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Notice Paper

No. 236

Friday, October 20, 2023

10:00 a.m.


Introduction of Government Bills

Introduction of Private Members' Bills

October 19, 2023 — Mr. MacGregor (Cowichan—Malahat—Langford) — Bill entitled “An Act to amend the Food and Drugs Act (substances in menstrual tampons)”.

Notices of Motions (Routine Proceedings)

Questions

Q-18482 — October 19, 2023 — Mr. Kelly (Calgary Rocky Ridge) — With regard to Canada’s immigration system, labour shortages, and housing shortages: (a) for each year, since January 1, 2016, how many successful applicants for permanent residency were skilled tradespeople; (b) how many of the immigrants in (a) were qualified to work in residential construction in the province in which they settled; (c) what proportion of the immigrants in (a) did immigrants in (b) constitute; (d) how many of the immigrants in (b) found work in their respective trades within (i) one year, (ii) two years, (iii) three years; and (e) how many of the immigrants in (b) were employed in their respective trades as of October 1, 2023?
Q-18492 — October 19, 2023 — Mr. Garrison (Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke) — With regard to the Enhanced Defence Agreement between Canada and the Republic of the Philippines announced in May 2023 a) what is the status of the enhanced defence agreement and has it been signed by both countries; b) what examinations of the human rights situation in the Philippines were conducted before the enhanced defence agreement was negotiated; c) will ongoing human rights monitoring be included in this agreement and will it be a condition of Canada’s continued participation; d) if human rights monitoring is included in the agreement, how will that be accomplished; e) will the agreement be subject to periodic review, conducted by a Parliamentary body such as the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs or the Standing Committee on National Defence, to hear from witnesses on the ongoing human rights conditions in the Philippines; and f) when will the terms of the agreement be made public?
Q-18502 — October 19, 2023 — Mr. Fast (Abbotsford) — With regard to the fourth annual report on Medical Assistance in Dying in Canada 2022: (a) why wasn't the report tabled in Parliament prior to the date on which this question was filed; and (b) when will the report be tabled?
Q-18512 — October 19, 2023 — Mr. Doherty (Cariboo—Prince George) — With regard to government financial forecasting: what is the projected interest rate and the range of possible interest rates that the government is using to make its forecasts, broken down by year, for each of the next five years?
Q-18522 — October 19, 2023 — Mr. Doherty (Cariboo—Prince George) — With regard to the Benefits Delivery Modernization programme: (a) what are the total expenditures through the program, broken down by year, since 2020; and (b) what are the details of all external contracts signed by the government as part of, or in relation to, the programme, including, for each, the (i) date, (ii) vendor, (iii) amount, (iv) description of the goods or services, including the scope of work, (v) manner in which the contract was awarded (sole-sourced, competitively bid)?
Q-18532 — October 19, 2023 — Mr. Doherty (Cariboo—Prince George) — With regard to government contracts with Avascent, since January 1, 2016, broken down by department, agency, Crown corporation, or other government entity: (a) what was the total value of the contracts signed with Avascent, broken down by year; and (b) what are the details of each contract, including, for each, (i) the date, (ii) the vendor, (iii) the amount, (iv) a description of the goods or services, (v) the purpose of the contract and the scope of work, (vi) whether the contract was awarded through a competitive bid or sole-source process?
Q-18542 — October 19, 2023 — Mrs. Vecchio (Elgin—Middlesex—London) — With regard to the workplace assessment conducted by BDO for the Canadian Museum of History and completed in April of 2021: (a) how much was BDO paid to complete the assessment; (b) what was the start date and end date of the related contract; and (c) what was the specific assignment and scope of work provided to BDO?
Q-18552 — October 19, 2023 — Ms. Gladu (Sarnia—Lambton) — With regard to medical assistance in dying (MAID): (a) how much has the federal government spent on MAID, including, but not limited to, funding for the provision of MAID, the training of medical staff, and the medications for MAID, broken down by year, from 2016 to 2023; and (b) what is the breakdown of (a) by item and type of expenditure?
Q-18562 — October 19, 2023 — Ms. Gladu (Sarnia—Lambton) — With regard to palliative care: how much has the government spent on palliative care, including, but not limited to, funding for the provision of palliative care, the training of medical staff, and the development of the framework for palliative care across Canada, broken down by year, for each year from 2018 to date in 2023; and (b) what is the breakdown of (a) by item and type of expenditure?

