Debates of April 8th, 2024

Pornography

[Arnold Viersen, Conservative, Peace River—Westlock, AB]

Mr. Speaker, it is a real pleasure to stand up today to present a petition.

The petition I am presenting today comes from Canadians from across the country who are concerned about the consent and age verification of those depicted in pornographic material. The petitioners are asking the government to follow recommendation 2 of the 2021 Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics report on MindGeek, which would require all content hosting platforms to verify age prior to uploading content.

Bill C-270, the stopping Internet sexual exploitation act, would add two offences to the Criminal Code. The first requires age verification and consent prior to distribution. The second requires removal of that material if the consent withdrawn.

The petitioners are calling on the House of Commons to pass Bill C-270.

Freedom of Political Expression

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to present one petition to the House in support of Bill C-257, an excellent private member's bill that would protect Canadians from political discrimination.

It is a bill that I put forward in the House. The petitioners want to see the House pass it as quickly as possible.

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. 2280, 2282, 2283, 2289, 2291, 2293, 2294, 2297, 2300, 2304, 2306 to 2308, 2310, 2311, 2313, 2317, 2318, 2322, 2323, 2325, 2326, 2328 to 2330, 2332, 2336, 2337, 2339, 2340, 2344 and 2354.

Question No.2280—

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

With regard to the mandate and responsibilities of the Grocery Task Force, broken down by month since its inception: (a) what is the total number of investigations initiated by the Grocery Task Force into practices that hurt consumers; (b) of the investigations in (a), how many investigations concluded that consumers were being harmed; and (c) what are the details of all investigations into practices that hurt consumers that have been initiated by the Task Force in (a), including, the (i) name of the grocer being investigated, (ii) conduct being investigated, (iii) date that the investigation began, (iv) date that the investigation concluded?

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

Mr. Speaker, the Grocery Task Force was established within the office of Consumer Affairs of the Department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, with the main mandate to provide the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry with advice tied to his efforts to stabilize food prices in Canada. As the Task Force has no mandate to take enforcement actions, it has not conducted any investigations.

Question No.2282—

[Kevin Waugh, Conservative, Saskatoon—Grasswood, SK]

With regard to the March 31, 2023 announcement by the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry that the government secured legally binding commitments from Rogers and Vidéotron: (a) what is the current status of each commitment; (b) for each commitment that has been completed, on what date was the government notified of its completion; (c) for each commitment that has not yet been completed, by what date does the government expect it to be completed; and (d) for each of the job creation commitments included in the announcement, how many jobs have been created to date?

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

Mr. Speaker, in response to part (a) of the question, the status of each commitment is to be determined by Innovation, Science and Economic Development, orISED, when it receives the first annual reports from Rogers, due onApril 3, 2024. and Videotron, due by July 3, 2024. The parties have also committed to publish their annual reports online. The deadline for fulfillment of each commitment is set out in the following two agreements: Rogers – Undertakings of Rogers Communications Inc. related to its public commitments and agreement with His Majesty the King in right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of Industry Videotron – Undertakings of Quebecor Media Inc. and Videotron Ltd. with respect to Freedom Mobile

With respect to part (b), the status of each commitment is to be determined by ISED when it receives the first annual reports from Rogers, due on April 3, 2024, and Videotron, due by July 3, 2024.

With respect to part (c), the deadline for fulfillment of each commitment is set out in the two above-mentioned agreements. The Rogers commitments are generally to be completed in 5 or 10 years from the acquisition closing date, while the Videotron commitments are generally to be completed in 2, 3, 5 or 10 years from the acquisition closing date.

With respect to part (d), the status of the job commitment will be assessed by ISED following receipt of the first annual reports from Rogers and Videotron.

Question No.2283—

[Peter Julian, NDP, New Westminster—Burnaby, BC]

With regard to evictions data collected by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, since January 1, 2006: how many evictions occurred in Canada, broken down by province or territory and by year?

[Chris Bittle, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing]

Mr. Speaker, with regard to evictions data collected by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, since January 1, 2006, Canada Housing and Mortgage Corporation, or CMHC, does not have a database containing this type of data.

There is no authoritative source of this data across Canada. Evictions are the jurisdiction of the provinces and territories, and legislation differs by jurisdiction.

