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Friday, February 2, 2018 (No. 256)

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 Those questions not appearing in the list have been answered, withdrawn or made into orders for return.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-1430² — December 12, 2017 — — With regard to the national shipbuilding procurement strategy: (a) what is the profit margin allocated by the government to Irving Shipbuilding in Halifax and Seaspan in Vancouver; (b) is there a delivery schedule that the Seaspan shipyards in Vancouver must respect; (c) if the answer to (b) is affirmative, what is the schedule, broken down by ship being built; and (d) what correspondence, including emails, was sent by the Assistant Deputy Minister of Defence and Marine Procurement at Public Services and Procurement Canada and by the Assistant Deputy Minister of Materiel at National Defence regarding the Davie shipyard and Federal Fleet Services between June 1, 2017, and December 12, 2017?

Q-1431² — January 25, 2018 — — With regard to the Kathryn Spirit: (a) did Groupe St-Pierre seek rent for the land, the barge, or anything else, from the Mexican company that it sold the wreck to and, if so, how much was the rent for each; (b) did Groupe St-Pierre warn the government, when it bid with Englobe, that it had been fined for violating Quebec environmental legislation; (c) was the government aware that Groupe St-Pierre, either René St-Pierre Excavation or its affiliates, did not comply with Quebec environmental legislation and had a class action suit brought against it during discussions on the dismantling contract; (d) if the answer to (c) is affirmative, what action was taken in light of this information to the selection process during the call for tenders, particularly in terms of the points awarded to the Kathryn Spirit DJV consortium (the consortium); (e) what are the environmental and safety standards and rules that the consortium must abide by under the wreck dismantling contract; (f) what are the actions, reports, analyses, etc., that the Groupe St-Pierre must undertake for each department concerned in order to abide by the environmental and safety standards set out in the contract; (g) what are all the actions, reports, analyses, etc., that the departments must undertake to ensure public safety and compliance with environmental standards and to check that the consortium abides by them; and (h) since the contract was awarded, has the consortium violated any rules or standards of the contract and, if so, on which occasions, broken down by (i) date, (ii) rule or standard that was violated, (iii) description of the infraction encountered, (iv) end date of infraction, (v) the departments' actions to ensure it does not reoccur?

Q-1432² — January 25, 2018 — — With regard to federal spending in the constituency of Salaberry—Suroît, for each fiscal year since 2010–11, inclusively: what are the details of all grants and contributions and all loans to every organization, group, business or municipality, broken down by the (i) name of the recipient, (ii) municipality of the recipient, (iii) date on which the funding was received, (iv) amount received, (v) department or agency that provided the funding, (vi) program under which the grant, contribution or loan was made, (vii) nature or purpose?

Q-1433² — January 25, 2018 — — With regard to government expenditures related to the National Energy Board Modernization Expert Panel, what were: (a) the costs associated with the Panel; and (b) the costs associated with the Panel to review the federal environmental assessment processes?

Q-1434² — January 25, 2018 — — With regard to Health Canada's decisions taken with respect to Mifegymiso: (a) what were the conditions imposed by Health Canada during the initial review and approval of the drug on the (i) manufacturer, (ii) distributor, (iii) retailers, (iv) prescribers, doctors and medical professionals, (v) consumers; and (b) for each of the conditions listed in (a), (i) what rationale was given by Health Canada, (ii) what studies did Health Canada cite to justify the conditions, (iii) which stakeholders were consulted by Health Canada?

Q-1435² — January 29, 2018 — — With regard to federal funding investments in infrastructure, programs, and services in the Cowichan—Malahat—Langford riding: what is the total of the monetary investments for the riding across all government departments for the (i) 2015-16, (ii) 2016-17, (iii) 2017-18, fiscal years, thus far?

Q-1436² — January 29, 2018 — — With regard to the government paying for the expenses of stakeholders to attend government news conferences or announcements, since November 4, 2015: (a) what are the details of each expenditure, including (i) stakeholder, (ii) organization represented, (iii) date of announcement, (iv) total expenditure; and (b) what is the itemized breakdown of each travel expense referenced in (a), including (i) airfare, (ii) other transportation, (iii) accommodation, (iv) per diems, (v) other?

Q-1437² — January 29, 2018 — — With regard to staffing levels at the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s Operational Communications Centres, since January 1, 2017: what were the vacancy rates, broken down by province and by month?

Q-1438² — January 29, 2018 — — With regard to concerns raised by veterans and other individuals regarding the Vimy 100 anniversary: (a) how many pieces of correspondence were received by the government; (b) what were the most common concerns raised in the correspondence in (a); and (c) what specific measures is the government taking to address the concerns raised?