Notices of Motions for the Production of Papers

Business of Supply

Government Business

Private Members' Notices of Motions

M-98 — October 19, 2023 — Mr. Morrice (Kitchener Centre) — That:
(a) the House recognize that,
(i) since 2000, the number of international students in Canada has grown more than 6.5-fold, to over 807,000 in 2022, and this number is expected to continue to climb to more than 900,000 in 2023,
(ii) international students contribute significantly to the Canadian economy, more than $22.3 billion annually, greater than our annual national exports for auto parts, lumber or aircraft,
(iii) international students are a critical boost to the workforce and provide talent needed to strengthen our economy and counteract our aging demographic, and are also a major source of short- and long-term labour in Canada,
(iv) international students attending colleges and universities pay, on average, three to five times more in tuition fees than domestic students, and tuition increases for international students in Canada have been as large as 20% annually,
(v) post-secondary institutions in Canada have relied on, to an increasing extent, the recruitment and enrolment of international students as a source of revenue to sustain their operating budgets, with revenues from international student tuition increasing 471% since 2007-2008 compared to only 23% for tuition from domestic students over that same period,
(vi) international students have increasingly been enticed to Canada with unrealistic promises of easy pathways to securing jobs and immigration status that leaves them vulnerable to exploitation by unregulated education agents, aggregators and other actors in the education and immigration systems,
(vii) this has created an environment whereby education policy is increasingly being conflated with immigration policy by some public and private post-secondary institutions, education agents and other actors in the education and immigration systems,
(viii) many international students face significant financial difficulties once they arrive in Canada, including higher than expected costs for food and necessities, greater difficulty finding a safe and affordable place to live, and greater difficulty finding a job,
(ix) many international students are arriving in Canada with misaligned expectations about the cost of living and housing availability and affordability and, as a result, are not being set up for success in attending post-secondary institutions in Canada,
(x) Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has not updated its estimated cost of living figures used to assess applicants for a study permit or Student Direct Stream (SDS) visa since 2015 and these estimates are currently nearly half of what a student typically spends per month to attend school in Canada’s largest cities,
(xi) despite participating in its drafting as a member of the Roundtable on the Integrity of International Education, Canada has not signed onto the 2012 Statement of Principles for the Ethical Recruitment of International Students (the London Statement) that establishes a unified set of principles and outlines a joint international code of ethical conduct for education agents and the recruitment of international students,
(xii) other countries have established national codes of ethical practice for education agents based on the London Statement setting out a regulatory framework for student representatives, private and public institutions, student recruiters and education consultants,
(xiii) while exponential increases in the number of international students in Canada have contributed to the current national housing crisis and these students are often blamed for the many current economic and social challenges facing Canada, these students are also the victims of limited and often unsuitable housing,
(xiv) Canadian post-secondary institutions and provincial and territorial governments have stated that any cap on international students being permitted to study in Canada would not help to solve these crises,
(xv) government at all levels and both public and private colleges and universities must do more to ensure that international students coming to Canada are better set up for success once they arrive here, including ensuring their expectations for cost of living and housing are aligned with current economic realities; and
(b) in the opinion of the House, the government should,
(i) double the current proof of financial support eligibility criteria to $20,000 for the visa applicant, plus an additional $8,000 for the first accompanying family member and an additional $6,000 for each additional accompanying family member, to obtain a study permit (excluding Quebec) or a SDS visa,
(ii) review and update the estimated cost of living figures used to assess applications for a study permit or SDS visa at least every three years to reflect current financial realities,
(iii) require study permit and SDS visa holders to periodically report to IRCC, after they arrive in Canada and as a condition of maintaining their permit or visa, continued proof of sufficient financial support by demonstrating a minimum amount of funds held at a Canadian financial institution,
(iv) re-establish a limit in the number of allowable off-campus work hours for study permit or SDS visa holders to a maximum of 20 hours per week to ensure international students remain primarily focused on their studies while also having the ability to financially support themselves while in Canada,
(v) provide international students issued a study permit or SDS visa with a detailed information package that outlines their legal rights in Canada, including guidance on how to find housing, their housing rights under applicable provincial or territorial law, employment rights, and what to do if they have been a victim of a crime or inappropriate behaviour,
(vi) sign and publicly endorse the London Statement, and incorporate it into Canada’s policies and practices for education agents and the recruitment of international students by establishing a national regulatory framework and code of ethical practice to ensure a uniform ethical standard of service and care is provided to international students coming to Canada by education agents, post-secondary institutions and other actors,
(vii) Conduct periodic assessments of all designated learning institutions (DLIs) approved to host international students, and restrict their ability to do so by having IRCC limit visas issued to them, when 15 per cent or more of their international students either do not enroll in courses, withdraw from studies, or transfer out after arriving in Canada, as has been instituted by other signatories to the London Statement,
(viii) call on colleges and universities (both public and private), in collaboration with the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and Statistics Canada regarding off-campus housing, to provide prospective international students with a detailed information package as part of their offer of acceptance that outlines availability and costs of on-campus accommodations and off-campus housing, including detailing total number of rental units, rental vacancy rates, average rents, number of rental units under construction, and number of rental units projected to be completed in the next year,
(ix) call on all colleges and universities (both public and private) to dedicate and redirect annually a consistent proportion of their annual revenues from international student tuition to increased supports for and availability of on-campus housing and employment for international students,
(x) create a dedicated infrastructure funding stream under the National Housing Strategy to supplement investments by colleges and universities in building housing options for domestic and international students and expand the use of CMHC’s rental construction financing initiative (RCFI) to include post-secondary institutions, incentivizing them to build more affordable housing options for domestic and international students.

Private Members' Business

C-284 — September 28, 2023 — Resuming consideration of the motion of Ms. Sgro (Humber River—Black Creek), seconded by Mr. Gerretsen (Kingston and the Islands), — That Bill C-284, An Act to establish a national strategy for eye care, be now read a third time and do pass.
Pursuant to Standing Order 86(3), jointly seconded by:
Ms. Diab (Halifax West) — June 14, 2022
Mr. Aldag (Cloverdale—Langley City) — November 16, 2022
Mr. Miao (Richmond Centre) — April 27, 2023
Debate — one hour remaining, pursuant to Standing Order 98(2).
Voting — not later than the expiry of the time provided for debate, pursuant to Standing Order 98(4).

2 Response requested within 45 days