CMHC is currently working with Statistics Canada to establish getting eviction records (applications, decisions, appeals, enforcements) from selected provinces. CMHC will obtain a limited amount of information from a small number of provinces which means it will only pertain to data regarding evictions that had applications to the Landlord/Tenant board in that province. It would not include the data for people who received an eviction notice from their landlord and immediately vacated the unit.

Statistics Canada will be integrating evictions data with other data sources to produce aggregated statistics on socioeconomic outcomes of people who have been formally evicted. CMHC will be analyzing this data in an attempt to learn about the characteristics of these households both before and after the eviction.

Question No.2289—

[Dean Allison, Conservative, Niagara West, ON]

With regard to the government's COVID-19 vaccine mandates: since August 13, 2021, how many people were denied Employment Insurance benefits for the sole reason of their COVID-19 vaccine status?

[Irek Kusmierczyk, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment]

Mr. Speaker, the department is not in a position to accurately represent the number of individuals who were denied Employment Insurance benefits for the sole reason of their COVID-19 vaccine status.

While we have data representing the number of EI claims submitted and denied with the Record of Employment, or ROE, code of M, or terminated, and a comment specifying “non-compliance to employer's mandatory vaccine policy”, the “comment” section is not a mandatory field on the ROE; as a result, it is not possible to provide an accurate count of all EI claims denied for the sole reason of the COVID-19 vaccine status.

For these reasons, producing and validating a comprehensive response to this question would require a manual collection of information would lead to the disclosure of incomplete and misleading information.

Question No.2291—

[Brian Masse, NDP, Windsor West, ON]

With regard to the Housing Accelerator Fund and the decision to not fund the city of Windsor, Ontario (Ontario’s application), due to the decision to not change their zoning bylaws to include four units on any residential property as-of-right: (a) did the Government of Canada refuse all applications from municipalities that presented alternative plans which included allowing a minimum of four units on other properties not currently listed as-of-right; (b) how many, and which municipalities were denied funding due to not changing their current zoning requirements to permit four units on any residential property as-of-right; (c) what consultations, and with whom, took place to create a different density planning formula than the one established in Ontario which permits threeplexes; (d) what studies or evaluations were done to determine that the city of Windsor required a density increase to fourplexes to use these funds; (e) without the change to fourplexes, would the city of Windsor have been able to use the funds if approved in terms of places available to build; and (f) was consideration given to municipalities based on statistics of poverty, gender-led households, race, ethnicity, first nations and children per household?

[Chris Bittle, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing]

Mr. Speaker. with regard to the Housing Accelerator Fund, or HAF, and the decision to not fund the city of Windsor, Ontario, Ontario’s application, Budget 2022 announced $4 billion in funding until 2026-27 to launch the HAF. The target is to permit an additional 100,000 net new housing units over the course of the three-year initiative.

The HAF provides funding to local governments to incentivize local initiatives that remove barriers to housing supply, accelerate the growth of supply, and support the development of complete, low-carbon and climate-resilient communities, which are affordable, inclusive, equitable, and diverse.

On October 23, 2023, the Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities issued a public statement on the HAF progress which confirmed that “we will be prioritizing consideration of the communities based on their relative level of ambition and policy choices and we will work to finalize agreements with the cities, towns, and rural communities who are willing to do the most to provide homes for their residents.”

With regards to part a) and b), more than 500 local governments across the country submitted applications for the HAF. Applicants will be informed of the outcome of their application in the coming weeks. As this review process is being finalized, no other municipalities have been declined under the HAF. Canada Mortgage Housing Corporation, or CMHC, is not permitted to make any specific Action Plan public without the applicant's consent or discuss applications that have been denied. For cities with successful applications, their Action Plans will be made public. As of right now, summaries of local action plans and initiatives funded through the Housing Accelerator Fund can be found on the CMHC website: https://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/professionals/project-funding-and-mortgage-financing/funding-programs/all-funding-programs/housing-accelerator-fund/housing-accelerator-fund-progress.

