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44th PARLIAMENT, 1st SESSION

Journals No. 387 Wednesday, December 11, 2024 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.

Motions

By unanimous consent, it was ordered, — That, notwithstanding any standing order, special order, or usual practice of the House, at 4:00 p.m. on Monday, December 16, 2024, the Speaker shall interrupt the proceedings to permit the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance to make a statement followed by a period of up to 10 minutes for questions and comments; after the statement, a member from each recognized opposition party, and a member of the Green Party, may reply for a period approximately equivalent to the time taken by the minister’s statement and each statement shall be followed by a period of 10 minutes for questions and comments.

By unanimous consent, it was resolved, — That:

(a) the House welcomes the end of the brutal and corrupt Assad regime;

(b) Canada has been and will continue to be a friend to the Syrian people who have the right to live in peace and dignity;

(c) in this time of great uncertainty for their country, Canada stands in solidarity with the Syrian people as they pursue their legitimate aspiration to build an inclusive state for all;

(d) the House call on the Canadian government to help advance efforts for a democratic Syria that respects the right of all its people; and

(e) the House call on the transition government to reject extremism and support an inclusive government that represents the diversity of Syrians.

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. 441-02756, 441-02765, 441-02766 and 441-02767 concerning social affairs and equality;

— No. 441-02757 concerning justice;

— No. 441-02758 concerning veterans' affairs;

— No. 441-02759 concerning citizenship and immigration;

— No. 441-02760 concerning health;

— No. 441-02761 concerning culture and heritage;

— No. 441-02762 concerning the environment;

— Nos. 441-02763 and 441-02764 concerning employment and labour.

Presenting Reports from Committees

Mrs. Vien (Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis), from the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities, presented the 26th report of the committee (Bill C-378, An Act amending the Canada Labour Code (complaints by former employees), without amendment). — Sessional Paper No. 8510-441-532.

A copy of the relevant Minutes of Proceedings (Meetings Nos. 137, 138 and 140) was tabled.

Mr. Gaheer (Mississauga—Malton), from the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security, presented the 15th report of the committee, "Supplementary Estimates (B), 2024-25: Votes 1b and 5b under Canada Border Services Agency, Vote 1b under Canadian Security Intelligence Service, Votes 1b and 5b under Correctional Service of Canada, Votes 1b and 5b under Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, Vote 1b under Parole Board of Canada, Votes 1b, 5b, 10b and 15b under Royal Canadian Mounted Police". — Sessional Paper No. 8510-441-533.

A copy of the relevant Minutes of Proceedings (Meeting No. 133) was tabled.

Mr. Lightbound (Louis-Hébert), from the Standing Committee on Industry and Technology, presented the 21st report of the committee, "Telecommunication Companies Service Contract Practices". — Sessional Paper No. 8510-441-534.

A copy of the relevant Minutes of Proceedings (Meetings Nos. 148 to 150) was tabled.

Mr. Chahal (Calgary Skyview), from the Standing Committee on Natural Resources, presented the 15th report of the committee, "Concerns Arising from Parliamentary Budget Officer's Report". — Sessional Paper No. 8510-441-535.

A copy of the relevant Minutes of Proceedings (Meetings Nos. 114, 115 and 117) was tabled.

Introduction of Private Members' Bills

Pursuant to Standing Orders 68(2) and 69(1), on motion of Ms. Zarrillo (Port Moody—Coquitlam), seconded by Ms. Kwan (Vancouver East), Bill C-423, An Act to amend the National Housing Strategy Act (right to adequate housing), was introduced, read the first time, ordered to be printed and ordered for a second reading at the next sitting of the House.

Presenting Petitions

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

— by Mr. Gerretsen (Kingston and the Islands), three concerning parliament and politics (Nos. 441-02931, 441-02932 and 441-02933);

— by Mr. Vis (Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon), one concerning the correctional system (No. 441-02934), one concerning health (No. 441-02935) and one concerning culture and heritage (No. 441-02936);

— by Mrs. Hughes (Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing), one concerning Indigenous affairs (No. 441-02937) and one concerning the democratic process (No. 441-02938);

— by Mr. Dhaliwal (Surrey—Newton), one concerning foreign affairs (No. 441-02939);

— by Mr. Morrice (Kitchener Centre), one concerning veterans' affairs (No. 441-02940);

— by Mrs. Zahid (Scarborough Centre), one concerning citizenship and immigration (No. 441-02941);

— by Mr. Angus (Timmins—James Bay), one concerning business and trade (No. 441-02942);

