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43rd PARLIAMENT, 2nd SESSION

Journals No. 85 Wednesday, April 21, 2021 2:00 p.m.

Prayer

National Anthem

Statements By Members

Pursuant to Standing Order 31, members made statements.

Oral Questions

Pursuant to Standing Order 30(5), the House proceeded to Oral Questions.

Daily Routine Of Business

Tabling of Documents

Pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), Mr. Lamoureux (Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons) laid upon the table, — Government responses, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8), to the following petitions:

— Nos. 432-00604, 432-00609, 432-00611, 432-00612, 432-00613, 432-00614, 432-00615, 432-00616, 432-00617 and 432-00618 concerning foreign affairs;

— Nos. 432-00605, 432-00607, 432-00608, 432-00610 and 432-00619 concerning justice;

— No. 432-00606 concerning taxation;

— No. 432-00620 concerning social affairs and equality.

Presenting Petitions

Pursuant to Standing Order 36, petitions certified by the Clerk of Petitions were presented as follows:

— by , one concerning foreign affairs (No. 432-00840);

— by , two concerning foreign affairs (Nos. 432-00841 and 432-00842);

— by , two concerning justice (Nos. 432-00843 and 432-00844) and one concerning foreign affairs (No. 432-00845);

— by , one concerning justice (No. 432-00846);

— by , one concerning justice (No. 432-00847);

— by , one concerning economics and finance (No. 432-00848);

— by , one concerning health (No. 432-00849);

— by , one concerning health (No. 432-00850);

— by , one concerning social affairs and equality (No. 432-00851).

Questions on the Order Paper

Mr. Lamoureux (Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons) presented the answers to questions Q-455 to Q-458, Q-460 to Q-463 and Q-466 on the Order Paper.

Pursuant to Standing Order 39(7), Mr. Lamoureux (Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons) presented the returns to the following questions made into orders for return:

Q-452 — — With regard to Old Age Security, Employment Insurance, the Guaranteed Income Supplement and all programs designed to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic: (a) was a gender-based analysis plus carried out prior to the implementation of the program, and, if not, has one been carried out since, and if so, when was it carried out; and (b) for each program, what were the conclusions of this analysis? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-432-452.

Q-453 — — With regard to the Safe Return to Class Fund: (a) what is the total amount that each province or territory (i) has received, (ii) will be receiving; (b) of the funds in (a), broken down by province or territory, how much has been used to purchase (i) masks and face shields, (ii) high efficiency particulate air filters, (iii) heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, (iv) liters of hand and surface sanitizers; (c) broken down by province or territory, how many (i) new teachers and education workers have been hired, (ii) new cleaners and janitors have been hired; (d) broken down by province or territory, how many (i) new sinks have been installed, (ii) barriers and screens have been installed; and (e) broken down by province or territory, how many alternative teaching spaces have been rented? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-432-453.

Q-454 — — With regard to moderate livelihood fisheries: has the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard made a decision, and, if so, when will it be communicated to Indigenous and commercial fishers? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-432-454.

Q-459 — — With regard to the delays in processing spousal sponsorship applications since the announcement by the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship on September 25, 2020: (a) what is the percentage increase in the number of decision-makers reviewing the sponsorship applications that were added; (b) how many sponsorship applications were reviewed in October, November and December 2020; and (c) how many applications in total were processed? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-432-459.

Q-464 — — With regard to government contracts since March 13, 2020, and broken down by registered lobbyists and their affiliated firms: (a) how many contracts have been awarded to registered lobbyists; and (b) what are the details of contracts awarded, including (i) the date of the contract, (ii) the initial and final value of the contract, (iii) the name of the supplier, (iv) the reference number, (v) the description of the services rendered? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-432-464.

Q-465 — — With regard to claimed stock option deductions, between fiscal years 2012-13 and 2020-21 inclusively, broken down by each fiscal year: (a) what is the number of individuals who claimed the stock option deduction whose total annual income is (i) less than $60,000, (ii) less than $100,000, (iii) less than $200,000, (iv) between $200,000 and $1 million, (v) more than $1 million; (b) what is the average amount claimed by an individual whose total annual income is (i) less than $60,000, (ii) less than $100,000, (iii) less than $200,000, (iv) between $200,000 and $1 million, (v) more than $1 million; (c) what is the total amount claimed by individuals whose total annual income is (i) less than $60,000, (ii) less than $100,000, (iii) less than $200,000, (iv) between $200,000 and $1 million, (v) more than $1 million; and (d) what is the percentage of the total amount claimed by individuals whose total annual income is more than $1 million? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-432-465.

