John Nater

[Canadian Dairy Commission Act, May 13th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, dairy farming is important to so many in my community. After all, Perth—Wellington has more dairy farmers than any other electoral district in the country, something we are very proud of and think is very important.

However, when I talk to different individuals and farmers, they are greatly concerned with the slow-to-action process the government has taken. Would the hon. minister agree that this action should have been taken two or three weeks ago, before so many of these farmers had to dump their milk?

[COVID-19 Pandemic, April 11th, 2020]

Mr. Chair, my office and my exceptional staff, both in my riding and here in Ottawa, are doing work and hearing from constituents every day about not being eligible for these different programs, whether they are students, seasonal employers or people who work part-time, but not beyond 10 hours.

The government has stated that they will be making some charges to the CERB. On what date will those changes come into effect?

[COVID-19 Pandemic, April 11th, 2020]

Mr. Chair, this House has asked the Auditor General to undertake important work on its behalf. Currently, the Auditor General of Canada is an interim appointment.

Would the government make his appointment permanent, effectively immediately?

[COVID-19 Pandemic, April 11th, 2020]

Mr. Chair, every day I hear from seniors in my riding who are affected by the COVID-19 crisis, particularly some who are very concerned about their RRSPs, their retirement savings, that have taken a major hit.

Will the government consider lessening the RRIF requirements beyond what has been already proposed?

[COVID-19 Pandemic, April 11th, 2020]

Mr. Chair, the government's modelling has shown different scenarios depending on whether it is a 2.5% or 5% infection rate across the country, showing anywhere from 11,000 to 22,000 deaths. As we all know, these models change as different actions are taken by the government.

As these models change, would the government commit to providing updated models to this House and to Canadians on a weekly basis?

[COVID-19 Pandemic, April 11th, 2020]

Mr. Chair, for regions of this country where tourism is a major industry, including the Niagara region and my riding of Perth—Wellington, events like the Stratford Festival, the Stratford Summer Music and Drayton Entertainment are all going to be significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Stratford Festival alone has $135 million of economic activity.

In the past, during the SARS crisis and during the 2008-09 economic downturn, the government brought forward plans to deal with the tourism sector, the arts and culture sector and the hospitality sector. They are all affected.

What plans will the government bring forward specifically for these sectors?

[COVID-19 Pandemic, April 11th, 2020]

Mr. Chair, even before COVID-19 hit, the processing capacity for the agriculture sector was already in dire straits, especially in Ontario. I would like to know from the government what efforts it is making to ensure there are adequate CFIA inspectors to ensure that pork, beef and poultry can be processed.

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, April 11th, 2020]

With regard to the government’s Connect to Innovate program: (a) how much of the $500 million committed investment has been distributed; (b) how much of the remaining funds are expected to be distributed by the end of the commitment in 2021; (c) how many applications have been made to the program; (d) how many applications have been assessed and responded to; (e) how many applicants are currently awaiting responses; (f) for each instances in (e) what are the details of all applications received to date, including (i) name of the applicant, (ii) name of the project, (iii) location, (iv) date the application was received, (v) total funding requested, (vi) description of the project; (g) how many applications have been rejected; and (h) of the 900 communities intended to be reached by the Connect to Innovate Program how many have been successfully reached?

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, April 11th, 2020]

With regard to expenditures made by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in relation to its current civil litigation action against the Conservative Party of Canada regarding the use of footage during the 2019 election campaign: (a) what is the total of all expenditures incurred to date in relation to the matter; and (b) what is the itemized breakdown of the expenditures?

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, April 11th, 2020]

With regard to expenditures on gifts for diplomats in relation to the ongoing campaign for a UN Security Council seat: (a) what is the total amount spent on gifts; and (b) what are the details of each gift, including the (i) description, (ii) cost per unit, (iii) number of units purchased?