Q-1439² — January 29, 2018 — — With regard to the World Economic Forum in Davos in January, 2018: (a) how many government employees travelled to Switzerland in relation to the Forum, excluding any members of the Prime Minister Protection Detail; (b) what are the titles of all employees in (a); (c) what is the complete list of Ministerial Exempt Staff who have travelled to Switzerland in relation to the Forum; (d) are there any other individuals for whom the government paid their travel to Switzerland in relation to the Forum and, if so, who are they; and (e) what is the list of individuals who flew to or from Davos on the government’s Airbus which transported the Prime Minister?

Q-1440² — January 29, 2018 — — With regard to the December 12, 2017, report from the Parliamentary Budget Officer which states that “the total amount of GST collected on carbon pricing in the four provinces is anticipated to be between $236 million and $267 million in 2017-18, and between $265 million and $313 million in 2018-19”: in light of the report, does the government concede that its carbon tax is not revenue neutral?

Q-1441² — January 29, 2018 — — With regard to projections made by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation regarding mortgage default rates and interest rates: (a) what is the projected increase in the number of mortgage defaults if interest rates increase by (i) 0.5 percent, (ii) one percent, (iii) two percent; and (b) for each of the projections in (a), what is the projected value of the defaulted mortgages?

Q-1442² — January 29, 2018 — — With regard to outstanding tax money recovered by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and with regard to individuals named in the Panama Papers: (a) how many CRA employees or full-time equivalents are currently assigned to investigate information contained in the Panama Papers; and (b) what is the total amount recovered to date as a result of information contained in the Panama Papers?

Q-1443² — January 29, 2018 — — With regard to federal spending to address addiction to items listed under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act: (a) what is the total federal government spending on programming and transfers specifically related to this issue, broken down by each specific funding envelope and each program funded; and (b) what portion of this funding is committed to (i) prevention and education, (ii) treatment and recovery, (iii) supporting police and justice system efforts to deal with the distributors, (iv) research, (v) harm reduction, (vi) other commitments, broken down by type of commitment?

Q-1444² — January 29, 2018 — — With regard to the pending legalization of marijuana and any resulting change in policy at Global Affairs Canada: (a) what is the anticipated policy regarding the possession and use of marijuana at Canadian missions abroad; and (b) what is the anticipated policy regarding the use of diplomatic mail in relation to marijuana?

Q-1445² — January 29, 2018 — — With regard to flights taken on government aircraft by the Minister of National Defence since November 4, 2015: what are the details of each flight, including (i) date, (ii) origin, (iii) destination, (iv) names of Parliamentarians and exempt staff on each flight, (v) type of aircraft?

Q-1446² — January 29, 2018 — — With regard to Health Canada’s Cannabis Legalization and Regulation Branch: (a) what is the annual budget for the Branch; (b) how many employees or full-time equivalents have been assigned to the Branch; (c) what are Treasury Board’s employment classifications and associated salary ranges for the employees assigned to the Branch and how many employees are associated with each classification; and (d) what resources have been moved to the Branch from other branches within Health Canada?

Q-1447² — January 29, 2018 — — With regard to the Prime Minister’s meeting with Joshua Boyle: on what date did the Prime Minister’s Office or the Privy Council Office become informed that Mr. Boyle was under investigation for possible violations of the Criminal Code?

Q-1448² — January 29, 2018 — — With regard to obligations under the Red Tape Reduction Act, since November 4, 2015: (a) what is the complete list of regulations which have been implemented; and (b) for each of the regulations in (a), what regulation was removed in accordance with the Red Tape Reduction Act?

Q-1449² — January 29, 2018 — — With regard to vitamin D, taking into consideration that the tolerable upper level of intake set by Health Canada is 4,000 IU per day and that the limit for a dose allowed by Health Canada is 1,000 IU per dose: (a) why has the amount allowed in one dose not been modified to reflect what is considered a safe intake; and (b) what is the rationale for the 1,000 IU per dose limit?

Q-1450² — January 29, 2018 — — With regard to rickets and the fact that Statistics Canada has reported that 32% of Canadians are vitamin D deficient: (a) what is being done to ensure that all Canadians, especially pregnant women, are educated about the importance of vitamin D; and (b) is there a program to specifically address prenatal health for First Nations, Métis and Inuit?

