Debates of Nov. 8th, 2024

Labour

[Some hon. members]

No.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

There is no agreement to move the motion. I would ask members to please talk with each other to make sure everyone is in agreement before they try to table motions or anything like that.

Foreign Affairs

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance]

Madam Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), and in accordance with the policy on the tabling of treaties in Parliament, I have the honour and privilege to table, in both official languages, the treaty entitled “Amendments to the Agreement Establishing the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development”, adopted by the board of governors of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development on May 18, 2023.

Government Response to Petitions

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

Madam Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8)(a), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to one petition. This return will be tabled in an electronic format.

Homelessness

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Madam Speaker, it is an honour to rise this afternoon. The petitioners have asked that the House assembled take action on the situation for the homeless in Canada. They note in this petition that the homeless are mistreated and discriminated against in a routine fashion. Many NGOs and governments are approaching the issue with what they term are best described as band-aid methods.

The petitioners ask that instead of marginalizing this already precarious community, the government pass a law to make it illegal to discriminate against any homeless person and to make it illegal to confiscate their personal property, which routinely happens when encampments are torn down by police action, forcing homeless people to move from public property when they have nowhere to go. In short, the petitioners ask that criminalizing homelessness end in this country and that the rights of the homeless be protected.

Parental Alienation

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

Madam Speaker, women who report domestic violence committed against themselves or their child are often accused of parental alienation. These accusations are based on a scientifically invalid theory that is used to undermine the credibility of mothers who report domestic violence. These accusations result in court rulings that endanger the safety of children, including rulings that force children to live with a violent father against their will.

That is why over 200 feminist organizations from every province and two territories of Canada are calling for urgent legislative reform to eliminate parental alienation accusations in proceedings under the Divorce Act.

Questions on the Order Paper

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

Madam Speaker, the following questions will be answered today: Nos. 2994, 2997 and 2998.

Question No.2994—

[Randall Garrison, NDP, Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke, BC]

With regard to government contracts with healthcare agencies to serve inmate populations in all federal penitentiaries at Correctional Service Canada, broken down by fiscal year, since 2017-18: (a) what is the total number of contracts signed; (b) what are the details of all contracts signed, including the (i) agency contracted, (ii) value of the contract, (iii) number of healthcare practitioners provided, (iv) duration of the contract; and (c) what is the total amount of extra costs incurred as a result of relying on contracted services instead of employing healthcare practitioners directly?

[Jennifer O'Connell, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, the Correctional Service of Canada, CSC, undertook an extensive preliminary search in order to determine the amount of information that would fall within the scope of the question and the amount of time that would be required to prepare a comprehensive response. It was concluded that producing and validating a comprehensive response in the time allotted is not possible and could lead to the disclosure of incomplete and misleading information.

CSC adheres to the Treasury Board Secretariat, TBS, directive on the management of procurement and the government’s contracts regulations for all its awarded contracts.

Information pertaining to contracts over $10,000 is publicly available on the Open Canada website at https://search.open.canada.ca/en/ct/.

Question No.2997—

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

With regard to the government's response to Order Paper question Q-2804 which lists Afghanistan, Palestinian Territories (Gaza), Argentina, Bangladesh, Belarus, Brazil, China, Cuba, Egypt, Haiti, India, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Lebanon, Mexico, Myanmar, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda, Venezuela, and Yemen (hereinafter referred to as "entities") as having all received funds through Global Affairs Canada's Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI) since January 1, 2016: (a) what are the details for each CFLI grant, including (i) the total amount, (ii) the file number, (iii) the website where the grant is applicable online, (iv) the department, (v) the purpose of the grant, (vi) who specifically requested the CFLI grant from the list of above entities, (vii) the date of the application, (viii) the recipient, (ix) whether the grant was given directly to a foreign government or another organization; and (b) for cases where the grant was given to an organization, what are the names of each organization, the dates when the grant was provided, and the rationale for selecting the organization?

[Rob Oliphant, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs]

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

With regard to parts (a) and (b), the Canada fund for local initiatives, CFLI, is an international assistance contribution program under the authority of the Minister of Foreign Affairs with an annual operating budget of $26.89 million. Each year, the CFLI supports over 800 small-scale, high-impact projects with an average budget of $32,000, implemented in over 120 official development assistance, ODA, eligible countries.

The department undertook an extensive preliminary search in order to determine the amount of information that would fall within the scope of the question and the amount of time that would be required to prepare a comprehensive response. The response would require the retrieval of information stored in various databases for over 820 contributions agreements. The department concluded that producing and validating a comprehensive response to this question would require an extensive collection of information that is not possible in the time allotted and could lead to the disclosure of incomplete and misleading information.

CFLI contributions of a value above $10,000 are subject to proactive disclosure and are published on the Open Government site under proactive disclosure at the following link: https://open.canada.ca/en.