With regards to part c) and f), CMHC consulted stakeholders throughout 2022 when designing the HAF. These stakeholders include the Canadian Urban Institute, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, provinces and territories, Indigenous groups and various organizations involved in the delivery of housing, alongside a public call for ideas. The Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities tabled a report in the House of Commons with a list of recommendations on the design of the HAF, to which the Government of Canada tabled a detailed response. CMHC considered these recommendations in the development of the program and those that aligned with the program objectives were incorporated in the design. As with all Government of Canada budget submissions, a Gender-based Analysis Plus was provided, noting that this is a broad-based housing supply program intended to accelerate the planning, permitting and construction of all types of housing, including non-profit and below market rental.

With regards to part d), CMHC has nothing to report.

With regards to part e), approved applicants have the flexibility to use their incentive funding to support housing in their communities, which include investments in affordable housing, investments in housing-related infrastructure, and investments in community-related infrastructure that supports housing.

Question No.2293—

[Leah Gazan, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

With regard to access to abortion care funded under the Canada Health Act, broken down by province or territory from 2015 to present: (a) how many hospitals provide safe abortion care services funded by the federal government; (b) how many clinics provide safe abortion care services funded by the federal government; (c) which municipalities with a population of 50,000 or more (i) did not have access to a hospital or clinic offering safe abortion care services funded by the federal government within 100 kilometers driving distance, (ii) did not have a hospital or clinic offering safe abortion care services funded by the federal government accessible by public transportation; and (d) which municipalities with a population under 50,000 (i) did not have access to a hospital or clinic offering safe abortion care services funded by the federal government within 100 kilometers driving distance, (ii) did not have a hospital or clinic offering safe abortion care services funded by the federal government accessible by public transportation?

[Yasir Naqvi, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, the federal government does not directly fund hospitals or clinics to provide medically necessary health care services, including abortion care services. Rather the provincial and territorial governments fund and administer the provision of these services within the framework of the Canada Health Act and with federal assistance through the Canada Health Transfer, or CHT.

The Canada Health Act sets out the criteria and conditions that must be satisfied by provincial and territorial health care insurance plans for provinces and territories to qualify for their full share of the federal cash contribution available to them under the CHT. The CHT provides provinces and territories with federal funding to assist them in exercising their primary jurisdiction in the administration of their public health care insurance plans and the delivery of health care service.

The Canada Health Act requires that all medically necessary hospital and physician services be covered by provincial and territorial public health care insurance plans, whether they are provided in a hospital or in a facility providing hospital care, such as a private clinic. Surgical abortion services are deemed medically necessary by all provinces and territories, or PTs, and as such, are insured under their PT health insurance plans. Medical necessity is determined by provincial and territorial health insurance plans, in consultation with the medical profession.

The most recently available data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information, or CIHI, states there were an estimated 87,485 reported induced abortions in Canada in 2021. The number of reported induced abortions occurring in a hospital setting was 20,217, or 23.1%, while 67,286, or 76.9%, occurred in a non-hospital setting.

In the period after mifepristone restrictions were removed, most abortion providers in Ontario were general practitioners, at 66.5%, with obstetrician-gynaecologists, at 23.2%, and nurse practitioners, at 9.1%, taking up a smaller proportion of the workforce. By 2019 nearly 90% of practitioners offering abortion care provided 10 or fewer per year, and among all abortion providers the annual median number provided dropped to 1, or IQR 1-5. These findings indicate a strong integration of abortion care into more general services. Meanwhile existing services were preserved; the number of practitioners providing more than 50 abortions per year, that is, those with an abortion-focused practice, was unchanged after the policy implementation.

CIHI reports that almost 2/3 of all reported abortions in 2021 were procedural, or surgical, while 1/3 were medical, or through medication. CIHI acknowledges that there is likely continued undercounting of medication abortions, with the use of Mifegymiso. Access to abortion services has improved for Canadians with the advent of medication abortion, through Mifegymiso, particularly since prescribing guidelines were updated by Health Canada in 2017, and coverage for the drug has been established in all provinces and territories

To further improve nation-wide access to sexual and reproductive health care, including abortion, Health Canada’s Sexual and Reproductive Health Fund was created. Through Budget 2021 and 2023, $81 million has been committed to the fund over six years. The fund supports community-based organizations that help make access to abortion, gender affirming, and other sexual and reproductive health care information and services more accessible for underserved populations, such as members of 2SLGBTQI+ communities, Indigenous and racialized people, and women and youth from underserved communities.

