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Thursday, March 6, 2008 (No. 61)

Questions

The complete list of questions on the Order Paper is available for consultation at the Table in the Chamber and on the Internet. Those questions not appearing in the list have been answered, withdrawn or made into orders for return.

Q-87 — October 24, 2007 — — With respect to the Summer Career Placement Program for 2005 and 2006 and to Canada Summer Jobs for 2007, in the riding of North Vancouver, what was the total: (a) number of applicants; (b) number of successful applicants; (c) dollar amount of grants awarded to successful applicants; and (d) number of student jobs created?

Q-161 — December 10, 2007 — — With respect to allegations of administrative error and erroneous advice under section 66(4) of the Canada Pension Plan, what are the statistics for the years 2004, 2005 and 2006 concerning: (a) the total number of allegations made; (b) the total number allowed in the client's favour; (c) the total number still pending; (d) the total number not allowed; and (e) the total number of clients who proceeded to Federal Court?

Q-169² — January 24, 2008 — — With regard to contracts and investments under the Industrial Regional Benefits (IRB) Policy: (a) which contracts have been awarded by the government since January 1, 2006 that require the prime contractor to make sub-contracts and investments; (b) what were the names of the prime contractor and the clients; (c) what was the description of the contract; (d) what was the contract period; and (e) what were the details of any and all sub-contracts and investments agreed to under the IRB policy, including (i) the name and location of the companies receiving the sub-contracts or investments, (ii) the description, (iii) the value, (iv) the time period, (v) the Canadian content value for each?

Q-171 — January 24, 2008 — — What is the total amount of government funding in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007 to Batchewana First Nation and to Garden River First Nation in the constituency of , with each initiative and amount?

Q-173² — January 24, 2008 — — With regard to Bill C-26, An Act to amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts, and the government's anti-drug strategy: (a) what stakeholders were consulted in forming this strategy and what documents or studies relating to drug trends were analyzed; (b) what were the departmental recommendations regarding harm reduction; and (c) what documents were commissioned externally by government that contributed to the strategy?

Q-175¹ — January 24, 2008 — — With respect to equalization, what is the estimated annual cost to remove the cap on equalization payments while maintaining the current formula?

Q-182² — January 29, 2008 — — With regard to the tendering process used for deciding the in-service support contract for the Victoria-class submarines: (a) what policy on industrial and regional benefits was used as a methodology by the government in the evaluation of bids in the procurement process for the in-service support contract to maintain the Victoria-class submarines; (b) when did the government decide not to award the contract for the in-service support contract of the Victoria-class submarines as a major Crown project and did any department formally object to this decision; (c) has the government calculated the loss of employment and other economic opportunities to Atlantic Canada as a result of the decision to award the in-service support contract to another region; (d) with regard to (c), what is the estimated loss, in dollars, to Atlantic Canadian companies as a result of the awarding of the in-service support contract; and (e) what is the cost to the taxpayer, for the transit of a Halifax-based Victoria–class submarine to the West Coast of Canada for extended docking work?

Q-183² — January 30, 2008 — — With respect to An Act to amend the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act, the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act, the Wage Earner Protection Program Act and chapter 47 of the Statutes of Canada, 2005, assented to on December 14, 2007: (a) what steps must be taken for the government to issue an order of the Governor in Council for the sections of this act to come into force; and (b) what is the expected time frame for the government to issue the order of the Governor in Council?

Q-184² — January 30, 2008 — — With respect to An Act to establish the Wage Earner Protection Program Act, to amend the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act and the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts, assented to on November 25, 2005: (a) what steps must be taken for the government to issue an order of the Governor in Council for the sections of this act to come into force, specifically section 1; (b) what is the expected time frame for the government to issue an order of the Governor in Council for the sections to come into force, specifically an order of the Governor in Council for section 1 to come into force; and (c) what is the expected time frame for eligible workers to receive payments under the Wage Earner Protection Program provided for in the bill?

Q-185² — February 1, 2008 — — What funds, grants, loans and loan guarantees has the government issued through its various departments and agencies in the areas with postal codes beginning in M4L, M4C, M4E, and M4B for the period of January 24, 2006 to January 30, 2008, inclusive, and, in each case, where applicable: (a) what was the program under which the payment was made; (b) what were the names of the recipients; (c) what was the monetary value of the payment made; and (d) what was the percentage of program funding covered by the payment received?

