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44th PARLIAMENT, 1st SESSION

Journals No. 365 Monday, November 4, 2024 11:00 a.m.

Prayer

Tabling of Documents

The Speaker laid before the House, — Report of the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada entitled "Protecting Against Threats to the Electoral Process", pursuant to the Canada Elections Act, S.C. 2000, c. 9, s. 536. — Sessional Paper No. 8560-441-4-05. (Pursuant to Standing Order 108(3)(a), permanently referred to the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs)

Question of Privilege

The House resumed consideration of the motion of Mr. Scheer (Regina—Qu'Appelle), seconded by Mr. Berthold (Mégantic—L'Érable), — That the government's failure of fully providing documents, as ordered by the House on June 10, 2024, be hereby referred to the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs;

And of the amendment of Mr. Berthold (Mégantic—L'Érable), seconded by Mr. Perkins (South Shore—St. Margarets), — That the motion be amended by adding the following:

“provided that it be an instruction to the committee:

(a) that the following witnesses be ordered to appear before the committee, separately, for two hours each:

(i) the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry,

(ii) the Clerk of the Privy Council,

(iii) the Auditor General of Canada,

(iv) the Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police,

(v) the Deputy Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada,

(vi) the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel of the House of Commons,

(vii) the Acting President of Sustainable Development Technology Canada,

(viii) a panel consisting of the Board of Sustainable Development Technology Canada; and

(b) that it report back to the House no later than Friday, November 22, 2024.”;

And of the subamendment of Mr. Muys (Flamborough—Glanbrook), seconded by Mr. Scheer (Regina—Qu'Appelle), — That the amendment be amended by adding, after subparagraph (a)(ii), the following:

"(iii) the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, who respected the order of the House and deposited unredacted documents,

(iv) Paul MacKinnon, the former Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet (Governance),".

The debate continued.

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 Leader of the Government in the House of Commons) laid before the House, — Government responses, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8), to the following petitions:

— Nos. 441-02613, 441-02620 and 441-02622 concerning justice;

— Nos. 441-02614, 441-02616, 441-02623 and 441-02626 concerning health;

— No. 441-02615 concerning transportation;

— Nos. 441-02617, 441-02624 and 441-02625 concerning foreign affairs;

— No. 441-02618 concerning the environment;

— No. 441-02619 concerning citizenship and immigration;

— No. 441-02621 concerning the democratic process;

— No. 441-02627 concerning culture and heritage.

Presenting Reports from Committees

Mr. Fragiskatos (London North Centre), from the Special Committee on the Canada–People’s Republic of China Relationship, presented the eighth report of the committee, "The Nexus Between Science and National Security in Canada: The Case of the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg". — Sessional Paper No. 8510-441-501.

Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee requested that the government table a comprehensive response.

A copy of the relevant Minutes of Proceedings (Meetings Nos. 35 to 41, 46 and 47) was tabled.

Motions

Ms. Pauzé (Repentigny), seconded by Mr. Simard (Jonquière), moved, — That the fourth report of the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development, presented on Wednesday, September 21, 2022, be concurred in. (Concurrence in Committee Reports No. 71)

Debate arose thereon.

Questions on the Order Paper

By unanimous consent, Mr. Lamoureux (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons) presented the answers to questions Q-2966, Q-2970, Q-2976, Q-2982 and Q-2983 on the Order Paper.

By unanimous consent and pursuant to Standing Order 39(7), Mr. Lamoureux (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons) presented the returns to the following questions made into orders for return:

Q-2963 — — With regard to full-time Governor in Council appointees: (a) what GCQ 9 classified positions are currently (i) vacant, (ii) filled; (b) what GCQ 10 classified positions are currently (i) vacant, (ii) filled; and (c) for each filled position in (a) and (b), who was appointed to the position? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-441-2963.

Q-2964 — — With regard to the filing requirements for the GST and HST for businesses, broken down by calendar year from 2018 through 2023, and by province or territory: how many businesses filed their GST return using (i) only electronic returns, (ii) paper returns for some, or all, of their filings? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-441-2964.