— by Mr. Cooper (St. Albert—Edmonton), one concerning taxation (No. 441-02943);

— by Mr. Powlowski (Thunder Bay—Rainy River), one concerning natural resources and energy (No. 441-02944);

— by Mr. Genuis (Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan), one concerning foreign affairs (No. 441-02945);

— by Ms. Dabrusin (Toronto—Danforth), one concerning government services and administration (No. 441-02946);

— by Mr. Johns (Courtenay—Alberni), one concerning health (No. 441-02947);

— by Ms. May (Saanich—Gulf Islands), one concerning the environment (No. 441-02948);

— by Mr. Casey (Charlottetown), one concerning social affairs and equality (No. 441-02949);

— by Mr. Desjarlais (Edmonton Griesbach), one concerning social affairs and equality (No. 441-02950);

— by Mr. Lamoureux (Winnipeg North), one concerning parliament and politics (No. 441-02951).

Questions on the Order Paper

Mr. Lamoureux (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons) presented the answers to questions Q-3125 and Q-3130 on the Order Paper.

Pursuant to Standing Order 39(7), Mr. Lamoureux (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons) presented the revised return to the following question made into an order for return:

Q-3107 — — With regard to Canada’s relationship with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC): (a) what are the complete details of all development assistance spending intended to have an impact in the DRC over the last two years, including, for each spending item, the (i) amount spent, (ii) recipient and any additional delivery partners, (iii) allocation timeline, (iv) amount spent on each item; (b) what are the complete details of all development assistance spending intended to have an impact on Congolese refugees outside of the DRC over the last two years, including, for each item, the (i) amount spent, (ii) recipient and any additional delivery partners, (iii) allocation timeline, (iv) amount spent on each item; (c) what is the position of the government regarding the activities of the March 23 Movement (M23) rebels; (d) what is the position of the government regarding other nations supporting the M23 rebels; and (e) what is the position of the government regarding the end of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-441-3107-01.

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-3122 — — With regard to Parks Canada's fire mitigation measures: with the exception of Jasper National Park, what are the details of any other instance in the last 10 years where Parks Canada analyzed, considered, studied, or received a proposal to conduct a prescribed fire or other fire mitigation measure but did not end up doing so, including, for each, the (i) date, (ii) location, (iii) name of the national park or other area impacted, (iv) mitigation action proposed or considered, (v) reason for not taking the mitigation action, (vi) title of the person responsible for the decision not to take the mitigation action? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-441-3122.

Q-3123 — — With regard to travellers entering Canada, broken down by month since January 1, 2024: (a) how many travellers entered Canada, in total, and broken down by type of point of entry (air, road, marine); and (b) for each category in (a), how many and what percentage of travellers (i) submitted their declaration through the ArriveCAN application prior to arrival, (ii) arrived without using the ArriveCAN application? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-441-3123.

Q-3124 — — With regard to chip technology and devices containing chip technology imported from foreign countries, specifically those with which Canada is not allied: (a) what safeguards, if any, are currently in place to ensure that such technology is safe and does not contain any elements, such as remote code execution elements, which could be detrimental to Canada at some point in the future; (b) what is the government doing, if anything, to address the discovered vulnerability in the Microchip Advanced Software Framework which exposes devices to the risk of remote code execution; (c) in addition to the vulnerability in (b), what other vulnerabilities has the government identified related to these chips and their connectivity to the internet; (d) for each vulnerability in (c), what action, if any, has the government taken to address the vulnerability; (e) what measures does the government have in place to address risks, including firmware updates or remote patches, that could introduce new vulnerabilities after deployment; (f) does the government conduct regular penetration testing of imported devices before approving their use in public infrastructure, and, if so, who has been tasked with overseeing such testing; and (g) does the government mandate compliance with international cybersecurity standards or frameworks when procuring or deploying such devices, and, if not, why not? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-441-3124.

Q-3126 — — With regard to the government's use of the third-party contractor The Right Door Consulting & Solutions Inc. since January 1, 2016: what are the details, broken down by department, of travel expenses incurred by the government related to contracts signed with The Right Door Consulting & Solutions Inc., including the (i) dates, costs, and flight details of all flights expensed by The Right Door Consulting & Solutions Inc., (ii) dates, costs, and locations of lodgings expensed by The Right Door Consulting & Solutions Inc., (iii) dates, costs, and items charged as per diems expensed by The Right Door Consulting & Solutions Inc.? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-441-3126.