Q-186 — February 6, 2008 — — With respect to the related integrated overview mechanisms of the December 2006 report of the Commission of Inquiry into the Actions of Canadian Officials in Relation to Maher Arar, entitled ''A New Review Mechanism for the RCMP’s National Security Activities'': (a) what actions have been taken to date on the thirteen recommendations made by Commissioner O’Connor in the report; (b) who has been assigned responsibility for carrying out these recommendations within the RCMP, Canada Border Services Agency, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Transport Canada and Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada; (c) what timeline has been established for reaching full compliance with the report’s recommendations; and (d) how much funding is required to achieve these goals in 2008-2009?

Q-188² — February 6, 2008 — — With respect to Canada's sixth and seventh reports on the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women: (a) what measures is the government taking past March 31, 2007 to fully implement (i) article 2, (ii) article 3, (iii) article 4, (iv) article 5, (v) article 6, (vi) article 7, (vii) article 8, (viii) article 9, (ix) article 10, (x) article 11, (xi) article 12, (xii) article 13, (xiii) article 14, (xiv) article 15, (xv) article 16, (xvi) article 17 of the Convention; and (b) what measures are being taken past March 31, 2007 to report for the period April 2006 to March 2010?

Q-189² — February 6, 2008 — — With regard to the Report of the Commission of Inquiry into certain events at the Prison for Women in Kingston: (a) how has the government provided action on the recommendations of the report; and (b) how will the government provide further action on the recommendations?

Q-191² — February 6, 2008 — — With regard to the Department of Human Resources and Social Development: (a) what was the funding amount allocated, granted or contributed to the riding of for the years 2004 to 2007, inclusive, for the purposes of training, retraining or education; (b) within this department, how many federal programs received budget allocation within the riding of for the years 2004 to 2007, inclusive; and (c) how many student jobs were funded through the Canada Summer Jobs program for the years 2004 to 2007, inclusive?

Q-193² — February 8, 2008 — — With regard to the government's response to Canada's 3rd most common chronic disease arthritis: (a) what systems are currently in place to track the number of cases of arthritis and its treatment; (b) what is the extent of Health Canada's resource allocation (in dollars, person-hours, etc.) to arthritis; (c) how many physicians specializing in the treatment of arthritis are currently in practice in each province; (d) what is the national standard for the education and training of family physicians regarding the diagnosis and treatment of arthritis; (e) what is the total amount of federal research money devoted to arthritis research; and (f) how is Health Canada meeting its specific responsibilities for Aboriginal health to ensure that Aboriginal Canadians suffering from arthritis have timely and equal access to diagnosis and treatment?

Q-194² — February 11, 2008 — — With regards to Canadians sentenced to death abroad, does the government have a clemency policy and, if so: (a) when was this new policy adopted; (b) which Ministers, departments, agencies, and officials were responsible for the creation of this policy; (c) what factors are considered in a clemency determination; (d) what specific information is collected by Foreign Affairs and consular officials when evaluating clemency requests; (e) what criteria must one meet to be granted clemency; (f) what process exists for review of clemency determinations by the government; (g) what oversight process exists for clemency determinations by the government; (h) how does a person apply for clemency protection under this process; (i) is there an appeal process for clemency determinations under this policy; and (j) which Minister, Ministry, Department, Agency, or officials will make clemency determinations for the government?

Q-195² — February 12, 2008 — — With regard to 5 Wing Goose Bay: (a) what steps have been taken since January 2006 towards the establishment of a rapid reaction battalion and unmanned aerial vehicle squadron at the base; and (b) how many Department of National Defence civilian employment and Canadian Forces were employed or stationed at each of (i) 444 Squadron, (ii) 5 Wing Goose Bay not otherwise included in 444 Squadron, as of January 1, 2005, January 1, 2006, January 1, 2007, and January 1, 2008?

