider a plan for federal incentives for consumer purchases of used electric vehicles to help drive the sales and meet the environmental targets; (g) is the government tracking the import and export of new and used electric vehicles, and, if so, is it starting from the year 2022; and (h) is the government tracking the movement of electric vehicles purchased in one province the later moved to another province?

(Return tabled)

Question No.2923—

[Brian Masse, NDP, Windsor West, ON]

With regard to the proposed deep geologic repository (DGR) plan by the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) which could be located in South Bruce, Ontario: (a) should this site be selected, which falls within the Great Lakes basin, has the government (i) met with members of the United States Congress and United States Senate, or with our Canadian Ambassador to the United States, to hear the American concerns and opposition about storage of nuclear waste near, or within, the Great Lakes Basin, and, if so, who did they meet with, where were the meetings held and when, (ii) followed the progress of Amendment #947 to the to the FY 25 National Defense Authorization Act in U.S. Congress which calls for both Canada and the United States to not develop facilities to permanently store nuclear waste in the Great Lakes Basin and which has now moved to the United States Senate for further action and support, (iii) discussed with the NWMO alternatives to transporting and storing radioactive waste in the Great Lakes basin, (iv) considered alternatives to DGRs, such as recycling the radioactive waste, such as France, Japan, Germany and Belgium; (b) has the Prime Minister, the Minister of Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic Development or the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry raised or responded to this issue to the President or other representative of the Biden Administration, and, if so, when and where did the meetings take place and with who?

(Return tabled)

Question No.2924—

[Dan Muys, Conservative, Flamborough—Glanbrook, ON]

With regard to VIA HFR – Dedicated Project Office 2023-2024 Operating Budget: (a) for each individual paid under “Technical Office: specialized individuals hired under contractual agreements”, (i) what was the average payment, (ii) what was the highest amount of payment, (iii) how many unique individuals received payment; and (b) what are the details of all entities paid under “Technical Office: Engineering, accounting, procurement, legal, technical and communication services”, including the (i) date of the payment, (ii) date signed, (iii) value, (iv) detailed description of the service(s) provided, (v) start and end dates of work, (vi) details on how the contract was awarded (sole-sourced, competitive bid), (vii) titles of the officials who approved or signed off on the contract?

(Return tabled)

Question No.2926—

[Dan Muys, Conservative, Flamborough—Glanbrook, ON]

With regard to the federal carbon tax collected from the transportation sector, since April 1, 2019, broken down by year: (a) what were the amounts collected from Canadian Airports; (b) what were the amounts collected from (i) Canadian Airlines, (ii) non-Canadian Airlines; (c) what were the amounts collected from Canadian ports; (d) what were the amounts collected from (i) Canadian Maritime Transportation Companies, (ii) non-Canadian Maritime Transportation Companies; (e) what were the amounts collected from (i) Canadian trucking companies, (ii) non-Canadian trucking companies?

(Return tabled)

Question No.2927—

[Dan Muys, Conservative, Flamborough—Glanbrook, ON]

With regard to the 21 privately-operated airport authorities in Canada: (a) what were the amount of rents collected from each airport authority since January 1, 2016, broken down by year; (b) what were the amounts of other fees or penalties collected from each airport authority since January 1, 2016, broken down by year, in total, and broken down by type of fee or penalty; and (c) since January 1, 2016, broken down by year, (i) how many projects at the 21 airports received funding by the federal government, (ii) what was the amount of funding received, broken down by project?

(Return tabled)

Question No.2928—

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

With regard to carbon pricing on government administration, including the Carbon Tax and the Carbon Rebate, since January 1, 2019: (a) how much did the Government of Canada collect in each riding and province during each calendar year in carbon tax, broken down by (i) federal administration, (ii) provincial administration, (iii) municipal administration; (b) how much did the Government of Canada return in each riding and province during each calendar year through the Carbon Rebate, broken down by (i) federal administration, (ii) provincial administration, (iii) municipal administration; (c) of (a)(i) and (b)(i), what is the breakdown of the movement of funds from (i) central agencies, (ii) ministerial departments, (iii) separate agencies with direct ministerial oversight, (iv) independent agencies and offices, (v) independent review bodies, (vi) branches of the Canadian Armed Forces, (vii) the Senate of Canada, (viii) the House of Commons, (ix) federal courts, (x) special operating agencies, (xi) Crown corporations, (xii) Canadian Coast guard auxiliary, (xiii) federal infrastructure projects; (d) of (a)(ii) and (b)(ii), what is the breakdown of the movement of funds from (i) provincial agencies, (ii) ministerial departments, (iii) separate agencies with direct ministerial oversight, (iv) independent agencies and offices, (v) independent review bodies, (vi) provincial legislatures, (vii) provincial courts, (viii) special operating agencies, (ix) Crown corporations, (x) provincial courts, (xi) school boards and school divisions, (xii) health authorities, (xiii) public post-secondary institutions, (xiv) provincial infrastructure projects; and (e) of (a)(iii) and (b)(iii), what is the breakdown of the movement of funds from (i) municipal administration, (ii) museums and art galleries, (iii) curling rinks, (iv) hockey arenas, (v) pools, (vi) recreational centres, (vii) stadiums, (viii) community centres, (ix) municipal infrastructure projects, (x) visitor centres, (xi) homeless shelters, (xii) parks, (xiii) emergency response, (xiv) enforcement services?

(Return tabled)

Question No.2933—

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

With regard to the inventory of immigration applications in the Humanitarian and Compassionate (H&C) and other categories: (a) in which month and year were applications received, broken down by country of origin; (b) what is the average processing time from application submission to final decision, broken down by country of origin; (c) what are the total resources or staffing levels dedicated to processing applications in the H&C and other categories over the past three years to date; (d) considering that the 2024-26 Immigration Levels Plan target presently provides for a target of 29,750 allocations for the H&C and other categories in total from 2024 to 2026, with a low range of 22,000 and a high range of 41,500, and the current inventory already exceeds 70,000 applications, how many years does the department estimate it will take to clear the present application inventory without projecting for forthcoming applications; (e) what are the details of all special measures and policies included in the H&C and other categories over the last five years, including the (i) eligibility requirements for those immigration streams, (ii) descriptions of all processing prioritization directives given for each stream, (iii) dates on which updates or changes were made to those directives, broken down by country and the year the measure or policy came into effect; and (f) what plans or strategies are being developed to address the backlog of applications in these categories and to improve processing times?

(Return tabled)