Q-1451² — January 29, 2018 — — With regard to grants and contributions from the Communities at Risk: Security Infrastructure Program: what are the details of all funding recipients since November 4, 2015, including (i) name of recipient, (ii) location, (iii) amount, (iv) project description, (v) date funding was received by the organization?

Q-1452² — January 29, 2018 — — With regard to government priorities: what are the government's top four priorities?

Q-1453² — January 29, 2018 — — With regard to the maintenance and posting to Twitter accounts: (a) how many employees or full-time equivalents are assigned to manage or make postings to Twitter accounts; (b) what is Treasury Board’s classification and associated salary ranges for each employee assigned to Twitter accounts; and (c) what are the Twitter handles or usernames maintained by government employees and how many employees are assigned to each account?

Q-1454² — January 29, 2018 — — With regard to the carbon tax and the statement by the Minister of Environment and Climate Change on CTV News on January 15, 2018, that “All the revenues go back to the provinces”: what is the projected amount which will be returned to each province as a result of the additional GST revenue collected from the carbon tax?

Q-1455² — January 29, 2018 — — With regard to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and each CRA program that handles suspected cases of tax evasion, aggressive tax avoidance, fraud and other tax offences: (a) what is, since 2010, the number of employees dedicated to each program or unit, broken down by (i) number of contract employees per year, (ii) employee position; (b) what is the total budget allocated to each program; (c) what is the number of investigations launched since 2010, broken down by (i) year, (ii) number of employees who worked on the investigation, (iii) type of offence investigated; (d) since 2010, what share of the CRA’s total annual budget has been allocated to the committee responsible for assessing problem cases in order to recommend whether or not to apply the general anti-avoidance rule as set out in the Income Tax Act, broken down by year; and (e) since 2010, what budget amount has been available to the committee in (d), broken down by year?

Q-1456² — January 29, 2018 — — With regard to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) committee responsible for assessing problem cases in order to recommend whether or not to apply the general anti-avoidance rule as set out in the Income Tax Act: (a) how many problem cases has this committee received from CRA auditors since 2010, broken down by (i) year, (ii) reason for the committee’s involvement, (iii) number of employees having worked on the case; (b) how many investigations have been launched following the committee’s involvement since 2010, broken down by (i) year, (ii) reason why the investigation was warranted, (iii) number of employees having worked on the investigation; (c) how many employees are working or have worked on this committee, broken down by (i) number of contract employees per year, (ii) number of contract administrators per year, (iii) number of contract technicians per year; and (d) what is the number of investigations resolved since 2010, broken down by (i) year, (ii) number of employees who worked on the investigation, (iii) type of offence warranting investigation?

Q-1457² — January 30, 2018 — — With regard to the destruction of the Golden Lampstand Church and the Zhifang Catholic Church by the Chinese government: (a) does the government condemn the Chinese government’s actions and, if not, why not; (b) did the government raise any objection to these actions with the Chinese government and, if so, what are the details, including (i) who raised the objection, (ii) what is the title of the Chinese government official who received the objection, (iii) date of objection; and (c) since November 4, 2015, has the government raised the issue of the persecution of Christians by the Chinese government with anyone from the Chinese government and, if so, what are the details?

Q-1458² — January 30, 2018 — — With regard to individuals being denied entry into Canada since November 4, 2015: how many suspected war criminals have been denied entry into Canada under the War Crimes Program, broken down by year?

Q-1459² — January 30, 2018 — — Does the government consider the Iranian government to be elected?

Q-1460² — January 30, 2018 — — With regard to expenditures related to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change's social media accounts, since November 4, 2015, what are the details, including: (a) number of employees assigned to each (i) account, (ii) handle or username, (iii) platform; and (b) the details of all expenditures made by Environment and Climate Change Canada in relation to social media, including (i) date, (ii) vendor, (iii) amount, (iv) description of product or service, (v) file number?

Q-1461² — January 30, 2018 — — With regard to the Canada 2020 event scheduled for February 8, 2018, at the Canadian Science and Technology Museum: (a) is Canada 2020 being given a preferential rate by the government for the event; and (b) what rate is Canada 2020 being charged for renting out this government space?

Q-1462² — January 30, 2018 — — With regard to the Gordie Howe International Bridge: (a) what was the original estimated date of completion of the bridge when the project was announced; (b) what is the current estimated date of completion; and (c) if there is a delay, as per (b), why does this delay exist?

