SoVote

Context: House Hansard - 175 - Mar/29/23

Ms. Elizabeth May (Saanich—Gulf Islands, GP)

Mar/29/23 4:04:31 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise today to present this petition regarding insect pollinators, specifically honeybees. Honeybees are essential to our food system, to food security and to our ecosystem. It is clear that honeybees are threatened by insecticides, specifically the pesticides known as “neonicotinoids”. Global studies, including studies from the European Commission, prove that neonicotinoids pose a threat to honeybees. The European Commission began the process of implementing a full ban on the use of neonicotinoids in 2017. Accordingly, the petitioners are calling on the Government of Canada to do the same.

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Mr. Gord Johns (Courtenay—Alberni, NDP)

Mar/29/23 4:05:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to present a petition on behalf of residents of Union Bay, British Columbia, where there is an unregulated ship-breaking outfit doing business. The petitioners raise concerns to the House that there is a significant risk to workers and the environment associated with ship-breaking due to the presence of a wide variety of hazardous materials at the end of life of marine vessels. Unlike other jurisdictions, Canada lacks standards when it comes to ship-breaking, and there is a lack of domestic oversight of ship recycling and disposal of end-of-life vessels. The petitioners are calling on the government to simply develop enforceable federal standards to reduce the negative environmental and social impacts of ship recycling that meet or exceed the ship-recycling regulations in the EU, to provide assistance through loans or grants to seek long-term reputable ship-recycling companies to facilitate the implementation of new federal standards into operations and, finally, to develop a strategy for recycling end-of-life federally owned marine vessels.

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Mr. Mark Gerretsen (Kingston and the Islands, Lib.)

Mar/29/23 4:06:53 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I present a petition on behalf of residents of my community. It states that whereas every Canadian has a right to a safe and affordable place to call home, whereas the Canadian government legislated the recognition of housing as a human right— Some hon. members: Oh, oh! Mr. Mark Gerretsen: It is the first time I am being heckled during a petition. Whereas the Canadian government— Some hon. members: Oh, oh!

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The Deputy Speaker

Mar/29/23 4:07:18 p.m.
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Order. The hon. member for Kingston and the Islands has the floor.

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Mr. Mark Gerretsen

Mar/29/23 4:07:26 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I recognize this is very complimentary of the government, so I understand why the Conservatives would heckle. Whereas the Canadian government has launched its first-ever national housing strategy, with more than $72 billion invested, and whereas budget 2022 earmarked a historic $14-billion investment to double the construction of new housing in this decade, the undersigned residents of Kingston and the Islands call upon the Government of Canada to continue investing in affordable housing and improve housing outcomes for all Canadians.

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Hon. Joyce Murray

Mar/29/23 4:08:09 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order to correct the record from my answer in question period today. Licences for the elver fishery have been issued for the 2023 season.

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Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Lib.)

Mar/29/23 4:08:31 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the following questions will be answered today: Nos. 1230, 1232, 1233, 1235, 1238, 1239 and 1242.

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Mar/29/23 4:09:04 p.m.
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Question No. 1230—

Questioner: Niki Ashton

With regard to nurses employed by Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) to provide health care to rural, remote and Northern communities, broken down by province or territory: (a) what is the current number of nurses employed by ISC who are (i) full-time, (ii) part-time; (b) what is the total number of new nurses hired since September 1, 2022; (c) what is the current number of vacant nursing positions; and (d) which nursing stations had their capacity reduced due to staffing shortages in other communities?

Question No. 1232—

Questioner: Brad Vis

With regard to the new Apprenticeship Service announced in budget 2021: (a) how many employers applied to receive the $5,000 financial support (i) in 2021-22, (ii) between January 2022 and February 8, 2023; (b) how many employers applied to receive the $10,000 financial support (i) in 2021-22, (ii) between January 2022 and February 8, 2023; (c) how many first-year apprentices in (i) construction, (ii) manufacturing, Red Seal trades, were hired through this program; (d) how many first-year apprentices identified as (i) women, (ii) racialized Canadians, (iii) persons with disabilities, were hired through this program; and (e) how much program spending was done (i) in 2021-22, (ii) between January 2022 and February 8, 2023?

Question No. 1233—

Questioner: Tom Kmiec

With regard to the Integrity Services Branch (ISB) of Employment and Social Development Canada: (a) how many investigators were employed as of (i) January 1, 2022, (ii) January 1, 2023; (b) how many individuals were trained to be ISB investigators in 2022; (c) how many ISB investigators were (i) hired, (ii) stopped working (retired, resigned, etc.), in 2022; (d) how many ISB investigators completed the post-training monitoring in 2022; and (e) how many ISB investigators were in post-training monitoring as of January 1, 2023?

