Debates of May 24th, 2024

Procedure and House Affairs

[Sherry Romanado, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Emergency Preparedness]

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 104 and 114, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 66th report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs regarding the membership of the committee of the House.

If the House gives its consent, I move that the 66th report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs presented to the House be concurred in.

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Chris d'Entremont]

All those opposed to the hon. member's moving the motion will please say nay.

It is agreed.

The House has heard the terms of the motion. All those opposed to the motion will please say nay.

(Motion agree to)

Justice

[Tako Van Popta, Conservative, Langley—Aldergrove, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a petition signed by over 800 people, primarily from my home province of British Columbia but also from right across Canada, who are concerned that, since 2014 violent crime has increased by 38% and gang-related homicides has increased by 126%.

Petitioners are concerned about the lack of regulations regarding the use of drugs in public places, about repeat offenders and catch-and-release policies. They are calling on the government to implement regulations and laws to protect the citizens and to reverse soft-and-crime catch-and-release policies.

Gaza

[Richard Cannings, NDP, South Okanagan—West Kootenay, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition signed by 84 constituents who are drawing the attention of the government to the fact that continued assaults on Palestine have escalated to the degree that the actions of Israel have been designated a genocide.

Therefore, petitioners strongly urge the Government of Canada to work with the United Nations, Palestine and Israel to establish a permanent state of Palestine with the same rights as any other nation. They also call for immediate substantive humanitarian aid, overseen by the United Nations, Red Cross and Red Crescent to ensure the safety and well-being of all Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel.

Human Rights

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a petition signed by members of the constituency of Saanich—Gulf Islands who are deeply concerned about the actions of Canadian companies overseas that do not reflect our values or our respect for human rights.

Petitioners point out in this petition there are companies based in Canada that contribute to human rights abuses around the world and environmental damage, and that those who protest those Canadian companies and their operations are also harassed, attacked and killed, including indigenous peoples, disproportionately.

Petitioners call on the Government of Canada and the House of Commons to require companies based in Canada to prevent human rights abuses, to protect the environment globally and to ensure a legal right for people who have been harmed overseas to seek justice in Canadian courts.

Justice

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Edmonton, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a petition through which petitioners are calling on Parliament to pass Bill S-281, known as Brian's bill, named in honour of Brian Ilesic, who was brutally murdered at the University of Alberta.

Petitioners are calling for this bill to be passed. It is a bill that seeks to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act so that convicted murderers would not be eligible to apply for parole year after year after serving their minimum sentence. Rather, they would only be eligible for a parole hearing at the time of their automatic review, so that victims' families are not retraumatized again and again.

Fisheries and Oceans

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

Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to rise in the House today to present petition e-4919, which was initiated by Chris Tucker, the president of Port Renfrew's Chamber of Commerce in my riding of Cowichan—Malahat—Langford.

The petitioners want the government to recognize that closing the recreational fishery endangers Port Renfrew's economy, threatening over 100 small business owners' livelihoods; that no supporting data for the efficacy of static closures has been provided by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, while many communities' economies face severe impacts; that critical threats to the southern resident killer whales, such as pollution and large shipping vessel traffic, remain under-addressed compared with the focus on recreational fishing; and that Port Renfrew's significant economic contribution, backed by a community and the Pacheedaht First Nation, underscores the need for sensible conservation efforts. They are advocating for a shift from arbitrary, punitive regulations to informed, evidence-based policies that ensure southern resident killer whale protection without compromising small communities' economic stability and future planning.

Therefore, the petitioners call upon the Government of Canada to adopt science-based regulations that recognize the marginal impact of the recreational fishery on the southern resident killer whales, do not require closures to recreational fishing and support a conservation-minded approach. What they want is thriving orcas, thriving oceans and thriving communities for many generations to come.

I am proud to support the good people of Port Renfrew.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Tracy Gray, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise and present three petitions today on behalf of the residents of Kelowna—Lake Country and the region. I will be very brief.

The first petition is calling on the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship of Canada to make available a specialized permanent residency pathway for Ukrainians currently in Canada under the Canada-Ukraine authorization for emergency travel provisions. This pathway would not require them to have a Canadian citizen or permanent resident family member in Canada.

Ukraine

[Tracy Gray, Conservative, Kelowna—Lake Country, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the second petition is calling on the Government of Canada to fulfill promises it made to the Government of Ukraine and the armed forces of Ukraine to supply 155-millimetre shells and national advanced surface-to-air missile systems.