Q-2965 — — With regard to travel expenditures incurred by the government, broken down by department, agency, Crown corporation, or other government entity: what were the total travel expenditures, broken down by object code and type of travel (i.e. 0251 Public servant travel - OperationaI activities, 0264 Non-public servant travel - Training, etc.) incurred during the (i) 2022-23, (ii) 2023-24, fiscal year? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-441-2965.

Q-2967 — — With regard to Jasper National Park, since 2015: (a) did any government department or agency do any consultations on the impact of the invasive mountain pine beetle, fire management, and fire preparedness, and, if so, (i) which groups and people were consulted, (ii) how much money was spent on the consultation process, (iii) what were the results or recommendations of the consultations, (iv) when were the consultations conducted, (v) how were the consultations conducted; (b) what briefings on the impact of the invasive mountain pine beetle, fire management, and fire preparedness were produced for the Privy Council Office, the Office of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, the Office of the Prime Minister or any other government department; (c) what conversations, online, written, spoken, or otherwise, took place amongst Parks Canada or Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) officials in determining efforts to mitigate the impact of the mountain pine beetle; (d) following the mountain pine beetle infestation, what consideration led to the decision by the Office of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change to withhold the data on how many hectares of dead pine were left standing in Jasper National Park, and what are the details of all notes, minutes of meetings, briefings or any other documents related to this matter, including, for each, the (i) internal tracking number, (ii) date, (iii) title, (iv) type of document, (v) sender, (vi) recipient; (e) how many hectares of dead pine were left standing in Jasper National Park; (f) following the release of 2021 Briefing Book and its advice that “There is still much work to do to mitigate Mountain Pine Beetle related impacts particularly in the forests surrounding communities within the Rocky Mountain National Parks, e.g. Jasper”, what consideration was undertaken by the Office of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change or ECCC to address this concern, and what are the details of all notes, minutes of meetings, briefings or any other documents related to this matter, including, for each, the (i) internal tracking number, (ii) date, (iii) title, (iv) type of document, (v) sender, (vi) recipient; (g) following the 2022 Parks Canada Implementation Report to Parliament that warned precautions were inadequate and that “Fire has not yet been applied for Whitebark Pine restoration”, what consideration was undertaken by the Office of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change or ECCC to address this concern and what are the details of all notes, minutes of meetings, briefings or any other documents related to this matter, including, for each, the (i) internal tracking number, (ii) date, (iii) title, (iv) type of document, (v) sender, (vi) recipient? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-441-2967.

Q-2968 — — With regard to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA) risk assessments on imports of honeybee hives, nucleus colonies, package bee imports, and honeybee queens: (a) what are the details of all documents prepared related to the 2003 and 2013 CFIA assessments about the possibility of opening the border with the United States for such imports, including, for each, the (i) date, (ii) subject matter, (iii) type of document, (iv) department’s internal tracking number, (v) sender, (vi) recipients, (vii) summary of the contents; (b) what is the reason that a risk assessment for such imports was not undertaken between 2013 and 2023; (c) what are the details of all documents related to the matter in (b), including, for each, the (i) date, (ii) subject matter, (iii) type of document, (iv) department’s internal tracking number, (v) sender, (vi) recipients, (vii) summary of the contents; (d) what are the details of the proposed 2024 CFIA risk assessment for the import of honeybee hives, nucleus colonies, package bee imports, and honeybee queens from the United States, including, (i) which groups and people were consulted, (ii) how much money was spent on the consultation process, (iii) what were the results or recommendations of the consultations, (iv) when were the consultations conducted, (v) how were the consultations conducted; and (e) what are the details of all notes, minutes of meetings, briefings or any other documents related to matters in (d), including, for each, the (i) internal tracking number, (ii) date, (iii) title, (iv) type of document, (v) sender, (vi) recipient, (vii) summary of the contents? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-441-2968.