Q-467 — — With regard to the Office of Human Rights, Freedoms and Inclusion (OHRFI): (a) in the last five years, what programs in other countries have been funded by the OHRFI related specifically to the advancement of religious freedom or the protection of the rights of religious minorities; (b) what has been the impact of each of these programs; (c) how does the government measure the impact of these programs; and (d) which of those programs specifically advanced the rights of minority communities that are (i) Hindu, (ii) Jewish, (iii) Buddhist, (iv) Christian, (v) Muslim, (vi) Sikh, (vii) Baha’i? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-432-467.

Q-468 — — With regard to contracts entered into between the government and Abacus Data since January 1, 2016, and broken down by department, agency, Crown corporation, or other government entity: (a) what is the total value of the contracts; (b) what are the details of each contract, including (i) the initial amount, (ii) the amended amount, if applicable, (iii) the start and end date; (iv) the description of goods or services, (v) the specific topics Abacus provided data or research on related to the contract, if applicable, (vi) whether contract was sole-sourced or competitive; (c) what are the details of all polling, surveys, or focus group research provided to the government from Abacus including the (i) date provided to the government, (ii) topics, (iii) specific questions asked to respondents, (iv) type of research (online poll, focus group, etc.), (v) number of respondents, (vi) responses received, including the number and percentage of each type of response, (vii) summary of the findings provided to the government; and (d) what are the details of all communication assistance or advice provided by Abacus, including the (i) start and end date, (ii) topics, (iii) value of related contract, (iv) summary of advice provided? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-432-468.

Q-469 — — With regard to the government’s hiring policies: (a) is the government currently hiring for any positions wherein the successful applicant must be a member of a particular underrepresented group; (b) what are the particular positions for which the requirement in (a) has been implemented; (c) what are the underrepresented group or groups with which an applicant must identify in order to be eligible, broken down by each position; (d) what is the process for determining if an applicant has made a false claim in relation to the requirement in (a); and (e) what process does the government follow for determining which positions will be reserved for underrepresented groups? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-432-469.

Q-470 — — With regard to the acquisition of freezers required to transport and store the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine: (a) how many freezers were purchased; (b) what is the total cost of purchasing the freezers; (c) what is the cost per unit of freezers purchased, broken down by type of unit; (d) how many of each type of unit were purchased; (e) how many of each type of unit purchased are in each (i) province or territory, (ii) local health unit district; (f) how many of each type of unit were purchased for the purpose of transporting the vaccine; (g) how many freezers were rented; (h) what is the total cost of renting the freezers; (i) what is cost per unit of freezers rented, broken down by type of unit; (j) what are the estimated costs of (i) transporting, (ii) maintaining the freezers, broken down by type of expense; and (k) what are the details of all contracts over $1,000 related to the purchase, acquisition, maintenance, or transportation of the freezers, including (i) the vendor, (ii) the amount, (iii) the description of goods or services, including the quantity, (iv) whether the contract was sole-sourced or awarded through a competitive biding process? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-432-470.

Q-471 — — With regard to the international and large business sector of the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), since November 2015, and broken down by year: (a) how many audits were completed; (b) what is the number of auditors, broken down by category of auditors; (c) how many new files were opened; (d) how many files were closed; (e) of the files in (d), what was the average time it took to process the file before it was closed; (f) of the files in (d), what was the risk level of each file; (g) how much was spent on contractors and subcontractors; (h) of the contractors and subcontractors in (g), what is the initial and final value of each contract; (i) among the contractors and subcontractors in (g), what is the description of each service contract; (j) how many reassessments were issued; (k) what is the total amount recovered; (l) how many taxpayer files were referred to the CRA's Criminal Investigations Program; (m) of the files in (l), how many were referred to the Public Prosecution Service of Canada; and (n) of the files in (m), how many resulted in convictions? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-432-471.