The third petition is calling on the Minister of Defence to donate 83,000 discontinued surplus CRV7 rockets to the armed forces of Ukraine for the use of Ukraine's military defence against Russia's aggressive and illegal war.

Public Safety

[Dan Mazier, Conservative, Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa, MB]

Mr. Speaker, it is always an honour to present a petition on behalf of constituents.

I rise for the 38th time on behalf of the people of Swan River, Manitoba, to present a petition on the rising rate of crime. The people of Swan River are upset that jail is a revolving door for repeat offenders, as Bill C-75 allows violent offenders to be in jail in the morning and back on the street the same day. The Manitoba West district RCMP reported that just 15 individuals were responsible for 1,184 calls for service.

The people of Swan River are calling for jail, not bail, for repeat violent offenders. The people of Swan River demand that the Liberal government repeal its soft-on-crime policies, which directly threaten their livelihoods and their community.

I support the good people of Swan River.

Air Service to India

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise today to present yet another petition in regard to the relationship between Canada and India, and how the communities here in Canada are hoping to see more direct flights going from Canada to India. There is a special emphasis, because constituents of mine are talking about it, on flights from Winnipeg directly to India or somewhere in Europe as a secondary thing. I hope that parliamentarians or the industry as a whole is made more aware of that demand.

Questions on the Order Paper

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

Mr. Speaker, the following questions will be answered today: Nos. 2503, 2506 and 2508.

Question No.2503—

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

With regard to the social media post by Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) on March 29, 2024, about a "March holiday season": (a) who wrote the post; (b) what is the process for approving VAC tweets, including which official in the minister's office reviewed the content before being posted and was the process followed in this case; (c) who decided to replace the term "Easter weekend" with "March holiday season"; (d) will VAC be adjusting its March holiday season greeting in years where Easter falls in April; and (e) has any VAC employee faced any disciplinary action as a result of the fallout from this post, and, if so, what measures were taken?

[Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Liberal, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, in response to (a), the social media post was drafted by a member of Veterans Affairs Canada's departmental social media team.

In response to (b), as per Veterans Affairs Canada’s established process, it was approved up to the director level in the department.

In response to (c), given all the holidays being celebrated over the month of March, including Easter, a decision was made to acknowledge all those celebrating a holiday in the month of March. An Easter-specific post was published on Easter Sunday.

In response to (d), Veterans Affairs Canada’s holiday greetings will be adjusted accordingly each year.

In response to (e), no disciplinary actions were warranted nor taken. However, the internal approval process is being reviewed with the goal of ensuring greater oversight on social media plans.

Question No.2506—

[Dean Allison, Conservative, Niagara West, ON]

With regard to Health Canada's MedEffect website: (a) is the process outlined in the guide entitled "Adverse Reaction Reporting and Health Product Safety Information: Guide for Health Professionals", the protocol that healthcare providers have to follow since December 1, 2020, to report COVID-19 vaccine adverse reactions; (b) if the answer to (a) is negative, (i) when did the process change, (ii) which official in what department initiated the process change, (iii) what was the reason for the change; (c) since December 2020, what has been the new reporting protocol guidance to report COVID-19 vaccine adverse reactions; (d) how were health professionals informed of the change in (c); and (e) what were the substantive differences from the protocol for reporting a vaccine adverse reaction prior to December 2020 and the new protocol outlined in (c)?

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

Mr. Speaker, in response to (a), "Adverse Reaction Reporting and Health Product Safety Information: Guide for Health Professionals" outlines the submission methods available to health care professionals and anyone living in Canada wishing to voluntarily report adverse reactions, ARs, including adverse events following immunization, AEFIs, with vaccines, such as COVID-19 vaccines, and medical devices incident reports to the Canada vigilance program, CVP.

There have been no changes since December 2020 to the process for health care professionals and -consumers to voluntarily report to the CVP on AEFIs, including AEFIs for COVID-19 vaccines.

At the provincial and territorial level, legislation is in place that requires AEFIs to be reported by health care professionals to local provincial health units. These reports are shared with PHAC via the Canadian adverse events following immunization surveillance system, CAEFISS. Health Canada and PHAC collaborate to continuously monitor AEFIs with vaccines, including the COVID-19 vaccines, received through the CVP and the CAEFISS.

Following a December 2019 provincial/territorial, P/T, request, changes were made in December 2020 to the “Report a side effect” web page. The changes pertained only to the online reporting form and did not impact the ability for consumers and health professionals to voluntarily report AEFIs directly to Health Canada by telephone, mail, fax, or email.