Question No. 1235—

Questioner: Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe

With regard to the request from the promoters of Democratic Spaces and Cuba Decide to impose targeted sanctions on 12 Cuban officials and entities responsible for gross violations of human rights in the aftermath of the protests of July 11, 2021: (a) has Global Affairs Canada (GAC) reviewed this request; (b) what information does GAC have on the human rights situation in Cuba, and how is GAC currently acting on this information and on the reports of growing repression on the island; (c) what information does GAC have on the situation of political prisoners and persons detained solely for exercising their freedom of assembly and expression in Cuba, and how is GAC currently following up on this information and on the reports of their being kept in arbitrary detention, mistreatment and torture; and (d) what are the details of any document or correspondence relating to the request to impose targeted sanctions?

Question No. 1238—

Questioner: Daniel Blaikie

With regard to the Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB), since its inception: (a) what is the total number of individuals eligible for CRB who have (i) paid back their CRB debt in full, (ii) paid back their CRB debt partially, (iii) not paid back any portion of their CRB debt; (b) what is the total number of individuals who were deemed ineligible for CRB who have (i) paid back their CRB debt in full, (ii) paid back their CRB debt partially, (iii) not paid back any portion of their CRB debt; (c) how many individuals have had CRB debt recollected through (i) withholding of tax refunds or GST credits, (ii) reduction of EI benefits, (iii) garnishing of wages or other income, (iv) seizures or holds on bank accounts, (v) liens on homes or other properties; and (d) what is the total number of individuals with outstanding CRB debt who fall below the (i) low-income cut-off, (ii) market basket measure, (iii) low-income measure?

Question No. 1239—

Questioner: Daniel Blaikie

With regard to the Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB), broken down by federal electoral district: what is the total number of individuals with outstanding CRB debt who fall below the (i) low-income cut-off, (ii) market basket measure, (iii) low-income measure?

Question No. 1242—

Questioner: Leslyn Lewis

With regard to the Canada Growth Fund (CGF): (a) what are the details of the proposed standards and metrics of the environmental, social and governance (ESG) framework to be imposed on investments; (b) how will deals be measured or assessed against the ESG framework; (c) what will be the ESG measurement and reporting standards required of companies; (d) will the CGF require that the measurements and reports in (c) be externally audited; (e) will the (i) measurements and reports, (ii) findings of the related audits, be made publicly available, and, if so, how; (f) what are the details of the corporate structure responsible for administering the Canada Growth Fund, including the (i) board composition, (ii) appointment process, (iii) terms of service; (g) what are the selection criteria, the process and the status for hiring the senior executive management team; and (h) what specific accountability mechanisms, if any, is the government putting in place to ensure that CGF funds, including operational funding, are not mismanaged or used fraudulently?

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Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Lib.)

Mar/29/23 4:09:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, if the government's response to Questions Nos. 1228, 1229, 1231, 1234, 1236, 1237, 1240, 1241, 1243 and 1244 could be made orders for returns, these returns would be tabled immediately.

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Mar/29/23 4:09:19 p.m.
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Question No. 1228—

Questioner: Tim Uppal

With regard to aircraft owned by the government, broken down by department, agency or other government entity that owns the aircraft, excluding aircraft owned by the Department of National Defence: (a) what is the total number of aircraft currently owned by the government; and (b) what are the details of each aircraft, including (i) the make, (ii) the model, (iii) the age, (iv) the date of purchase, (v) the original purchase price, (vi) whether the aircraft was new or used when purchased, (vii) the estimated cost to operate per flight hour, (viii) the estimated hourly fuel usage, (ix) the operational readiness or the percentage of time the aircraft is available for use, (x) the primary purpose of the aircraft?

Question No. 1229—

Questioner: John Barlow

With regard to the revocation of government security clearances since 2016, broken down by year: (a) how many individuals have had their security clearances revoked for cause (i.e. not as a result of retirement or resignation); (b) of the revocations in (a), how many were due to the individual spying or otherwise acting on behalf of a foreign government; and (c) what is the breakdown of (a) and (b) by department, agency, Crown corporation, or other government entity?

Question No. 1231—

Questioner: Dan Albas

With regard to the one-time top-up to the Canada Housing Benefit and the dental benefits in Bill C-32, Fall Economic Statement Implementation Act, 2022: (a) since the applications opened in December 2022, how many applications have been received for the (i) Canada Housing Benefit top-up, (ii) dental benefits; (b) how many of the applications in (a) were (i) accepted, (ii) rejected; (c) what are the total amounts paid out to date to recipients of the (i) Canada Housing Benefit top-up, (ii) dental benefits; (d) how many separate individuals have received payments to date for the (i) Canada Housing Benefit top-up, (ii) dental benefits; (e) what is the total amount spent to date on advertising to promote the (i) Canada Housing Benefit top-up, (ii) dental benefit; (f) what is the total advertising budget, including amounts not spent to date, to promote the Canada Housing Benefit top-up; (g) what is the total advertising budget for the (i) current fiscal year, (ii) next fiscal year, to promote the dental benefit; and (h) what is the breakdown of each part of (a) through (d) by province or territory?