Q-196² — February 12, 2008 — — With regard to federal spending in the federal riding of , what has been the total federal spending in each of the last three fiscal years by the following departments or agencies, described by individual line item, program and, where applicable, recipient of grant or contribution: (a) Canada Council for the Arts; (b) Canadian Heritage; (c) Environment Canada; (d) Fisheries and Oceans Canada; (e) Health Canada; (f) Indian and Northern Affairs Canada; (g) Industry Canada; (h) Infrastructure Canada; (i) Library and Archives Canada; (j) National Defence; (k) National Research Council; (l) Natural Resources Canada; (m) Parks Canada; (n) Public Safety Canada; (o) Public Works and Government Services Canada; (p) Human Resources and Social Development Canada; (q) Transport Canada; and (r) Veterans Affairs Canada?

Q-197² — February 12, 2008 — — With regard to federal funding: (a) has any funding been provided towards construction or improvement of (i) the Trans Labrador Highway, (ii) Quebec route 138 east of Sept-Iles, (iii) Quebec route 389, in each of the past three fiscal years and, if so, under which programs or funding envelopes was this funding provided; and (b) what was the cost-sharing formula for any such projects as between the federal and respective provincial governments?

Q-198² — February 12, 2008 — — With regard to equalization entitlements, for the current and each subsequent fiscal year for which projections or estimates have been calculated, what are the projected or estimated equalization entitlements for each province (i) under the equalization formula which existed immediately prior to the latest federal budget, (ii) under the equalization formula provided for by the latest federal budget?

Q-199 — February 14, 2008 — — With regard to federal spending in the federal riding of , what has been the total federal spending in each of the last seven years by the following departments, described by individual line item and program: (a) Canadian Heritage; (b) Human Resources and Social Development Canada; (c) Veterans Affairs Canada; (d) Infrastructure Canada; (e) Transport Canada; (f) National Defence; (g) Industry Canada; (h) Environment Canada; (i) Fisheries and Oceans Canada; (j) Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency; (k) Health Canada; (l) Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada; (m) Justice Canada; (n) Natural Resources Canada; (o) Public Safety Canada; and (p) Citizenship and Immigration Canada?

Q-200² — February 14, 2008 — — With regard to Canadian citizen Omar Khadr, detained at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba: (a) when was the government first made aware of his detention; (b) does the government consider that he was a child soldier at the time of his initial detention; (c) what efforts, if any, have been made to seek his return to Canada; (d) what consular services and government protections have been afforded to him; (e) does the government intend to participate or intervene in any way during his trial; (f) has the government undertaken any effort to extradite him, or have him otherwise returned to Canada; (g) will the government seek clemency if he is sentenced to death; (h) what assurances has the government received that he is being treated humanely; and (i) is the government aware of, or has it investigated, reports of abusive and ill treatment during his detention?

Q-201 — February 21, 2008 — — With regard to the Tomorrow Starts Today program in the Department of Canadian Heritage: (a) what has been the total spending under the progam since 2001; (b) how much of this total has been spent in each of the provinces in each of the years 2001 to 2007, inclusive; and (c) what is the per capita amount of spending of this program per province in each of the years 2001 to 2007, inclusive?

Q-202 — February 21, 2008 — — With regard to the Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund within Infrastructure Canada and the Strategic Highway Infrastructure Program within the Department of Transport: (a) what has been the total spending in the program since 2002; (b) how much of this total has been spent in each of the provinces in each year of the programs from 2002 to 2007, inclusive; and (c) what is the per capita amount of spending of these programs per province in each year of the programs from 2002 to 2007, inclusive?

