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House Hansard - 322

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 31, 2024 10:00AM
  • May/31/24 12:09:03 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, regarding the recent violence against the Jewish community, I seek unanimous consent for the following motion, which I believe has been agreed to. I move: That, the House condemn the recent violent attacks on Jewish schools in Montreal and Toronto and a firebombing of a synagogue in Vancouver and stand firm with the Jewish people to ensure Canada remains a place where Jews are free to live, worship and pray in peace and security, and call on the government to do more to stop anti-Semitic violence everywhere in Canada.
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  • May/31/24 12:09:39 p.m.
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All those opposed to the hon. member's moving the motion will please say nay. It is agreed. The House has heard the terms of the motion. All those opposed to the motion will please say nay. Hearing none, the motion is carried.
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  • May/31/24 12:10:05 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8)(a) I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to nine petitions. These returns will be tabled in an electronic format.
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  • May/31/24 12:10:26 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the following report from the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates, also known as the Mighty OGGO: the 19th report, entitled “Main Estimates 2024-25”.
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  • May/31/24 12:10:50 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the following two reports of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts. The 40th report is entitled “COVID-19 Vaccines”, and the 41st report is entitled “Rehabilitation of Parliament's Centre Block”. I will note briefly, just to commend this committee's work, that the public accounts committee of Canada, of the Parliament of Canada, was the first committee anywhere to review the COVID-19 vaccine documents. We did this through collaboration and good work from all committee members, and I want to recognize the unanimous work that happened on the committee as we reviewed these documents. Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee requests that the government table a comprehensive response to each of these two reports.
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  • May/31/24 12:11:47 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 10th report of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage on the Main Estimates 2024-25.
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  • May/31/24 12:12:19 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 19th report of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food, entitled “Main Estimates 2024-25”.
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  • May/31/24 12:13:15 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to present a petition signed by Canadians from all over the country, including 107 from my province of Saskatchewan. The petitioners call upon the House of Commons to support patient access, the funding of lung cancer therapies, and the approval and funding of new treatments and clinical trials, and to work with other stakeholders, such as provincial cancer agencies, health care providers, patient groups and drug manufacturers, to improve access and affordability of cancer drugs for all Canadians.
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Mr. Speaker, I rise to the table two petitions on behalf of my constituents in New Brunswick Southwest. The first petition is concerning the rising rate of crime in rural communities. The petitioners no longer feel safe in their communities because of the soft-on-crime laws passed by the Liberal-NDP government. They note that Bill C-75 made it easier for repeat violent offenders to obtain bail, Bill C-5 removed mandatory prison time for serious gun, drugs and sex crimes, and Bill C-21 redirects valuable police resources away from our streets and toward too much back-office work. The petitioners call on the Government of Canada to protect victims of crime by giving jail, not bail, to repeat dangerous offenders and to bring home safe streets for rural communities by immediately passing the Conservative reforms found in Bill C-325.
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  • May/31/24 12:15:35 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the second petition concerns the Liberal-NDP government's plan to restrict access to natural health products and traditional medicines in Canada. These important treatments are used by millions of Canadians on a daily basis. They are legally purchased from licensed pharmacists and grocery stores. The petitioners are shocked to learn that, through the government's latest omnibus budget bill supported by the NDP, new regulations were adopted by Health Canada that will increase the cost of vegan and gluten-free toothpaste, vitamins, probiotics and other natural health products. Petitioners would like to note the existing regulations are safe, effective and balanced. They call on the Government of Canada to reverse these reforms before it is too late. Focus on restricting access to illegal hard drugs that kill innocent Canadians every single day, and get back to basics.
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  • May/31/24 12:15:38 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I too have two petitions I would like to present on behalf of Canadians across the country. The first is in relation to public service non-public funds workers of the Canadian Armed Forces. They are public servants under schedule V of the Financial Administration Act, which means they are limited, in terms of an exclusion order, from negotiating with the federal government, like most public servants. I am presenting a petition on their behalf, stating that the undersigned employees of the staff of Non-Public Funds, Canadian Forces, citizens and residents of Canada call upon the House of Commons to abolish the exclusion order and to include the staff of the Non-Public Funds, Canadian Forces in the Public Service Employment Act.
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  • May/31/24 12:17:11 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the second petition I want to present today is in relation to animals being used for the defence department training exercises. Typically, piglets are used and are being killed. They are being stabbed, mutilated, exposed to radiation and chemical nerve agents for training purposes. There are alternative ways that the Canadian Armed Forces can do their necessary medical exercises, and therefore, with this petition, the undersigned citizens and residents of Canada call upon the Minister of National Defence to end the use of animals in military medical training.
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  • May/31/24 12:17:31 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, if the government's responses to Questions Nos. 2546, 2547, and 2549 to 2557 could be made orders for return, these returns would be tabled in an electronic format immediately.
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  • May/31/24 12:17:50 p.m.