Question No. 1234—

Questioner: Andrew Scheer

With regard to audits conducted by the Canada Revenue Agency, broken down by each of the last five tax years: (a) how many individuals and couples were chosen for personal income tax audits, broken down by each tax bracket; and (b) what percentage of the total number of personal income tax filers in each bracket do the numbers in (a) represent?

Question No. 1236—

Questioner: Daniel Blaikie

With regard to the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), since its inception: (a) what is the total number of individuals eligible for CERB who have (i) paid back their CERB debt in full, (ii) paid back their CERB debt partially, (iii) not paid back any portion of their CERB debt; (b) what is the total number of individuals who were deemed ineligible for CERB who have (i) paid back their CERB debt in full, (ii) paid back their CERB debt partially, (iii) not paid back any portion of their CERB debt; (c) how many individuals have had CERB debt recollected through (i) withholding of tax refunds or GST credits, (ii) reduction of EI benefits, (iii) garnishing of wages or other income, (iv) seizures or holds on bank accounts, (v) liens on homes or other properties; and (d) what is the total number of individuals with outstanding CERB debt who fall below the (i) low-income cut-off, (ii) market basket measure, (iii) low-income measure?

Question No. 1237—

Questioner: Daniel Blaikie

With regard to the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), broken down by federal electoral district: what is the total number of individuals with outstanding CERB debt who fall below the (i) low-income cut-off, (ii) market basket measure, (iii) low-income measure?

Question No. 1240—

Questioner: Martin Shields

With regard to the statement made by the Minister of Labour in the Senate on February 9, 2023, that “I need more workers in the oil and gas industry, not less”: (a) what is the minister's plan to get more workers employed in the oil and gas industry; and (b) how many more workers does the government estimate are needed in the oil and gas industry?

Question No. 1241—

Questioner: Leslyn Lewis

With regard to the Smart Cities Challenge (SCC): (a) what are the specific results, outcomes, and measurable objectives expected to be achieved through the SCC; (b) what are the results of any performance assessments done to date; (c) how many smart cities projects have been approved to date, including, for each project, the (i) description, (ii) location, (iii) total federal funding, (iv) project status; (d) with which domestic and international stakeholders did consultations take place when proposing and implementing the SCC; (e) what are the names of all partners associated with the SCC program; (f) what is the role of each partner in (e) and what specific tasks is each partner expected to do; (g) was the former Sidewalk Toronto project at any time considered for Smart Cities funding or associated with the program in any way, and, if so, what are the details; and (h) what plans does the government have for expanding the SCC or starting new, similar initiatives?

Question No. 1243—

Questioner: Leslyn Lewis

With regard to Canada’s participation in the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, from January 16 to 20, 2023: (a) how many individuals were part of Canada’s delegation in Davos; (b) who were the members of the delegation, including, for each, their (i) name, (ii) title, (iii) role; (c) what are the details of all meetings held in Davos involving the Deputy Prime Minister, including, for each, the (i) date, (ii) names and titles of the attendees, (iii) purpose of the meeting, (iv) agenda items, (v) summary of what occurred at the meeting, including any agreements made; (d) what are the details of all meetings held in Davos involving members of the Canadian delegation other than the Deputy Prime Minister, including, for each, the (i) date, (ii) names and titles of the attendees, (iii) purpose of the meeting, (iv) agenda items, (v) summary of what occurred at the meeting, including anything that was agreed to; (e) what are the details, including the summary of terms, of any agreements entered into during the forum; (f) what are the details of all follow-up action taken by the government as a result of what happened at the forum; and (g) what are the details of all memoranda or briefing notes prepared to support Canada’s delegation to the forum, including, for each, the (i) date, (ii) sender, (iii) recipient, (iv) title, (v) subject matter, (vi) summary of contents, (vii) file number?