Q-203² — February 21, 2008 — — With regard to the National Defence Official Languages Program Transformation Model: (a) who exactly must be bilingual under the Model; (b) do all National Defence members have the right to receive orders from their superiors in English or French and what is the rationale for this; (c) has National Defence ever required all its members to be bilingual; (d) is the Model consistent with the Official Languages Act and on what criteria is this answer based; (e) does the Model run counter to all the efforts made in the past to comply with the Official Languages Act; (f) what method is used to ensure that working groups within units can provide services in both official languages when necessary; (g) how will the adoption of a ''functional approach'' ensure that National Defence complies with the Official Languages Act more fully than in the past; (h) which recommendations by the former Commissioner of Official Languages were not included in the Model and why; (i) where are the English, French and bilingual units located; (j) can a unilingual member serve as superior to someone who does not understand the member’s language; (k) will the Model increase the isolation and lack of understanding between the linguistic groups, in addition to aggravating tensions between Anglophones and Francophones, and have these aspects been considered; (l) what evaluation criteria and processes are used to designate a unit bilingual, Anglophone or Francophone; (m) will only bilingual and Francophone units receive services in French; (n) will the Model provide greater opportunities for advancement and equality for Francophones and why; (o) will the Model affect the number of positions for English and French teachers, program designers, curriculum developers for English and French courses and technical and administrative staff and, if so, how; (p) who will be required to reach the CBC level; and (q) how will priority be given for language courses?

Q-204² — February 21, 2008 — — With regards to the First Nations Infrastructure Fund (FNIF): (a) how has the government advertised and solicited applications for First Nations infrastructure projects; (b) how many applications have been received; (c) how many applications were found to be eligible; (d) what type of infrastructure requests were in the applications; (e) what is the total amount of funds dispersed under the FNIF; and (f) which applications have been accepted?

Q-205² — February 26, 2008 — — With regards to application of Section 117 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) since September 2007: (a) which criteria contained in the Federal Prosecution Service Deskbook does the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions use in determining whether it is in the public interest to charge humanitarian aid workers under Section 117 of the IRPA; (b) what directives has the Director of Public Prosecutions given to regional Canadian Border Services Agents and regional officers in the Public Prosecution Service of Canada regarding the application of these criteria; and (c) what directives has the Attorney General issued to the Director of Public Prosecutions in relation to the application of section 117 of the IRPA in cases where charges have been laid against humanitarian aid workers?

Q-206² — February 26, 2008 — — With respect to Canadian Agricultural Income Stabilization (CAIS) program entitlement, the appeals process and exclusion from entitlement to other federal agricultural programs: (a) are appellants entitled to know what recommendations are made by the Western Amalgamated Appeals Sub-Committee and, if so, how is a copy of the recommendations obtained by the appellant; (b) are appellants entitled to know on what grounds the Intermediate Appeals Sub-Committee rejects recommendations of the Western Amalgamated Appeals Sub-Committee and, if so, how is a copy of the recommendations obtained by the appellant; (c) has the CAIS administration ever issued rejection letters to an appellant before or after soliciting the involvement of an appeals committee and, if so, how is a copy of the motion or other directive permitting this obtained by the appellant; (d) who is responsible for forwarding recommendations made by the Western Amalgamated Appeals Sub-Committee to the next level of appeal; (e) are there any legitimate grounds upon which the National CAIS Committee (NCC) administration is allowed to refuse an appellant the full extent of an appeal by neglecting to forward the recommendations of the Western Amalgamated Appeals Sub-Committee to the next level of appeal; (f) does the appeal process deal with appeals on a case by case basis or can the NCC administration short-circuit the appeals process based on a judgment that an appellant's complaint is just like the one that may have preceded it; (g) are there guidelines established that would give an appellant a reasonable expectation of the time it should take to address an appeal at all the various levels and, if so, what are the guidelines that govern a reasonable expectation; (h) is the appellant justified in expecting that the decisions made by appeals committees will be communicated to the appellant; (i) what are the circumstances under which it would be acceptable not to inform the appellant of decisions made by appeal committees; (j) is it a reasonable expectation on the part of the appellant to expect that the decision of their appeal would not be discussed by the NCC administration, to the public or a competitor without the approval of the appellant and, if so, what recourse is open to the appellant if this expectation has not been respected; (k) would the public circulation of a decision made by the NCC administration without the appellant's express permission constitute a “moral hazard” for the purposes of the Principles of the Transition Agreements, section 14.1.3; (l) would such an action call into question the integrity of the appeals process and compromise the quality and legitimacy of the decisions and decision making process, as they applied to the appellant; (m) how many times is it acceptable to change the reasons that are given to a producer for their exclusion from a program; (n) when a historically precedent-setting change to the eligibility criteria of producers to Business Risk Management (BRM) programs are made, who bears the responsibility of ensuring that these changes in direction are clearly and adequately communicated to the agents of the program and who bears the responsibility to articulate these precedent-setting changes in the guidelines; (o) is the producer under any obligation to demand of the purchaser an accounting or history of the purchaser's previous use of the product in order that the producer may be eligible for BRM and, if so, what is the justification for this under the CAIS program; (p) if the purchaser’s intended end use of the product changes after the purchase has been made, is the producer then entitled to re-apply, if they have previously been denied program funding because of the purchaser’s stated intended end use of the product; (q) what level of appeal hears issues that may pertain to situations where the guidelines are in conflict with other over-riding legislation or previous implementation agreements and does this level have any authority to bring resolution to a conflict; (r) what is the duty of the NCC administration to ensure that they are correctly following their legislative duty to Parliament to act in accordance with the legislation; (s) are the administrators of the CAIS program accountable to the government if they fail to act in accordance with the legislation and statutes; (t) what avenues are open to the appellant once the appeal process comes to an end, if they can show that the legislation and duly signed implementation agreements have not been followed; (u) are there any circumstances under which the NCC is allowed to approve the implementation of guidelines that are inconsistent with legislation and, if so, where in the legislation is that entitlement articulated; and (v) what avenues are open to the appellant to prevent the NCC administration from moving a matter to Revenue Canada for collection, once all avenues under the appeals process have failed, when there are conflicts between legislation and program guidelines?