Q-1463² — January 30, 2018 — — With regard to the Ambassador Bridge Enhancement Project: (a) did the Minister of Transport, the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, or the Prime Minister hold any meetings or interactions concerning this project with (i) Manuel (“Matty”) Moroun, (ii) Matthew Moroun, (iii) representatives of the Detroit International Bridge Company, (iv) representatives of the Canadian Transit Company; (b) did officials or exempt staff from the offices of the Minister of Transport, the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, or the Prime Minister’s Office hold any meetings or interactions concerning this project with (i) Manuel (“Matty”) Moroun, (ii) Matthew Moroun, (iii) representatives of the Detroit International Bridge Company, (iv) representatives of the Canadian Transit Company; and (c) did officials from the Embassy of Canada to the United States or Canadian consulates in the United States hold any meetings or interactions concerning this project with (i) Manuel (“Matty”) Moroun, (ii) Matthew Moroun, (iii) representatives of the Detroit International Bridge Company, (iv) representatives of the Canadian Transit Company?

Q-1464² — January 31, 2018 — — With regard to federal tax expenditures, federal economic development agency programming, and the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) over the 2010-17 period: (a) what is the government’s estimate of the annual forgone revenue through tax expenditures claimed by companies with operations in multiple countries and over 250 employees, broken down by sector, year, and tax credit and expenditure claimed; (b) what is the number of companies with operations in multiple countries and over 250 employees claiming tax expenditures, broken down by sector, year and tax credit and expenditure claimed; (c) how much has been spent on federal economic development programming for companies with operations in multiple countries and over 250 employees, broken down by sector, year, federal economic development agency and program; (d) what is the number of companies with operations in multiple countries and over 250 employees receiving funds from federal economic development agencies, broken down by sector, year, agency, and program; (e) how much was spent and invested by the BDC in loans, loan guarantees, or other funds in companies with operations in multiple countries and over 250 employees, broken down by sector, year, and category of service; and (f) how many companies with operations in multiple countries and over 250 employees received loans, loan guarantees or other funds from BDC, broken down by sector, year and category of service?

Q-1465² — January 31, 2018 — — With respect to data, information, or privacy breaches in government departments, institutions, and agencies for 2017 and 2018 to date: (a) how many breaches have occured in total, broken down by (i) department, institution, or agency, (ii) number of individuals affected by the breach; (b) of those breaches identified in (a), how many have been reported to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner, broken down by (i) department, institution, or agency, (ii) number of individuals affected by the breach; and (c) how many breaches are known to have led to criminal activity such as fraud or identity theft, broken down by department, institution, or agency?

Q-1466² — January 31, 2018 — — With regard to the various departments, divisions, or units in the Office of the Prime Minister: (a) what are the various departments, divisions, or units; (b) how many employees are in each referred to in (a); (c) what are the mandates of each department, division, or unit; and (d) what are the budgets of each department, division, or unit?

Q-1467² — January 31, 2018 — — With regard to expenditures on investigations by the government since January 1, 2016: what are the details of all such contracts, including for each the (i) date, (ii) duration, (iii) vendor, (iv) value, (v) summary or description of investigation, (vi) findings?

Q-1468² — January 31, 2018 — — With regard to the 2017 Canada Summer Jobs Program: (a) how many organizations were approved in each riding; (b) how many organizations applied, but were not approved for funding in each riding; (c) how many jobs were funded; and (d) how much money was awarded to each riding to support the jobs?

Q-1469² — January 31, 2018 — — With regard to the recent changes announced by the Canada Revenue Agency: (a) how many paper income tax packages does the government expect to mail out this year; (b) what is the projected cost for the mailing referred to in (a), including (i) printing, (ii) postage, (iii) other expenses; (c) how many individuals does the government anticipate will be using the new “File my Return” telephone filing system; (d) what is the projected cost of the new “File my Return” system; (e) what criteria will be used to assess whether or not someone is eligible for the new system; and (f) what are the costs associated with setting up the new system?

Q-1470² — January 31, 2018 — — With regard to the government’s delegation to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January 2018: (a) what was the delegation’s estimated carbon footprint; (b) what is the breakdown of the estimated carbon footprint by type of activity, including (i) air transportation, (ii) ground transportation, (iii) accommodation, (iv) other; and (c) what are the details of any carbon offsets purchased by the government in relation to the trip to Switzerland, including (i) date of purchase, (ii) vendor, (iii) amount (dollar value), (iv) amount of offsets purchased (carbon dioxide equivalents)?

Q-1471² — January 31, 2018 — — With regard to the Department of Veterans Affairs: what was the amount and percentage of all lapsed spending in the Department, broken down by year from 2013-14 to the current fiscal year?


² Response requested within 45 days