Q-2969 — — With regard to the $75 million allocated to the National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking announced on September 4, 2019: (a) what is the breakdown of how the $75 million was spent, including (i) which departments and agencies received funding, (ii) how much each received, (iii) how much was allocated for each initiative, program or organization; (b) what are the details of all projects and programs which have been provided funding, to date, through the strategy, including, for each, the (i) name, (ii) project description, (iii) amount, (iv) date of the funding, (v) start date of the project or program, (vi) end date of the project or program, (vii) duration of the project or program funded, (viii) recipient, (ix) location; and (c) what criteria or process was used to determine which projects were funded and how much each project received? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-441-2969.

Q-2971 — — With regard to the Lake Diefenbaker Irrigation Projects, since January 1, 2020: (a) how much funding has been provided by the government for any such projects, in total and broken down by individual project; and (b) has the government received any requests for such projects which it has not yet funded, and, if so, what are the details of the requests and the reason why they have not yet been funded? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-441-2971.

Q-2972 — — With regard to visitor visa applicants and assessments done by the government, including agencies such as the Canada Border Services Agency at border crossings: what are the criteria used to assess the admissibility of applicants, including the amount of funds that applicants must have, broken down by type of visa? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-441-2972.

Q-2973 — — With regard to the Minister of Public Safety's announcement on May 8, 2023, about the government investing $390 million "in programs to help stop gun crime and gang violence before it starts": (a) how much of the $390 million has been spent to date in total, broken down by province or territory; (b) which organizations received the funding and how much did each receive; (c) what were the guidelines used to determine the eligibility of a funding recipient; and (d) what metrics and accountability measures is the government using to ensure that organizations use the funding in an appropriate fashion? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-441-2973.

Q-2974 — — With regard to Immigration and Refugee Board hearings on refugee claims, in 2021 and 2022: (a) for accepted written hearings, (i) what is the total number of persons on all applications, (ii) what is the amount of applications that had one person's name attached, (iii) what is the amount of applications that had more than one person's name attached, (iv) what is the amount of applications that had a marital partner's name attached, (v) what is the amount of applications that had one or more children's names attached, (vi) what is the amount of applications that had a dependent other than a marital spouse or a child attached, (vii) what is the total amount of persons' names on all applications; and (b) of the total amount of persons' names accepted through written hearings, (i) what is the number broken down by country of origin, (ii) what is the amount of people of each age, broken down by year from 0 to 100 years old, (iii) what is the amount of people broken down by gender, (iv) what is the amount of people showing English language proficiency, (v) what is the amount of people showing French language proficiency, (vi) what is the amount of people showing both English and French language proficiency? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-441-2974.

Q-2975 — — With regard to the government’s relationship with the Canadian Climate Institute: (a) what role did the government have in the creation and beginnings of the institute; (b) how much funds to date has the government provided to the institute; (c) what are the details of the government’s contribution agreement with the institute, including (i) its duration, (ii) the funding provided each year, (iii) reporting requirements, (iv) independent audit requirements, (v) any other conditions of the agreement; (d) what is the government’s understanding related to what percentage of the institute’s operating budget comes from government funding as opposed to other sources; (e) does Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) have the complete details of other funding sources the institute draws from on an annual basis; (f) if the answer to (e) is yes, what are the details of all the funding sources, including the (i) type of donor (corporation, not-for-profit corporation, charity, other levels of government, etc.), (ii) amount of the contribution, (iii) year of the contribution; (g) what is the charitable purpose of the institute as per the requirements of the Income Tax Act; and (h) what information does ECCC have regarding other charities or other initiatives with which the institute is formally engaged, including the (i) name of the charity or initiative, (ii) description of the engagement, (iii) amount of the donation or contribution? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-441-2975.