Q-3127 — — With regard to Employment and Social Development Canada: (a) what are the details of travel expenses incurred by the government related to third-party management-consulting contractors since January 1, 2019, including the (i) dates, costs, and flight details of all flights expensed by third-party contractors, (ii) dates, costs, and locations of lodgings expensed by third-party contractors, (iii) dates, costs, and items charged as per diems expensed by third-party contractors; and (b) what is the breakdown of (a)(i) to (a)(iii) by (i) month, (ii) quarter, (iii) third-party contractor? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-441-3127.

Q-3128 — — With regard to the CRA: (a) how many toll-free telephone lines are available for taxpayers to contact the agency, broken down by purpose or business line; (b) what are the toll-free telephone numbers in (a); (c) for callers who call each of the numbers in (b), what has been the average wait time to speak with an agent, for each of the last five years; (d) what percentage of callers to the numbers in (b) received a message that the line was full and they should call back later, for each of the last five years, broken down by month and year; and (e) what percentage of calls to the numbers in (b) were disconnected before an agent could answer, for each of the last five years, broken down by month and year? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-441-3128.

Q-3129 — — With regard to the National Housing Strategy: (a) what funding programs or streams are dedicated to, or include streams or criteria for, rural or remote communities, and how much funding has been allocated for and disbursed by each one, broken down by year; (b) what is the population cap, or analogous constraint, on applications to funding programs or streams dedicated to, or which consider the recipient’s location as, rural or remote communities, broken down by funding program or stream and year; (c) what municipalities, groups, or projects received funding based, in whole or in part, on the location of the recipient being in an area defined as rural or remote, and how much funding was received by each recipient, broken down by year, province, funding program or stream, and rural or remote designation; (d) which municipalities received funding from funds dedicated to rural or remote communities, and how much funding was received by each recipient, broken down by year, province, funding program or stream, and rural or remote designation; (e) which municipalities, which are not designated communities, received funding from funds dedicated to rural or remote communities, and how much funding was received by each recipient, broken down by year, province, funding program or stream, and project or application; (f) in total, how much funding has been provided through funding programs or streams dedicated to, or which consider the recipient’s location as, rural or remote communities, to municipalities with populations of fewer than 35,000, broken down by year, province, funding program or stream, and recipient; (g) what methods or figures are used to determine or track the number of homeless people in areas or municipalities with populations of fewer than 35,000; (h) how many people were homeless in areas or municipalities with populations of fewer than 35,000, since 2015, broken down by year, province, and municipality or area; (i) what methods or figures are used to determine or track the number of homeless people who are in, or migrate to, urban areas who are from areas or municipalities with populations of fewer than 35,000 and migrated to an urban area due to homelessness; and (j) how many people were homeless in urban areas who are from areas or municipalities with populations of fewer than 35,000 and migrated to an urban area due to homelessness, since 2015, broken down by year, province, urban municipality or area, and originating municipality or area with a population of fewer than 35,000? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-441-3129.