Applications for Emergency Debate

Pursuant to Standing Order 52, Ms. May (Saanich—Gulf Islands) asked leave to move the adjournment of the House for the purpose of discussing a specific and important matter requiring urgent consideration, namely, the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Speaker decided that the matter was proper to be discussed and, pursuant to Standing Order 52(9), directed that it be considered later today, at the ordinary hour of daily adjournment.

Ways and Means

The House resumed consideration of the motion of Ms. Freeland (Minister of Finance), seconded by Mrs. Fortier (Minister of Middle Class Prosperity and Associate Minister of Finance), — That this House approve in general the budgetary policy of the government; (Ways and Means No. 2)

And of the amendment of Mr. Fast (Abbotsford), seconded by Mr. Berthold (Mégantic—L'Érable), — That the motion be amended by deleting all the words after the word “That” and substituting the following:

“given that the budget:

(a) adds over half a trillion dollars in new debt that can only be paid through higher job-killing taxes;

(b) contains over $100 billion for a re-election fund while doing nothing to secure the long-term prosperity of Canadians; and

(c) fails to rule out the introduction of capital gains taxes on the principal residences of Canadians, currently being studied by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, as a way to pay for the government’s spending;

the House demand that the Liberal government’s budget be revised in order to focus on accelerating the vaccination plan to end the dangerous third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and policies that will create jobs and stimulate economic growth.”;

And of the subamendment of Mr. Blanchet (Beloeil—Chambly), seconded by Mr. Ste-Marie (Joliette), — That the amendment be amended by deleting paragraphs (a) and (b) and substituting the following:

“(a) does not include any increase to the Canada health transfers;

(b) abandons seniors between the ages of 65 and 75; and”,

and by adding after the words “economic growth” the following:

“, support health care systems by increasing the Canada health transfers to 35% of health care costs and contribute to the quality of life of seniors aged 65 and over by increasing Old Age Security as of age 65 and dropping the age for the one-time payment of $500 for the summer of 2021 to age 65.”.

The debate continued.

Motions

By unanimous consent, it was ordered, — That, notwithstanding any standing order, special order or usual practice of the House, during the debate tonight pursuant to Standing Order 52, no quorum calls, dilatory motions or requests for unanimous consent shall be received by the Chair.

Ways and Means

And of the amendment of Mr. Fast (Abbotsford), seconded by Mr. Berthold (Mégantic—L'Érable);

And of the subamendment of Mr. Blanchet (Beloeil—Chambly), seconded by Mr. Ste-Marie (Joliette).

The debate continued.

At 5:15 p.m., pursuant to Standing Order 84(4), the Speaker interrupted the proceedings.