Q-2977 — — With regard to the administration of medical assistance in dying (MAID) in Canada: (a) what is the current national standardized protocol for administering MAID; (b) if the answer to (a) is that there is no standardized protocol, why not; (c) how is the government evaluating the MAID protocols with regard to (i) their effectiveness, especially with regard to minimizing pain, (ii) procedure complications, (iii) procedure risks; (d) since 2016, what independent medical research has the government either commissioned or collected that (i) evaluates MAID clinical practice and studies the evidence with regard to the medical risks and complications in MAID deaths carried out to date, particularly as they pertain to the medications used and dosages given, (ii) analyzes the totality of patients’ physical experiences and impacts; (e) if the answer to (d) is none, what are the reasons; (f) how many autopsy reports have been done on MAID patients; (g) if the answer to (f) is none or unknown, what are the reasons; (h) are any of the medications used to administer MAID in Canada used in executions in other countries; (i) are any of the medications used to administer MAID illegal or prohibited in other countries; (j) if the answers to (h) or (i) are in the affirmative, what are the details, including the (i) medication name, (ii) countries where it is used, (iii) method of use for execution or reasons the medication is illegal or prohibited; (k) is the government aware of concerns from some medical professionals that the use of Midazolam and Propofol in MAID has the potential of causing a painful death even if it appears outwardly peaceful, and, if so, what is the government’s response; (l) what is the government doing to investigate the concerns in (k); (m) why does Statistics Canada not classify MAID as a cause of death; and (n) when will the government resolve the death reporting incongruence between Statistics Canada and Health Canada? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-441-2977.

Q-2978 — — With regard to the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the One Health approach: (a) has the government undertaken a formal and public review of Canada’s whole-of-government pandemic response to learn from the past and inform future national pandemic planning; (b) if the answer to (a) is negative, what are the reasons; (c) if the answer to (a) is negative, when will the government conduct a formal and public review of Canada’s whole-of-government pandemic response; (d) how does the government define a pandemic; (e) what is the government’s current policy with regard to the One Health approach; (f) how does the government define One Health; (g) if this term is not defined by the government, what are the parameters by which it plans to ensure compliance with the World Health Organization’s International Health Regulations and the Pandemic prevention, preparedness and response accord; (h) how will the government implement a One Health approach as part of its public health planning in the future; and (i) what is the extent to which efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions will be included in the government’s One Health approach? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-441-2978.

Q-2979 — — With regard to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and the Settlement Program, the Resettlement Assistance Program, the Interim Housing Assistance Program, the International Migration Capacity Building Program, and the Francophone Immigration Support Program, for the fiscal years 2015-16 to 2023-24, broken down by program and province or territory: (a) what organizations applied for grants, contributions or loans; (b) how much did each organization apply for on an annual basis; (c) how much did each organization receive on an annual basis; (d) how much of their funding did IRCC allocate to administrative costs on an annual basis; and (e) what were the actual administrative costs on an annual basis? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-441-2979.

Q-2980 — — With regard to funding provided through Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s Settlement Program, the Resettlement Assistance Program, the Interim Housing Assistance Program, the International Migration Capacity Building Program or the Francophone Immigration Support Program for the fiscal years 2015-16 to 2023-24 to any corporation, non-profit organization or other third party that operates within the city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan: (a) what are those entities; (b) how much did each entity receive, broken down by fiscal year; (c) how much of that funding was actually spent on initiatives, projects, administration or other activities within the city of Saskatoon; (d) did the government audit or require that audits be conducted on any of these entities, either on a fiscal or program delivery basis, and, if so, what are the details, including, (i) which entities, (ii) whether any of those audits indicated anything unusual that needed to be addressed; and (e) if the answer to (d)(ii) is affirmative, what were these and what remedial actions were taken? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-441-2980.

Q-2981 — — With regard to the Canada Pension Plan (CPP): (a) how many individuals living abroad are currently receiving CPP payments, in total and broken down by country; (b) how much was paid out to recipients living abroad during the last fiscal year, in total and broken down by country; (c) of the countries in (a), which ones have (i) signed, (ii) not signed, a treaty with Canada concerning cooperation which would notify the government when a CPP recipient dies and allow the government to recover any payments made to a deceased person as a result of the CPP not being aware of a recipient’s death; (d) last year, how much is estimated to have been wrongfully paid to CPP recipients following a death before the CPP became aware; and (e) of the overpayments in (d), how much (i) has been recovered, (ii) has not been recovered, but is expected to be recovered, (iii) is not expected to be recovered? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-441-2981.