The purpose of these changes was to minimize confusion due to the co-existing CVP and CAEFISS reporting paths and to acknowledge AEFI reporting through the long-standing public health route. As a result, consumers and health care professionals were directed to report AEFIs with COVID-19 vaccines to local public health authorities. These changes were supported by and authorized by senior officials within Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada, PHAC.

The response to (b) is N/A.

In response to (c), following the December 2020 update to the vaccine section of the “Report a side effect” web page, comments were received from some health professionals and consumers seeking to more easily report AEFIs directly to Health Canada. Comments from health professionals and consumers indicated a need for Health Canada to restore the ability to voluntarily report AEFIs online to the Canada vigilance program.

To address this, in February 2023, Health Canada reinstated the direct link to Health Canada’s online reporting form on the “Report a side effect” web page. This change aimed to make direct AEFI reporting to Health Canada easily accessible to those who were unable to report AEFIs through other submission methods, e.g., fax, phone, mail.

In response to (d), PHAC was informed and had no objections to the web page update that reinstated the direct link to Health Canada’s online reporting form, as it co-leads AEFI surveillance along with Health Canada. Other stakeholders were not notified, as it is not standard practice to announce web page changes.

In response to (e), as noted in (a), (b) and (c), the updates to the “Report a side effect” web page did not change the protocol of reporting AEFIs. Voluntary reporting of AEFIs online directly to the CVP by health care professionals and consumers has been available before and after these website updates.

Question No.2508—

[Scot Davidson, Conservative, York—Simcoe, ON]

With regard to the Canada Revenue Agency: as of April 8, 2024, how many T3 filing forms were completed by bare trusts, and how many taxpayers have filed T3 forms relating to bare trusts?

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

Mr. Speaker, with respect to the above-noted question, what follows is the CRA’s answer as of April 8, 2024, that is, the date of the question.

On its website, it was originally noted: As part of Canada’s continuous efforts to ensure the effectiveness and integrity of the Canadian tax system, the rules governing which trusts must file an annual T3 trust income tax and information return, "T3 return", have been changed for trusts with a taxation year ending after December 30, 2023. Specifically, all trusts, unless specific conditions are met, must now provide a T3 return including additional beneficial ownership information on an annual basis. As a result, many trusts that did not previously have to file are now required to file an annual T3 return.

However, on March 28, 2024, the CRA announced that it will not require bare trusts to file a T3 income tax and information return, T3 return, including schedule 15, “Beneficial Ownership Information of a Trust”, for the 2023 tax year, unless the CRA makes a direct request for these filings. Over the coming months, the CRA will work with the Department of Finance to further clarify its guidance on this filing requirement.

For the purposes of the above-noted question, information is being provided in respect to the 2023 tax year; the CRA has defined “completed” as “received”; as tax filing season is still in progress as of the date of the question, numbers may change over time.

As of April 8, 2024, the CRA has received 43,885 bare trust T3 returns since January 2024 in respect of the 2023 tax year. Please note that each return is associated with one trust.

Please note that, as bare trust is a construct of case law and the Income Tax Act, it would be the representative or the trustee that would complete the form. For this reason, the number of taxpayers cannot be provided.

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns

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

Mr. Speaker, furthermore, if a revised response to Question No. 2364, originally tabled on April 10, and the government's response to Questions Nos. 2502, 2504, 2505 and 2507 could be made orders for return, these returns would be tabled immediately in an electronic format.

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Chris d'Entremont]

Is it the pleasure of the House that the aforementioned questions be made orders for return and that they be tabled immediately?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

Question No.2364—

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

With regard to contracts awarded since the 2009-10 fiscal year, broken down by fiscal year: what is the total value of contracts awarded to (i) McKinsey & Company, (ii) Deloitte, (iii) PricewaterhouseCoopers, (iv) Accenture, (v) KPMG, (vi) Ernst and Young, (vii) GC Strategies, (viii) Coredal Systems Consulting Inc., (ix) Dalian Enterprises Inc., (x) Coradix Technology Consulting Ltd, (xi) Dalian and Coradix in joint venture?

(Return tabled)

Question No.2502—

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

With regard to the government’s approach to the visit of Nishan Duraiappah, Chief of Peel Regional Police, to Sri Lanka: (a) did the Government of Canada or any Canadian public entity assist in the visit, and, if so, who assisted and what form of assistance was provided; (b) did any Canadian government representative attend any meetings along with Chief Duraiappah, and, if so, what departments or agencies were in attendance; and (c) does the Government of Canada support or facilitate police exchanges or police cooperation between forces in Canada and Sri Lanka?

(Return tabled)