Debates of Sept. 16th, 2024

(Return tabled)

Question No.2730—

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

With regard to government dealings with the Toronto Atmospheric Fund (TAF) and those representing the fund, broken down by year since 2016 and by department or agency: (a) how much funding, including any funding provided through contracts, has been provided to the TAF, in total and broken down by initiative or type of funding; and (b) what are the details of any reports received from the TAF, including, for each, the (i) date, (ii) author or entity that wrote the report, (iii) title, (iv) organizations, companies, or entities represented by the author, (v) amount of funding provided in relation to the report, both directly and indirectly?

(Return tabled)

Question No.2731—

[Michael Kram, Conservative, Regina—Wascana, SK]

With regard to the Northern Abandoned Mine Reclamation Program: (a) how much money has been spent on the program to date, in total, and broken down by year and by site; (b) what specific work has been done at each site; (c) what is the detailed timeline for what work will take place each year between now and the completion of each reclamation project; (d) what are the details of each contract over $50,000 signed by the government related to the program, including, for each, the (i) date, (ii) vendor, (iii) amount, (iv) description of the goods and services, (v) details of how the contract was awarded (sole-sourced, competitive bid); (e) have any of the liabilities, of each mine site, changed since 2019, and, if so, what (i) was the original liability, (ii) is the current liability, (iii) was the reason for the change in liability; and (f) if changes in liability occurred, in each case, what efforts were made by the government to mitigate these liabilities?

(Return tabled)

Question No.2732—

[John Brassard, Conservative, Barrie—Innisfil, ON]

With regard to counterfeit goods discovered and seized by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), since January 1, 2020, and broken down by year: (a) what is the value of the goods discovered, in total, and broken down by year and by month; (b) for each seizure, what was the (i) date, (ii) quantity, (iii) estimated value, (iv) location or port of entry where the goods were discovered, (v) product description, (vi) country of origin; and (c) what is the estimated percentage of counterfeit goods which are intercepted by the CBSA versus those which are smuggled into Canada without being intercepted?

(Return tabled)

Question No.2733—

[John Brassard, Conservative, Barrie—Innisfil, ON]

With regard to government measures to stop counterfeit goods from being sold in Canada: (a) what are the details of the specific measures the government has taken since 2016 to stop the sale of counterfeit goods in Canada; (b) how many individuals has the RCMP arrested for trafficking or attempting to sell counterfeit goods, broken down by year, since 2016; (c) what are the descriptions of all counterfeit items that were seized in relation to the arrests in (b), broken down by year; (d) what is the government’s estimate on the value of the counterfeit goods sold each year in Canada, in total, and broken down by type of merchandise; (e) does the government have any policy prohibiting government employees from selling such products, and, if so, what is it; and (f) does the government have any policy which would prevent employees, or any other individuals who have been issued a government phone or mobile device, from using that device to sell counterfeit products, and, if so, what is it?

(Return tabled)

Question No.2734—

[Rob Morrison, Conservative, Kootenay—Columbia, BC]

With regard to travel expenses incurred by the government for travel by a minister’s exempt staff member, that was not disclosed through proactive disclosure, since January 1, 2016: (a) what are the details of all such expenses, including the (i) title of the traveller, (ii) origin, (iii) destination, (iv) date, (v) total expenditures, broken down by type (airfare, accommodation, etc.); (b) why was the expenditure not reported through proactive disclosure; and (c) do any exempt staff members of ministers have certain travel expenses, such as trips home to see family, included as part of their employment agreement or contract, and, if so, how many staff members have this benefit?

(Return tabled)

Question No.2735—

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

With regard to the backlog in processing asylum claims: (a) how many claims are currently waiting to be processed; (b) what is the breakdown of (a) by the claimant’s country of origin; (c) what is the breakdown of (a) by how long it has been since the asylum claim was first made (less than a year, one to three years, over three years, etc.); and (d) what are the government’s goals, including a detailed timeline of when the backlog will be (i) reduced, (ii) eliminated?

