Tracy Gray

[The Economy, June 1st, 2022]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's goal to make everything more expensive is punishing Canadians at the grocery store. My constituency survey on inflationary grocery prices had this response from a resident: “When is it going to stop? How much more do you think people can afford to spend on set incomes!” Another said that with the cost of food now so high, they cannot afford medicine anymore.

When is the Prime Minister going to wake up to how his made-in-Canada inflation is putting basic necessities out of reach for so many people?

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, May 31st, 2022]

With regard to the Canada Digital Adoption Program: (a) how many and which vendors applied to administer the (i) "Grow Your Business" stream, (ii) "Boost Your Business Technology" stream; (b) what metrics and criteria were used by the department when determining which applicants in (a)(i) and (a)(ii) would become administrators, broken down by stream; (c) what is the dollar value of the contracts provided to Magnet to administer the "Boost Your Business Technology" stream; (d) which vendors were awarded the contracts to administer the "Grow Your Business" stream; (e) what is the dollar value of the contracts provided to each of the vendors in (d); (f) what is the number of students hired, as of April 5, 2022, via the (i) "Grow Your Business" stream, (ii) "Boost Your Business Technology" stream; and (g) what is the number of businesses which have applied, as of April 5, 2022, to the (i) "Grow Your Business" stream, (ii) "Boost Your Business Technology" stream?

[Business of Supply, May 30th, 2022]

Mr. Chair, in addition, the letter notes that Okanagan lakes are a source of drinking water and past experience with chemical treatments of invasive milfoil in the 1970s has shown that “there is no social licence for this method in our local communities.”

Does the minister agree with this statement?

[Business of Supply, May 30th, 2022]

Mr. Chair, the Okanagan Basin Water Board said that deleterious substances are “not an effective tool to address invasive mussels in larger waterbodies which are hydrologically connected to large river systems – like we have in the Okanagan”.

Does the minister agree with this statement?

[Business of Supply, May 30th, 2022]

Mr. Chair, this letter just came to the minister very recently, so then why is the DFO believing that it is acceptable to authorize the release of deleterious substances to prevent, control or eradicate aquatic invasive species?

[Business of Supply, May 30th, 2022]

Mr. Chair, I am really glad that the minister is impressed with my comments. The most recent letter from the Okanagan Basin Water Board on April 8, 2022, expressed concerns. Does the minister agree with the concerns in its letter?

[Business of Supply, May 30th, 2022]

Mr. Chair, on the government's website, it also lists chemicals, heavy metals and cleaning supplies such as bleach, detergents and pesticides.

Does the minister believe that putting pesticides or other chemicals is the way to eradicate aquatic invasive mussels in large waterways?

[Business of Supply, May 30th, 2022]

Mr. Chair, the Canadian government website defines deleterious substances as being added to any water where it could “degrade or alter the water quality such that it could directly or indirectly harm fish, fish habitat, or the use of fish by humans.” That is the definition right on the government's website, so the comment the minister just made is kind of shocking.

Can the minister give us some examples of what a deleterious substance might be?

[Business of Supply, May 30th, 2022]

Mr. Chair, is the minister's department recommending that deleterious substances be put into public drinking waterways?

[Business of Supply, May 30th, 2022]

Mr. Chair, what are deleterious substances?