Q-207² — February 27, 2008 — — With respect to the government’s sanctions against Burma: (a) what Canadian companies, individuals and public pension funds have direct investments in Burma and what is the total amount of the investment; (b) what Canadian companies, individuals and public pension funds have indirect investment through third-party companies in Burma and what is the total amount of the investment; (c) what Canadian companies, individuals and public pension funds were affected by the government’s sanctions against Burma; and (d) how much new Canadian investment does the government estimate was stopped by its sanctions against Burma?

Q-208² — February 27, 2008 — — With respect to the procurement of temporary personnel services by the government over the last five years: (a) what are the total government expenditures for such services, on an annual basis as well as over the five year period; (b) on an annual basis, what amount is spent by department; (c) how much was spent annually, on a departmental or agency basis, in the National Capital Region alone; (d) what is the breakdown by province for such services; (e) which companies received contracts to provide temporary personnel services; (f) what is the annual combined total of all contracts awarded to each company; (g) on an annual basis as well as over the five year period, how many people were hired by temporary employment agencies to work for the federal government, nationally as well as in the National Capital Region; and (h) on an annual basis and by department or agency, how many employees were hired on a temporary basis, nationally as well as in the National Capital Region?

Q-209 — February 29, 2008 — — With regard to funding for the North American Future 2025 Project: (a) has the government provided any direct or indirect funding for the North American Future 2025 Project being conducted under the joint stewardship of the Conference Board of Canada, the Center for Strategic and International Studies and the “Instituto Nacional de Estadística Geografía e Informática”; and (b) has the government received any report, from any or all of these parties, following the research they have conducted or consultations they have held, individually or jointly, in connection with the project?

Q-210 — February 29, 2008 — — With regard to water-monitoring stations: (a) how many stations does the government own or operate across Canada; (b) for what purposes does it use these stations; (c) how does the government monitor the quality of surface water in watersheds across the country for toxins and other pollutants; and (d) does the government have a clear picture of the types and levels of contaminants present in Canada’s lakes, rivers and streams?

Q-211 — February 29, 2008 — — With regard to industrial development at the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport: (a) what data was used by Environment Canada’s Canadian Wildlife Service to conclude the absence of colonies of migratory birds, species at risk listed under the Species at Risk Act, or wetlands in the vicinity of an area slated for industrial development at the airport and currently used as a golf course; and (b) when and how was this data collected?

Q-212² — March 3, 2008 — — With regard to Canada’s obligations under the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control: (a) since the government ratified the Convention on November 27, 2004, what measures has it taken to bring Canadian law into conformity with article 11 regarding the labelling of tobacco products; and (b) what is the date by which the government intends to require warning labels that conform with the Convention to be affixed to all tobacco products sold in Canada?


¹ Requires Oral Answer ² Response requested within 45 days