(Return tabled)

Question No.2736—

[Tom Kmiec, Conservative, Calgary Shepard, AB]

With regard to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada's Humanitarian and Compassionate immigration category, in 2023: (a) what is the total amount of applications under this category that (i) have been submitted, (ii) have been accepted, (iii) have been rejected, (iv) have been withdrawn, (v) are still waiting to be processed; (b) what is the total number of individual names and the total number of applications under this category that (i) have been submitted, (ii) have been accepted, (iii) have been rejected, (iv) have been withdrawn, (v) are still waiting to be processed; (c) what is the total amount of applications of Ukrainian origin under this category that (i) have been submitted, (ii) have been accepted, (iii) have been rejected, (iv) have been withdrawn, (v) are still waiting to be processed; (d) what is the total number of individual names and the total number of applications of Ukrainian origin under this category that (i) have been submitted, (ii) have been accepted, (iii) have been rejected, (iv) have been withdrawn, (v) are still waiting to be processed; (e) what is the total amount of applications of Haitian origin under this category that (i) have been submitted, (ii) have been accepted, (iii) have been rejected, (iv) have been withdrawn, (v) are still waiting to be processed; (f) what is the total number of individual names and the total number of applications of Haitian origin under this category that (i) have been submitted, (ii) have been accepted, (iii) have been rejected, (iv) have been withdrawn, (v) are still waiting to be processed; (g) what is the total amount of applications of Sudanese origin under this category that (i) have been submitted, (ii) have been accepted, (iii) have been rejected, (iv) have been withdrawn, (v) are still waiting to be processed; (h) what is the total number of individual names and the total number of applications of Sudanese origin under this category that (i) have been submitted, (ii) have been accepted, (iii) have been rejected, (iv) have been withdrawn, (v) are still waiting to be processed; (i) what is the total amount of applications of Hong Kongese origin under this category that (i) have been submitted, (ii) have been accepted, (iii) have been rejected, (iv) have been withdrawn, (v) are still waiting to be processed; (j) what is the total number of individual names and the total number of applications of Hong Kongese origin under this category that (i) have been submitted, (ii) have been accepted, (iii) have been rejected, (iv) have been withdrawn, (v) are still waiting to be processed; (k) what is the total amount of applications of Colombian origin under this category that (i) have been submitted, (ii) have been accepted, (iii) have been rejected, (iv) have been withdrawn, (v) are still waiting to be processed; (I) what is the total number of individual names and the total number of applications of Colombian origin under this category that (i) have been submitted, (ii) have been accepted, (iii) have been rejected, (iv) have been withdrawn, (v) are still waiting to be processed; (m) what is the total amount of applications of Venezuelan origin under this category that (i) have been submitted, (ii) have been accepted, (iii) have been rejected, (iv) have been withdrawn, (v) are still waiting to be processed; and (n) what is the total number of individual names and the total number of applications of Venezuelan origin under this category that (i) have been submitted, (ii) have been accepted, (iii) have been rejected, (iv) have been withdrawn, (v) are still waiting to be processed?

(Return tabled)

Question No.2737—

[Marilyn Gladu, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

With regard to the government’s efforts to recover funds from government contract recipients for any reason, including overpayment, failure to meet contractual obligations or any other reason, broken down by department or agency: what are the details of all such efforts which have taken place since January 1, 2022, including, for each, the (i) date of the contract, (ii) contract value, (iii) vendor, (iv) description of the products or services, (v) amount paid out, (vi) recovery amount sought by the government, (vii) amount recovered to date, (viii) reason for the recovery, (ix) date on which recovery efforts began?

(Return tabled)

Question No.2738—

[Marilyn Gladu, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

With regard to government expenditures on other professional services not elsewhere specified (Treasury Board code 0499 or similar), during the 2023-24 fiscal year: (a) what was the total amount spent on such services, broken down by each department, agency, or other government entity; and (b) what are the details of each expenditure, including the (i) date, (ii) vendor, (iii) amount, (iv) description of the services, (v) details of how the contract was awarded (sole-sourced or competitive bid)?