To date, $8 million has been invested in four projects focused on access to abortion. Through these projects, new resources and supports are being developed for health care professionals, access to accurate information about abortion is being improved, and financial and logistical support for travel for abortion care is being provided. Specifically, the funding has made possible a 225 percent increase in the number of people receiving travel and logistical support to access abortion services, that is, 107 people assisted in 2021-22 vs. 348 people assisted in 2022-23.

Question No.2294—

[Leah Gazan, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

With regard to funding included in the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence, broken down by province or territory since the program was initiated: (a) how much of the allocated $539.3 million in funding has been committed to date; (b) how much of the allocated $539.3 million in funding has been spent to date; (c) which organizations have received funding from this program; (d) how much funding has each program recipient received; and (e) how many women or girls have been recipients of programs, services or actions associated with this National Action Plan, broken down by those (i) who identify as Indigenous, (ii) who identify as Black or racialized, (iii) who are immigrants or refugees, (iv) who are Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, plus people (2SLGBTQI+), (v) with disabilities, (vi) living in northern, rural, and remote communities?

[Lisa Hepfner, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth]

Mr. Speaker, in response to parts a) and b), the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence, or NAP to End GBV, is supported by a Budget 2022 investment of $593.3 million over five years, which includes $525 million over four years to support provinces and territories in their implementation of the NAP to End GBV, through bilateral funding agreements. The bilateral agreement for each province and territory, which includes their funding allocation and actions, updated annually, can be found on Women and Gender Equality Canada’s webpage Bilateral Agreements on the National Action Plan to End Gender-based Violence at https://femmes-egalite-genres.canada.ca/en/gender-based-violence/intergovernmental-collaboration/bilateral-agreements.html.

With respect to parts c), d), and e), the bilateral funding agreements with the provinces and territories are designed to allow jurisdictions the flexibility to implement opportunities for action within the framework of the five pillars and Foundation of the NAP to End GBV in accordance with their regional realities and priorities, with the exception of Quebec. Gender based violence is a priority for the Government of Quebec, which has invested significant funds to end violence against women. However, although it supports the overall objectives of the National Action Plan to End Gender Based Violence, the Government of Quebec cannot adhere to it because it intends to retain its full responsibility in this area on its territory. Through an agreement that respects its autonomy, the Government of Quebec receives federal funding to support the programs, initiatives, and services to end gender-based violence that it puts in place based on the needs of its territory. Each province and territory is responsible for directing investments according to their areas of need and priorities. As part of the implementation of the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence, federal, provincial, and territorial governments are working together to monitor the results and impacts of actions through the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence’s expected results framework. The efforts of the NAP to End GBV is built upon years of consultation with thousands of stakeholders, the Federal Government will continue engaging with stakeholders as we implement an evergreen, and flexible NAP to End GBV. These ongoing engagements will identify changing needs and priorities faced in different regions. In addition to the bilateral agreements being posted online, a national report will be published on an annual basis demonstrating the progress of the NAP to end GBV in each province as well as the need for changing adaption for each bilateral agreement. These public reports and agreements published on the website is part of the government’s strategy to include accountability and transparency within the NAP to End GBV. As funding is gradually distributed throughout the 10 years, these public reports will be imperative in ensuring that all gaps are addressed when implementing the NAP to End GBV.

Question No.2297—

[Frank Caputo, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC]

With regard to inmates in facilities operated by the Correctional Service of Canada: (a) how many inmates are currently on an opiates reduction program such as suboxone or methadone; and (b) of the inmates in (a), how many are also concurrently accessing the needle exchange program?

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

Mr. Speaker, the Correctional Service Canada, or CSC, offers a comprehensive suite of substance use treatment, support, and harm reduction services consistent with those offered in the community. Opioid Agonist Treatment, or OAT, is available to individuals with an opioid use disorder, or OUD, and is an effective treatment for OUD with literature demonstrating its success in reducing the use of illicit opioids and improving retention in addiction treatment. OAT is also effective in reducing the risk of HIV and hepatitis C infections among people who inject drugs and decreasing the harm associated with opioid use in prison and the likelihood of substance use upon return to the community. Effective OAT incorporates physical and mental health care and harm reduction delivered in an integrated fashion. For example, care includes provider-led counselling, substance use monitoring, provision of comprehensive primary care, harm reduction, education by health care professionals, the assessment and monitoring of emotional and mental health, and offering of psychosocial treatment interventions and supports.