Q-3131 — — With regard to the cow barn under construction by the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) at Joyceville Institution and the dairy research program: (a) what was the original anticipated cost of building a cow barn at the time of the June 2018 announcement, and what was the anticipated cost of building the barn at the time the construction contract was awarded in March 2022; (b) what was the original projected date of barn completion at the time of the start of construction in April 2022, and what is the current projected date of completion of the barn; (c) what is the total amount of spending on the barn construction to date, and what is the total projected cost to achieve full barn completion; (d) beyond the barn construction costs, what is the amount of spending to date on procurement fees, consultancy fees (design, engineering, geotechnical, environmental, etc.), travel and meals, contingencies, project management, contract administration, and dairy equipment and technology for the cow barn since 2018; (e) since 2018, what has been the total amount of spending on renovating the existing barns at Collins Bay Institution as temporary housing for the dairy cows, heifers, and calves; (f) since 2018, what has been the total amount of spending on animal feed, veterinary care, and carcass removal for the cows in temporary housing; (g) what is the total amount of spending on the acquisition of dairy cows, heifers, and calves since 2018, and of this, what is the total amount paid to the Pen Farm Herd Co-Op specifically; (h) what is the total number of dairy cows, heifers, and calves purchased since 2018, and of this, how many were purchased from the Pen Farm Herd Co-Op specifically; (i) what is the current number of dairy cows owned by the CSC, and what is the projected cost of future livestock acquisitions to begin the dairy research program; (j) what is the current projected date for barn occupation by cows, and what is the current projected start date for dairy operations in the barn; (k) what specific research will be conducted in the barn, and what amount of quota has been provided for the dairy research; (l) what are the total projected monthly revenues to be generated by the CSC from the dairy research program, broken down by source; (m) what are the total projected monthly expenses for the dairy research program, broken down by source, including staff salaries, veterinary care, feed, waste management, milk transportation, utilities, facility and equipment maintenance, internet fees, licensing, inspections, security and supervision; (n) how many cows will be milked and what volume of milk will be produced when the dairy research program reaches full quota production; (o) by what date does Dairy Farmers of Ontario require the CSC to reach full quota production, and when does the CSC anticipate reaching full quota production; (p) what specific accommodations and changes have been made to the barn design and construction to meet McGill’s research requirements and standards, and what have been the costs of these accommodations and changes to date; (q) what other accommodations and changes have been made to meet McGill’s research requirements and standards, including renovation of additional facilities at the Joyceville site for dry cows, calves, and equipment isolation sheds, and what have been the costs of these accommodations and changes to date; (r) where will the milk from the CSC’s dairy research program be sold, at what price, and will the milk enter commercial streams sold to the public; (s) how many staff will be employed directly in the cow barn and in which shifts, broken down by CSC staff and McGill staff; (t) how many offenders will be employed directly in the cow research barn; (u) what specific jobs will offenders engage in as part of the dairy research program specifically, and what vocational training and industry trade certifications will be associated with offender participation in the dairy research program specifically; (v) who are the members of the Animal Care Committee overseeing the dairy research program and what financial compensation, if any, will they receive; (w) what specific measures will be in place to preserve institutional security and privacy, biosecurity, animal welfare, regulatory compliance, and McGill’s good standing with the Canadian Council on Animal Care; (x) what is the volume of the manure lagoon and what is the volume of liquid and solid waste that will be produced by the dairy research program; (y) once complete, what is the projected or estimated market value of the cow barn; and (z) what is the estimated cost of disposal or divestment of the cow barn? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-441-3131.

Q-3132 — — With regard to federal funding for environmental projects within the federal electoral district of Courtenay—Alberni, since the 2005-06 fiscal year: broken down by fiscal year, recipient, project, total contribution, funding program, and type of funding, what have been the federal investments in (i) terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity, (ii) ecosystem and habitat protection, conservation, and restoration, (iii) species recovery, including, but not limited to, salmon, (iv) Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas, (v) green infrastructure, (vi) conservation financing, (vii) energy efficiency, (viii) clean transportation, (ix) living natural resources and land use, (x) sustainable water and wastewater management, (xi) pollution prevention and control, (xii) climate change mitigation and adaptation, (xiii) the circular economy? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-441-3132.

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, as amended, 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 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),

(v) the Auditor General of Canada,

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

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

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

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

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

(b) that it report back to the House no later than the 30th sitting day following the adoption of this order.";

And of the subamendment of Mr. Kelly (Calgary Rocky Ridge), seconded by Mr. Falk (Provencher), — That the amendment be amended by adding the following:

“, except that the order for the committee to report back to the House within 30 sitting days shall be discharged if the Speaker has sooner laid upon the table a notice from the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel confirming that all government institutions have fully complied with the order adopted on June 10, 2024, by depositing all of their responsive records in an unredacted form”.

The debate continued.

Messages from the Senate

A message was received from the Senate as follows:

— ORDERED: That a message be sent to the House of Commons to acquaint it that the Senate has passed Bill C-280, An Act to amend the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act and the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (deemed trust – perishable fruits and vegetables), without amendment.

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. Joly (Minister of Foreign Affairs) — Copy of the Regulations Amending the Special Economic Measures (People’s Republic of China) Regulations (P.C. 2024-1291), pursuant to the Special Economic Measures Act, S.C. 1992, c. 17, sbs. 7(1). — Sessional Paper No. 8560-441-495-78. (Pursuant to Standing Order 32(5), permanently referred to the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development)

— by Ms. Joly (Minister of Foreign Affairs) — Copy of the Regulations Amending the Special Economic Measures (Russia) Regulations (P.C. 2024-1292), pursuant to the Special Economic Measures Act, S.C. 1992, c. 17, sbs. 7(1). — Sessional Paper No. 8560-441-495-79. (Pursuant to Standing Order 32(5), permanently referred to the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development)

— 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) — Report of the Public Service Commission for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024, pursuant to the Public Service Employment Act, S.C. 2003, c. 22, ss. 12 "23(2)" and 13. — Sessional Paper No. 8560-441-908-04. (Pursuant to Standing Order 108(3)(c)(vi), permanently referred to the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates)

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 6:46 p.m., the Speaker adjourned the House until tomorrow at 10:00 a.m., pursuant to Standing Order 24(1).