(Return tabled)

Question No.2740—

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

With regard to the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) Call Centre, since it was established and until May 2024, inclusively, broken down by month and by province or territory of call origin: (a) how many phone calls were received by the centre; (b) how many calls went unanswered; and (c) how many employees or full-time equivalents were employed to answer calls at the centre?

(Return tabled)

Question No.2741—

[Cathay Wagantall, Conservative, Yorkton—Melville, SK]

With regard to Statistics Canada’s (StatCan) released data regarding "provisional deaths and excess mortality in Canada" which reported "significant excess mortality starting in January 2022" especially “among individuals younger than 45” and the Privy Council Office’s (PCO) use of “Winning Communication Strategies” to “not shake public confidence” (ATIP, May 2021): (a) why did StatCan wait until September 2022 to publish excess mortality data amongst young Canadians when the data was available around March or April 2022; (b) who signed off on the data in (a); (c) what steps were taken to investigate the underlying reasons for this unusual finding of excess deaths in young persons; (d) who or what agency or entity informed the Office of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet about this finding; (e) how and when were these statistics communicated to provincial and territorial health ministers, regulatory health care colleges, chief medical officers and coroner's offices, in order to provide Canadians with updated data to facilitate informed consent; (f) which officials at which agency or entity hosted press releases regarding this unusual rise in deaths among those Canadians under the age of 45 years; (g) as per the Public Health Agency of Canada’s ‘Cases Following Vaccination’ reports from June 10, 2022 to September 23, 2022, what was the number of “COVID-19 Cases Deceased” for each week as of the week which ended on June 12, 2022 until the week which ended on August 28, 2022, broken down by the vaccine status of the individual, including those having received (i) no dose, (ii) a single vaccine dose, (iii) the primary program of two doses, (iv) one additional dose, (v) two additional doses; (h) according to the numbers in (f), which group had the largest number of “Cases deceased” each week; (i) specifically with respect to the unvaccinated group and the two additional doses group, during those weeks, which of these two groups demonstrated fewer COVID-19 outbreaks; (j) were there any press releases communicating the findings in (i) to the public; (k) what are the details of the memo drafted by the PCO in May 2021, that instructed recipients to skew statistics to minimize the impact of vaccine-related deaths or injuries, including (i) which agencies or entities and which specific officials received this memo, (ii) how did the agencies or entities carry out the PCO’s instructions vis-a-vis statistical skewing, (iii) who at each agency or entity signed off on the report of the data; and (l) why is there a discrepancy between the data that was released on the StatCan website for “other ill-defined and unspecified causes of mortality” from 2020 to 2022, a reported 16,043 deaths, and the value provided in the government response to Order Paper Question Q-1115, of 55,975 deaths for the same year and same category?

(Return tabled)

Question No.2743—

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

With regard to the participation of Global Affairs Canada, Canadian Heritage, Telefilm Canada, and the National Film Board of Canada at events, including South by Southwest (SXSW) Austin, SXSW Australia, Berlinale, the Academy Awards, and the Cannes Film Festival, since January 1, 2023, and broken down by each event: (a) what travel expenses were incurred by employees in attendance or in support of these events, in total and broken down by (i) accommodation, (ii) airfare, (iii) other transportation, (iv) meals or per diems, (v) other travel expenses, broken down by type; (b) what was the total amount spent on hospitality at each event; (c) what are the details of all hospitality expenditures, including, for each, the (i) event name, (ii) location, (iii) vendor, (iv) amount, (v) event description, (vi) number of attendees; (d) how many employees travelled to or attended each event; (e) how much was spent on tickets for each primary event; (f) how much was spent on tickets for each secondary event, such as an afterparty, including the name of each event; (g) what are the details of all contracts signed related to any of these events, including, for each, the (i) date, (ii) vendor, (iii) location, (iv) amount, (v) description of the goods or services, (vi) manner in which the contract was awarded (sole-sourced or competitive bid); (h) what economic returns were directly attributed to these government entities participating in these events, including the (i) Key Performance Indicators used to gauge the success of each, (ii) details of any contracts obtained as a result of participating in each event; and (i) what are the future plans for involvement or attendance at these events and any projected expenditures related to these plans?

(Return tabled)