CFLI initiatives align with the six action areas established under Canada’s feminist international assistance policy and seek to contribute to advancing democracy, protecting and promoting human rights, and ensuring security and stability. The CFLI is also geared to assist in the advocacy of Canada’s values and interests and the strengthening of Canada’s bilateral relations with foreign countries and their civil societies. CFLI funding can also be deployed for humanitarian assistance in the immediate aftermath of natural disasters and other emergencies. By funding and supporting projects developed by local organizations that may not otherwise qualify for funding from larger donors, the CFLI program fosters stronger and more resilient civil society sectors among ODA-eligible countries.

The recipients of CFLI contributions are, with few exceptions, local civil society organizations, CSOs, active at the community and grassroots level. While the CFLI does on occasion partner with local government entities when deemed strategic to do so to meet Canadian objectives, it is rare. For example, the CFLI partnered with government entities in 1.25% of projects in programming in the fiscal years 2022-23 and 2023-24.

The selection of CFLI projects is performed on an annual basis by designated committees within 69 implementing missions and with initiatives being submitted through calls for proposals published on a dedicated website: https://www.international.gc.ca/world-monde/funding-financement/cfli-fcil/index.aspx?lang=eng. Projects are selected based on criteria identified by the program’s terms and conditions, including the degree of alignment with Canada’s international assistance, as well as its foreign affairs priorities and interests. The financial authorities for the CFLI are held by the head of missions.

Question No.2998—

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

With regard to the carbon tax revenues collected from small businesses since 2019 and the over $2.5 billion in fuel charge rebates owed to small businesses: (a) what is the average processing time for the Canada Carbon Rebate for Small Businesses as announced in budget 2024; (b) when can businesses who filed their 2023 taxes before the deadline of July 15, 2024, expect their rebate; and (c) how many businesses who filed their 2023 taxes before the deadline of July 15, 2024, have received their tax credit as of September 23, 2024?

[Marie-Claude Bibeau, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, with respect to the question noted above, what follows is the response from the Canada Revenue Agency, CRA, for the time period of January 1, 2019, to September 23, 2024, the date of the question.

With regard to part (a), no small business rebates have been processed as of the date of the question, as the payment rates had not yet been established. On October 1, 2024, the Department of Finance announced the payment rates for each designated province for an applicable calendar year, which the CRA will use to calculate and automatically issue the rebate amounts to eligible Canadian-controlled private corporations, CCPCs.

With regard to part (b), eligible businesses that filed their 2023 tax return by July 15, 2024, will receive their payment by December 16, 2024, if registered for direct deposit from the CRA, or by December 31, 2024, if receiving payment by cheque.

To further support CCPCs, the CRA launched an online estimator tool to assist in determining an estimated rebate amount based on business operations between 2019 and 2023.

With regard to part (c), no eligible CCPCs have received their tax credit as of September 23, 2024. On October 1, the Department of Finance announced the payment rates for each designated province for an applicable calendar year, which the CRA will use to calculate and automatically issue the rebate amounts to an estimated 600,000 eligible businesses.

For additional information, refer to “Canada Carbon Rebate for Small Businesses Payment Amounts, 2019-20 to 2023-24” at https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/news/2024/10/canada-carbon-rebate-for-small-businesses-payment-amounts-2019-20-to-2023-24.html.

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 Questions Nos. 2995 and 2996 could be made orders for returns, these returns would be tabled in an electronic format immediately.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

Is that agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

Question No.2995—

[Adam Chambers, Conservative, Simcoe North, ON]

With regard to the CRA's assessment and collection data on vessel registrations, broken down by year since January 1, 2016: how many pleasure crafts, broken down by new and used, were registered in Canada with a total sales price (i) below $250,000, (ii) between $250,000 and $500,000, (iii) above $500,000 and up to $1 million, (iv) above $1 million?

(Return tabled)

Question No.2996—

[Melissa Lantsman, Conservative, Thornhill, ON]

With regard to government funding allocated to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA): (a) what are the details of all funding allocated by the government to the UNRWA since November 4, 2015, broken down by each appropriations act or estimate, including each Main or Supplementary Estimate which contained funding for the UNRWA and the associated amounts; and (b) for each instance of a funding allocation in (a), what specific projects, transfers or other items were funded with the allocation, and how much funding did each project, transfer, or other item receive?

(Return tabled)

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Madam Speaker, I ask that all remaining questions be allowed to stand at this time.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker, NDP, Carol Hughes]

Is that agreed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

The House resumed consideration of the motion, of the amendment and of the amendment to the amendment.

Reference to Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs

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

Madam Speaker, I want to go over what we are actually supposed to be talking about and why the leader of the Conservative Party has decided to be in what I have said is borderline contempt of the House of Commons regarding the rules and procedures, and how he is attempting to hold for ransom all members of the chamber because of his personal interests.

Let me expand on it. The Conservative Party, after a ruling from the Speaker, moved a motion that the—