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Is that agreed? Some hon. members: Agreed.
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  • May/31/24 12:18:04 p.m.
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Finally, Mr. Speaker, I would ask that all remaining questions be allowed to stand at this time, please.
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  • May/31/24 12:18:04 p.m.
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Question No. 2546—
Questioner: Gord Johns
With regard to the communities which comprise the federal electoral district of Carleton, since fiscal year 2005-06: (a) what are the federal infrastructure investments, including direct transfers to municipalities and First Nations, broken down by fiscal year, total expenditure, and project; (b) what are the federal infrastructure investments transferred to regional districts, broken down by fiscal year, total expenditure, and project; (c) what are the federal infrastructure investments transferred to Island Trusts; (d) what are the federal infrastructure investments transferred to First Nations, broken down by First Nation, fiscal year, total expenditure, and project; (e) what is the funding of highways, broken down by fiscal year, total expenditure, and project; and (f) what other infrastructure investments are provided through the funding of national parks, highways, the Building Canada Fund, Infrastructure Canada, the Gas Tax Fund, Small Crafts and Harbours, etc., broken down by fiscal year, total expenditure, and project?
Question No. 2547—
Questioner: Alistair MacGregor
With regard to government contracts for veterinary services provided by veterinarians in all federal departments, broken down by fiscal year, since 2017-18: (a) what is the total number of contracts signed; (b) what are the details of all contracts signed, including the (i) agency contracted, (ii) value of the contract, (iii) number of veterinarians provided, (iv) duration of the contract; and (c) what is the total amount of extra costs incurred as a result of relying on contracted services instead of employing veterinarians directly?
Question No. 2549—
Questioner: Sameer Zuberi
With regard to loans and other repayable contributions made by government departments and agencies since November 4, 2015, excluding student loans and those made as part of emergency pandemic relief programs such as the Canada Emergency Business Account: (a) how many instances have occurred where loans or repayable contributions were made and the recipient did not repay the amount owed in accordance with the terms of the agreement, in total and broken down by program under which the funding was provided; (b) what is the dollar value of the loans and contributions in (a); (c) what is the breakdown of (a) and (b) by type of situation or reason (late payments, business insolvency, etc.); (d) of the amount which was not paid back in accordance with the terms of the agreement, how much (i) has been recovered to date, (ii) has not yet been recovered but is expected to be recovered, (iii) has been written-off, by the government; (e) what is the breakdown of (d) by funding program; and (f) what are the details of all instances where the amount written off by the government was in excess of $1 million, including, for each, the (i) recipient, (ii) original amount of funding, (iii) amount written off, (iv) purpose of the funding, (v) date the funding was provided, (vi) date the funding was written off, (vii) reason for the amount being written off?
Question No. 2550—
Questioner: Sameer Zuberi
With regard to the cost to the government to administer remittances for the Goods and Services Tax and the Harmonized Sales Tax, broken down by year for each of the last three years: (a) what is the total amount spent to administer the remittances; and (b) what was the total amount spent to administer remittances to businesses generating (i) under $30,000, (ii) between $30,000 and $60,000, (iii) between $60,000 and $100,000, (iv) between $100,000 and $500,000, (v) over $500,000, in revenue?
Question No. 2551—
Questioner: Tim Uppal
With regard to government investments in businesses that included a commitment to create more than 100 jobs as a result of the investment, since November 4, 2015: for each investment, what was the (i) recipient, (ii) amount of the federal investment, (iii) promised number of jobs created, (iv) number of jobs created to date, (v) date of the investment?
Question No. 2552—
Questioner: John Brassard
With regard to the benefits received by Canadian Armed Forces veterans classified as wartime service veterans and benefits received by veterans who fought under the “special duty service” classification: (a) what are the benefits received by (i) wartime service veterans, (ii) special duty service veterans; (b) how many veterans are receiving “special duty service” benefits for the (i) Persian Gulf War, (ii) Bosnian War, (iii) Afghan War; (c) what is the cost of benefits provided to wartime service veterans in (a) for (i) 2013, (ii) 2014, (iii) 2015, (iv) 2016, (v) 2017, (vi) 2018, (vii) 2019, (viii) 2020, (ix) 2021, (x) 2022, (xi) 2023; (d) what is the cost of benefits provided to “special duty service” veterans in (a) for (i) 2013, (ii) 2014, (iii) 2015, (iv) 2016, (v) 2017, (vi) 2018, (vii) 2019, (viii) 2020, (ix) 2021, (x) 2022, (xi) 2023; (e) what would be the increased cost to provide “wartime service” benefits to Persian Gulf War veterans if benefits were applied for the year (i) 2018, (ii) 2019, (iii) 2020, (iv) 2021, (v) 2022, (vi) 2023; (f) what would be the increased cost to provide “wartime service” benefits to Bosnian war veterans if benefits were applied for the year (i) 2018, (ii) 2019, (iii) 2020, (iv) 2021, (v) 2022, (vi) 2023; and (g) what would be the increased cost to provide “wartime service” benefits to Afghan War veterans if benefits were applied for the year (i) 2018, (ii) 2019, (iii) 2020, (iv) 2021, (v) 2022, (vi) 2023?