Reducing the spread of infectious diseases makes institutions safer for employees and inmates, and it makes communities safer when inmates are released. One of the main ways that infectious diseases are transmitted in correctional institutions is through the sharing of illicit needles. The Prison Needle Exchange Program, or PNEP, gives federal inmates access to sterile needles in an effort to limit the transmission of infectious diseases.

Of the 13,619 offenders in custody on February 4, 2024, there were 3,129 offenders on OAT. Of those who were on OAT, 45 offenders were participating in the PNEP.

Question No.2300—

[Ted Falk, Conservative, Provencher, MB]

With regard to the government's approval of COVID-19 vaccines: what are the details of all research, studies, and data that the government used as a basis for its claim that the vaccines were safe and effective?

[Yasir Naqvi, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, Health Canada has authorized several COVID-19 vaccines for use in Canada. Each of these underwent a careful scientific review, and met our standards for safety, efficacy and quality. Information about all of the authorized vaccines, including the Regulatory Decision Summary, can be found on the COVID-19 vaccines and treatments portal at https://bit.ly/3EH07IB. Click on the individual vaccine names and then the “all resources” tab.

The portal provides detailed information for each of the vaccines that have been authorized, such as the product monograph, which is the prescribing information for both consumers and healthcare professionals in the manufacturer insert; the summary basis of decision, which provides a detailed overview of the data considered by Health Canada; and the terms and conditions placed on the authorizations, which are the requirements for further data submission that manufacturers are required to meet.

Bear in mind that information in the portal is being updated regularly. Specific details related to various aspects of the submission review, including the summaries of the clinical efficacy and safety, can be found in the portal. The portal also includes the supporting data related to the approval of COVID-19 vaccines on Health Canada’s Public Release of Clinical Information website at https://bit.ly/3GFvDHE.

As the federal regulator, Health Canada requires that clinical trial results be generated from properly designed protocols so that safety and efficacy of vaccines can be well demonstrated. Health Canada also requires manufacturing data demonstrating consistency and quality in the production of the vaccine. These requirements are informed by science and are aligned with international standards, including the World Health Organization guidelines.

Question No.2304—

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

With regard to statistics held by the government: what was the number of persons employed as child care workers in (i) 2022, (ii) 2023?

[Élisabeth Brière, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, while provinces and territories are not required to report on the number of persons employed as child care workers under the Canada-wide early learning and child care, or ELCC, Agreements, Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey on the employment estimates for the Early childhood educators and assistants occupational grouping estimated that the number of persons employed as child care workers in 2022 was 236,100 and 246,700 in 2023. It should be noted this occupation category captures workers who provide care for children between the ages of infancy and 12 years old employed in child care centres, agencies for exceptional children, and other settings where early childhood education services are provided.

As with any survey, the Labour Force Survey is subject to biases and errors and is best for monitoring longer term trends, rather than for comparing two single points in time. Further, please note that not all Labour Force Survey data is available for all provinces and territories. Due to sampling constraints, some data is not available for the North, including data regarding the number of early childhood educators and assistants. As such, the figures referenced above do not include the estimated number of early childhood educators working in the Territories.

As the provinces and territories are the owners of the administrative data related to the delivery of their ELCC programs and services, they may have the detailed information being sought. The Government of Canada will continue to work together with the provinces and territories through the implementation of the Canada-wide ELCC system to improve the collection and dissemination of data.

Question No.2306—

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

With regard to government information about the two Canadian Hells Angels named in an indictment in the United States: did the U.S. government notify the Canadian government of these two Canadians before the indictment was unsealed?

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

Mr. Speaker, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, or RCMP, was aware of the individuals in question and worked closely with the American authorities throughout their investigation.

This indictment demonstrates the importance of our close work with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, or FBI, in protecting both sides of our border and we look forward to continued collaborations. The RCMP is committed to combatting foreign actor interference. As foreign actor interference transcends borders, our strong relationships with Canada's security and intelligence community and law enforcement agencies around the world are essential to combatting it.

The RCMP will not be commenting further on ongoing investigations, domestic or international.