Question No. 1244—

Questioner: Leslyn Lewis

With regard to the Agile Nations Charter: (a) how was Canada selected to participate in the Panel on Agile Governance for the Post-Pandemic World and subsequently the Agile Nations; (b) how were the companies selected to participate in the Agile Nations discussions; (c) what are the details of Canada’s submissions or contributions to the early drafts of the Charter, including, for each, the (i) date, (ii) sender, (iii) recipient, (iv) title, (v) subject matter, (vi) summary of the contents, (vii) file number; (d) what are the differences between the different drafts of the Charter; (e) which officials negotiated the Charter on behalf of Canada, including, for each, their (i) name, (ii) title, (iii) role; (f) what are the details of Canada's initial interactions with the World Economic Forum or the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development with regard to an Agile Nations concept or panel, including the (i) date of the interaction, (ii) nature of the interaction (in-person, virtual, correspondence, etc.), (iii) sender, (iv) recipient, (v) title, (vi) subject matter, (vii) summary of the interaction, (viii) file number; (g) what consultations took place with the public or with Canadian stakeholders before Canada signed the Charter in November 2020; (h) are the plenary meetings and the working group meetings that have taken place since the inception of Agile Nations recorded and available for public viewing; (i) if the answer to (h) is affirmative, where can the public access the links to view the meetings, and if the answer is negative, why are they not available; (j) what consultations has the government undertaken for the development of the first and second Agile Nations work programs, including the (i) dates of applicable meetings, (ii) type of consultation, (iii) organizations consulted, (iv) summary of the feedback received; (k) what kinds of information and data is the government sharing with Agile Nations members and observers as part of its participation in the forum; and (l) what are the parameters for how department resources, both in terms of spending and personnel hours, are used in connection to Agile Nations projects within (i) the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, (ii) the Standards Council of Canada, (iii) Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, (iv) Health Canada?

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The Deputy Speaker

Mar/29/23 4:09:19 p.m.
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Is that agreed? Some hon. members: Agreed.

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Mr. Kevin Lamoureux

Mar/29/23 4:09:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I ask that all remaining questions be allowed to stand.

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The Deputy Speaker

Mar/29/23 4:09:33 p.m.
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Is that agreed? Some hon. members: Agreed.

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Hon. Andrew Scheer (Regina—Qu'Appelle, CPC)

Mar/29/23 4:09:37 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would ask you to call Notice of Motion for the Production of Papers No. P-13.

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Mar/29/23 4:09:46 p.m.
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Hon. Mona Fortier (President of the Treasury Board, Lib.)

Mar/29/23 4:09:50 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I ask that this notice of motion for the production of papers be transferred for debate.

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The Deputy Speaker

Mar/29/23 4:10:00 p.m.
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The motion is transferred for debate, pursuant to Standing Order 97(1).

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Mr. Kevin Lamoureux

Mar/29/23 4:10:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I ask that all other notices of motions for the production of papers be allowed to stand.

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The Deputy Speaker

Mar/29/23 4:10:24 p.m.
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Is that agreed? Some hon. members: Agreed.

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Hon. Pierre Poilievre (Leader of the Opposition, CPC)

Mar/29/23 4:10:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is insane. The government has already caused the highest inflation in 40 years by doubling the national debt and adding more to our debt than all the other prime ministers in the history of this country combined. He admitted that government spending is increasing the cost of living for ordinary Canadians. For three years, I have been warning the House of Commons. The so-called experts, including the Governor of the Bank of Canada, former finance minister Bill Morneau and others, have admitted that the government's spending is driving up inflation. The minister herself finally came to that same conclusion. Two weeks ago, she said that she did not want to add fuel to the fire of inflation, so yesterday, we expected the government to introduce a budget that would curb the inflationary spending that is harming ordinary Canadians. What we got was the exact opposite. The Liberals made four promises, but they broke them all. They said that the debt-to-GDP ratio would decline, but every year, it goes up. They said that the deficits would come down but they are going up. They said that the pandemic debt incurred would be paid down. It has not been and it continues to rise. Finally, they said that the budget would be balanced in 2027. Now, they admit there will never be a balanced budget. We realize that the government can only give what it has taken. The government has no money. Every cent spent by the government must come from taxpayers. There are three ways to pay for expenditures: through inflation, by printing money; through debt; and through taxes. This government has chosen those three methods. I am going to share some shocking figures about government expenditures with my colleagues. I would like to thank the official opposition's innovation, science and industry critic, the member for South Shore—St. Margarets, for this data. The budget sets total expenditures for the next five years at a record $3.1 trillion. An hon. member: Billion. Hon. Pierre Poilievre: Mr. Speaker, it is not a billion; we are talking about a trillion. We have a problem here. There is not actually a word for trillion in the French language. It does not actually exist. The government's debt is so big it violates the Official Languages Act. Today I am announcing that we will be filing a complaint with the Commissioner of Official Languages. The reality is that it is 3,000 billion dollars. That is how much the Liberals are going to spend over the next five years. That is more than this country's annual economy. Then, if these numbers are to be believed—but their numbers are never to be believed—and if they do not increase spending until the end of their term, the projected deficits will add another $130 billion to the national debt. The national debt will reach a record $1.3 trillion. Interest on the national debt will increase from $44 billion today to $50 billion in five years, if the interest rate calculations are correct. That is not all. The Prime Minister laughed when a reporter asked him how we were going to pay for all this debt. He said it was not an issue, that interest rates were low, that we were never going to have to pay for this spending. That was two years ago. Two years ago, he said interest rates were going to stay low for the rest of our lives.

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