Question No. 2553—
Questioner: Laila Goodridge
With regard to inmates in facilities operated by the Correctional Service of Canada, broken down by location, since 2015: (a) how many inmates were on opioid agonist therapy, including sublocade, suboxone or methadone as of January 1 of each year; (b) of the inmates in (a), how many were also concurrently accessing the needle exchange program as of January 1 of each year; (c) how many inmates in total used the needle exchange program each year; and (d) how many inmates accessed other forms of treatment and services, broken down by year and type of treatment and service?
Question No. 2554—
Questioner: Colin Carrie
With regard to Health Canada (HC), the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) or the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) and the COVID-19 vaccines: (a) when did the (i) Chief Public Health Officer, (ii) Deputy Chief Public Health Officer, (iii) Chief Medical Officer at Health Canada, (iv) Minister of Health at the time, become aware that the COVID-19 vaccines did not prevent transmission of SARS CoV-2; (b) when were any of the federal health agencies in Canada made aware of this information and by who; (c) when was the information described in (a) delivered to (i) the Office of the Prime Minister, (ii) the Privy Council, (iii) the Cabinet, (iv) the members of the House of Commons; (d) what federal entity, ministry or minister first initiated the concept of “COVID-19 vaccine passports”; (e) on what date did the federal government implement vaccine passports for (i) federal employees, (ii) travel restrictions for all unvaccinated Canadians; (f) in 2021 and 2022, did any personnel from HC, PHAC or NACI engage with or share information about the vaccines’ inability to stop transmission of SARS-CoV-2 with any person involved with (i) the World Health Organization’s Strategic Group of Experts, (ii) Vaccines Together, (iii) the International Vaccine Institute, (iv) Dr. Hanna Nohynek, the World Health Organization’s Chair of Strategic Group of Experts on Immunization; and (g) if the answers to (f)(i) through to (f)(iv) are affirmative, what were the summaries of those discussions or correspondences in relation to the transmission question and the validity of vaccine passports?
Question No. 2555—
Questioner: Lindsay Mathyssen
With regard to government contracts for psychological services and social workers within all federal departments, broken down by fiscal year, since 2017-18: (a) what is the total number of contracts signed for (i) psychological services, (ii) social workers; (b) what are the details of all contracts signed, including the (i) agency contracted, (ii) value of the contract, (iii) number of psychologists or social workers provided, (iv) duration of the contract; and (c) what is the total amount of extra costs incurred as a result of relying on contracted services instead of employing psychologists and social workers directly?
Question No. 2556—
Questioner: Lindsay Mathyssen
With regard to government contracts for medical services and nursing services within all federal departments, broken down by fiscal year, since 2017-18: (a) what is the total number of contracts signed for (i) medical services provided by a doctor of medicine, (ii) nursing services provided by registered nurses or nurse practitioners; (b) what are the details of all contracts signed, including the (i) agency contracted, (ii) value of the contract, (iii) number of medical doctors, registered nurses, or nurse practitioners provided, (iv) duration of the contract; and (c) what is the total amount of extra costs incurred as a result of relying on contracted services instead of employing medical doctors, registered nurses or nurse practitioners directly?
Question No. 2557—
Questioner: Lindsay Mathyssen
With regard to the Canadian Forces Housing Agency, since January 1, 2021: (a) how many Canadian Armed Forces personnel are on a waitlist for military housing, broken down by month and year; and (b) what is the average time military members are on the agency’s waitlist?
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  • May/31/24 12:18:11 p.m.
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Is that agreed? Some hon. members: Agreed.
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  • May/31/24 12:18:34 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague, my northern neighbour from St. Albert—Edmonton, cleared up quite a few issues in his speech. While we are hearing a lot of push-back from the government to his speech, I would just like to get a bit more feedback on whether the member really believes this is a pension bill for future Liberal losses for their benches or an actual change to the Electoral Participation Act. Why is it focusing so much on extending pension privileges for losing Liberal MPs, rather than focusing on helping Canadians in the election process?
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  • May/31/24 12:19:16 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I said, the bill ought to be called the “loser Liberal pension protection act”, and if it has nothing to do with pensions, then frankly, the government members should get on with what Canadians want so badly, which is for them to call a carbon tax election so that Canadians can once and for all rid themselves of arguably the most rotten and corrupt government in Canadian history.
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  • May/31/24 12:19:56 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I actually want him to follow up a little more on that because maybe it has potential. I know we have heard an amendment from the NDP to potentially move the election date back to the normal date. Maybe another amendment would be just to move it a full month or a month and a half further into the future, or maybe even to next week. What does my colleague think about that?
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