Q-2984 — — With regard to the Pain and Suffering Compensation benefit and the Additional Pain and Suffering Compensation benefit awarded by Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC): (a) on what criteria does VAC determine the grade-level assigned to veterans with a barrier that affects their life after service; (b) what is the (i) maximum amount, (ii) minimum amount, of this benefit at each grade-level assigned in (a); and (c) what other criteria does the department use to determine benefit amounts in (b)? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-441-2984.

Q-2985 — — With regard to the Pain and Suffering Compensation benefit and the Additional Pain and Suffering Compensation benefit awarded by Veterans Affairs Canada, broken down by fiscal year since 2008-09: (a) how many applications were received; (b) how many applications were (i) approved, (ii) denied; (c) how many applications were from veterans suffering from cancer related to their service in the (i) Royal Canadian Navy, (ii) Canadian Army, (iii) Royal Canadian Air Force; and (d) how many of the applications in (a) were from veterans who identified as women? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-441-2985.

Motions

The House resumed consideration of the motion of Ms. Pauzé (Repentigny), seconded by Mr. Simard (Jonquière), — That the fourth report of the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development, presented on Wednesday, September 21, 2022, be concurred in. (Concurrence in Committee Reports No. 71)

The debate continued.

At 6:18 p.m., pursuant to Standing Order 66(2), the Speaker interrupted the proceedings.

The question was put on the motion and, pursuant to Standing Order 45, the recorded division was deferred until Tuesday, November 5, 2024, at the expiry of the time provided for Oral Questions.

Presenting Petitions

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

— by Mr. Mazier (Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa), one concerning justice (No. 441-02825);

— by Mrs. Gallant (Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke), one concerning business and trade (No. 441-02826);

— by Mr. Johns (Courtenay—Alberni), one concerning the environment (No. 441-02827);

— by Ms. May (Saanich—Gulf Islands), one concerning social affairs and equality (No. 441-02828).

Question of Privilege

The House resumed consideration of the motion of Mr. Scheer (Regina—Qu'Appelle), seconded by Mr. Berthold (Mégantic—L'Érable);

And of the amendment of Mr. Berthold (Mégantic—L'Érable), seconded by Mr. Perkins (South Shore—St. Margarets);

And of the subamendment of Mr. Muys (Flamborough—Glanbrook), seconded by Mr. Scheer (Regina—Qu'Appelle).

The debate continued.

Returns and Reports Deposited with the Clerk of the House

Pursuant to Standing Order 32(1), papers deposited with the Clerk of the House were laid before the House as follows:

— by Ms. Anand (Minister of Transport) — Report of the Canadian Transportation Agency for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024, pursuant to the Canada Transportation Act, S.C. 1996, c. 10, sbs. 42(3). — Sessional Paper No. 8560-441-282-04. (Pursuant to Standing Order 32(5), permanently referred to the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities)

— by Mr. Anandasangaree (Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations) — Annual Report of the Specific Claims Tribunal for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024, pursuant to the Specific Claims Tribunal Act, S.C. 2008, c. 22, s. 40. — Sessional Paper No. 8560-441-1045-04. (Pursuant to Standing Order 32(5), permanently referred to the Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs)

— by Mr. Sajjan (President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada, Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada) — Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy Progress Report for 2023-24 of the Canadian Transportation Accident Investigation and Safety Board, pursuant to the Federal Sustainable Development Act, S.C. 2008, c. 33, sbs. 11(3). — Sessional Paper No. 8560-441-1364-02. (Pursuant to Standing Order 32(5), permanently referred to the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development)

— by Mr. Vandal (Minister of Northern Affairs, Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada and Minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency) — Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy Progress Report for 2023-24 of the Department of Western Economic Diversification, pursuant to the Federal Sustainable Development Act, S.C. 2008, c. 33, sbs. 12(2). — Sessional Paper No. 8560-441-1123-04. (Pursuant to Standing Order 32(5), permanently referred to the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development)

Adjournment Proceedings

At 6:30 p.m., pursuant to Standing Order 38(1), the question “That this House do now adjourn” was deemed to have been proposed.

After debate, the question was deemed to have been adopted.

Accordingly, at 6:51 p.m., the Speaker adjourned the House until tomorrow at 10:00 a.m., pursuant to Standing Order 24(1).