The question was put on the subamendment and it was negatived on the following division:
(Division No. 94 -- Vote n^o 94)
YEAS: 37, NAYS: 297
YEAS -- POUR Atwin Barsalou-Duval Beaulieu Bergeron Bérubé Blanchet Blanchette-Joncas Boudrias Boulerice Brunelle-Duceppe Chabot Champoux Charbonneau DeBellefeuille Desbiens Desilets Duvall Fortin Gaudreau Gill Green Julian Larouche Lemire Marcil Michaud Normandin Pauzé Perron Plamondon Savard-Tremblay Simard Ste-Marie Thériault Therrien Trudel Vignola Total: -- 37
NAYS -- CONTRE Aboultaif Aitchison Albas Alghabra Alleslev Allison Amos Anand Anandasangaree Angus Arnold Arseneault Arya Ashton Bachrach Badawey Bagnell Bains Baker Baldinelli Barlow Barrett Battiste Beech Bendayan Bennett Benzen Bergen Berthold Bessette Bezan Bibeau Bittle Blaikie Blair Blaney (North Island—Powell River) Blaney (Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis) Block Blois Bragdon Brassard Bratina Brière Calkins Cannings Carr Carrie Casey Chagger Champagne Chen Chiu Chong Collins Cooper Cormier Cumming Dabrusin Dalton Damoff Dancho Davidson Davies Deltell d'Entremont Dhaliwal Dhillon Diotte Doherty Dong Dowdall Dreeshen Drouin Dubourg Duclos Duguid Duncan (Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry) Duncan (Etobicoke North) Dzerowicz Easter Ehsassi El-Khoury Ellis Epp Erskine-Smith Falk (Battlefords—Lloydminster) Falk (Provencher) Fast Fergus Fillmore Findlay (South Surrey—White Rock) Finley (Haldimand—Norfolk) Finnigan Fisher Fonseca Fortier Fragiskatos Fraser Freeland Fry Gallant Garneau Garrison Gazan Généreux Genuis Gerretsen Gladu Godin Gould Gourde Gray Guilbeault Hajdu Hallan Harder Hardie Harris Hoback Holland Housefather Hughes Hussen Hutchings Iacono Ien Jaczek Jansen Jeneroux Johns Joly Jones Jordan Jowhari Kelloway Kelly Kent Khalid Khera Kitchen Kmiec Koutrakis Kram Kurek Kusie Kusmierczyk Kwan Lake Lalonde Lambropoulos Lamoureux Lattanzio Lauzon Lawrence LeBlanc Lebouthillier Lefebvre Lehoux Lewis (Essex) Liepert Lightbound Lloyd Lobb Long Longfield Louis (Kitchener—Conestoga) Lukiwski MacAulay (Cardigan) MacGregor MacKenzie MacKinnon (Gatineau) Maguire Maloney Manly Martel Martinez Ferrada Masse Mathyssen May (Cambridge) May (Saanich—Gulf Islands) Mazier McCauley (Edmonton West) McColeman McCrimmon McDonald McGuinty McKay McKenna McKinnon (Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam) McLean McLeod (Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo) McLeod (Northwest Territories) McPherson Melillo Mendès Mendicino Miller Monsef Moore Morantz Morrison Morrissey Motz Nater Ng O'Connell Oliphant O'Regan O'Toole Patzer Paul-Hus Petitpas Taylor Poilievre Powlowski Qaqqaq Qualtrough Ratansi Rayes Redekopp Regan Reid Rempel Garner Richards Robillard Rodriguez Rogers Romanado Rood Ruff Sahota (Calgary Skyview) Sahota (Brampton North) Saini Sajjan Saks Samson Sangha Sarai Saroya Scarpaleggia Scheer Schiefke Schmale Schulte Seeback Serré Sgro Shanahan Sheehan Shields Shin Shipley Sidhu (Brampton East) Sidhu (Brampton South) Simms Singh Sloan Sorbara Soroka Spengemann Stanton Steinley Strahl Stubbs Sweet Tabbara Tassi Tochor Trudeau Turnbull Uppal Van Bynen van Koeverden Van Popta Vandal Vandenbeld Vaughan Vecchio Vidal Viersen Virani Vis Wagantall Warkentin Waugh Webber Weiler Wilkinson Williamson Wilson-Raybould Wong Yip Young Yurdiga Zahid Zann Zimmer Zuberi Total: -- 297
PAIRED -- PAIRÉS Nil--Aucun

Private Members' Business

At 6:05 p.m., pursuant to Standing Order 30(7), the House proceeded to the consideration of Private Members' Business.

The order was read for the consideration at report stage of Bill C-208, An Act to amend the Income Tax Act (transfer of small business or family farm or fishing corporation), as reported by the Standing Committee on Finance without amendment.

Mr. Maguire (Brandon—Souris), seconded by Mrs. Jansen (Cloverdale—Langley City), moved, — That the bill be concurred in at report stage.

The question was put on the motion and it was agreed to.

Accordingly, the bill was concurred in at report stage.

Pursuant to Standing Order 76.1(11), Mr. Maguire (Brandon—Souris), seconded by Mrs. Jansen (Cloverdale—Langley City), moved, — That the bill be now read a third time and do pass.

Debate arose thereon.

Pursuant to Standing Order 98(2), the order was dropped to the bottom of the order of precedence on the Order Paper.

Emergency Debate

Pursuant to Standing Order 52(10), the House proceeded to the consideration of a motion to adjourn the House for the purpose of discussing an important matter requiring urgent consideration, namely, the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ms. May (Saanich—Gulf Islands), seconded by Mr. Manly (Nanaimo—Ladysmith), moved, — That this House do now adjourn.

Debate arose thereon.

At midnight, the Speaker declared the motion adopted.

Adjournment

At midnight, the Speaker adjourned the House until later today at 10:00 a.m., pursuant to Standing Order 24(1).