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Thursday, September 17, 2009 (No. 83)

Questions

The complete list of questions on the Order Paper is available for consultation at the Table in the Chamber and on the Internet. Those questions not appearing in the list have been answered, withdrawn or made into orders for return.

Q-75 — March 4, 2009 — — With respect to investing in research and innovation, specifically regarding York University in Toronto, Ontario: (a) what is the government's plan to ensure that Canadian research and development remain an example to the rest of the world; (b) what is the government prepared to do to ensure that the best and brightest remain in Canada; (c) what research grants will the government be making available this year, both at York University and across Canada; (d) what new programs will the government undertake to assist students; (e) what will the government's response be to the issue of rising tuition; (f) what specific steps will the government take to invest in research and development, to improve the lives of Canadians, and to partner to help Canadian industries grow in these difficult economic times; and (g) what future investments is the government planning in colleges and universities?

Q-101 — March 26, 2009 — — With respect to providing safe, quality, and affordable housing to the most vulnerable: (a) how much money will the government invest for the fiscal year of 2009-2010 in affordable housing; (b) how much investment will the government make in 2009-2010 in affordable housing specifically allocated for seniors; (c) will the government enter into new provincial agreements in order to work to facilitate the building and renovation of affordable housing units; and (d) will the government commit to make affordable housing a priority and expedite the building and maintenance of these critical units?

Q-106 — April 1, 2009 — — With regard to funding applications submitted to the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, for each fiscal year from 2006-2007 to 2008-2009: (a) which projects were submitted under each Agency program; (b) which project were approved; (c) what amount was allocated to each of these projects; and (d) which projects were not processed?

Q-108 — April 1, 2009 — — With regard to the transitional measures for Employment Insurance economic regions: (a) will the economic regions change after April 10, 2010; and (b) will the transitional measures for the economic regions be completely eliminated after April 10, 2010?

Q-160 — May 4, 2009 — — With regard to the public reports which are issued by or on behalf of the RCMP, in which information is made public as to what took place each time a taser is fired or otherwise used to control a member of the public, both in the case of the incident of Adam Dormer, who was tasered on July 21 2007, and in all other cases since January 1, 2001: (a) what changes have been made, from time to time, with regard to the types of information being released, both in terms of types of information being withheld, which had previously been made public, and types of information being made public, which had previously been withheld; (b) what instructions were given to the individuals who prepared these reports, regarding the types of information which ought to be withheld or made public; (c) who issued any such instructions, and with whom did the instructions originate; and (d) has additional information been collected, which is not being released, on any of the following topics, (i) related injuries which took place during the tasering incident, (ii) the duration of the shocks, (iii) whether the individual who was tasered had been armed, (iv) whether the individual who was tasered was violent, combative or posed a risk of death or grievous bodily harm, (v) what alternative measures the police tried before resorting to a taser, (vi) whether the individual who was tasered was first given a verbal warning, (vii) whether the individual who was tasered had already been handcuffed or otherwise restrained?

Q-171 — May 5, 2009 — — What is the total amount of government funding, since fiscal year 2004-2005 up to and including the current fiscal year, allocated within the constituency of Hamilton Centre, listing each department or agency, initiative, and amount?

Q-177 — May 6, 2009 — — What is the total amount of government funding, since fiscal year 2004-2005 up to and including the current fiscal year, allocated within the constituency of , listing each department or agency, initiative, and amount?

Q-183 — May 7, 2009 — — What is the total amount of government funding, since fiscal year 2004-2005 up to and including the current fiscal year, allocated within the constituency of , listing each department or agency, initiative, and amount?

Q-231 — May 13, 2009 — — What is the total amount of government funding, since fiscal year 2004-2005 up to and including the current fiscal year, allocated within the constituency of , listing each department of agency, initiative and amount?

Q-277 — May 28, 2009 — — What is the total amount of government funding, since fiscal year 1998-1999 up to and including the current fiscal year, allocated within the constituency of , listing each department or agency, initiative, and amount?

Q-279 — May 28, 2009 — — With respect to the Veterans Affairs program for the compensation of those who were exposed to Agent Orange: (a) how did the government come to the decision on the years that would be covered for those who were exposed; (b) how did the government arrive at the compensation amount of $20,000; (c) why will the government not compensate the widows of those who were exposed and met the qualifying conditions, but who have since passed away; (d) how many applications for compensation has the government received to date; (e) how many of those applications have been approved; (f) how many applications have been denied; (g) how many of those denied were refused because the veteran has since passed away; (h) how many of the applications denied were due to a medical condition that was not deemed to meet the government’s criteria; (i) what mechanisms did the government use to determine which illnesses would be covered and which would not be considered for compensation; (j) how many cheques have been issued and delivered; and (k) was the departmental funding cut of $33.6 million completely due to a program criteria which resulted in lower than expected numbers of beneficiaries?

Q-294 — June 2, 2009 — — With regards to the employment insurance program two-week waiting period: (a) how many individuals who apply for employment insurance report finding a new job within the two-week waiting period; and (b) how much would it cost the government to eliminate the two-week waiting period for all claimants?

Q-317 — June 8, 2009 — — With regards to the performance of the access to information system in the government for each fiscal year from 2005-2006 to 2008-2009, for each department and agency subject to the Access to information Act: (a) what was the number of requests received; (b) what was the number of requests answered within the 30 day time limit; (c) what was the number of requests answered within 60 days; (d) what was the number of requests answered within 90 days; (e) what was the number of requests answered within 120 days or more; (f) what is the number that were appealed to the Information Commissioner; (g) what is the number of deemed refusal complaints found by the Commissioner; (h) what is the number of request that have been referred to the courts; (i) what is the number of requests that have been ordered to be released by a court; and (j) what is the amount spent on the administration of the Act?

Q-322 — June 9, 2009 — — With regard to the May 2009 reactor shutdown of the National Research Universal (NRU) reactor at Chalk River: (a) when was Atomic Energy of Canada Limited headquarters first made aware of leaks at the reactor; (b) when was the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission first made aware of the reactor shutdown; (c) what levels of tritium and other nuclear products were discovered in ground and water samples following the leak; (d) what levels of ambient radiation were detected in air samples; (e) what is the future expected lifespan of the NRU reactor; (f) what major improvements and safety enhancements have been made over the last five years to the NRU reactor; and (g) what is the expected restart date of the reactor?

Q-323 — June 9, 2009 — — With regard to executive compensation at Atomic Energy of Canada Limited over each of the last five fiscal years: (a) what was the amount paid to each executive; (b) how was the compensation paid via bonuses, immediate and deferred rewards; (c) what was the amount to each executive by benefits; (d) what were the benchmarks used for bonuses paid; and (e) how did each executive meet the expected benchmarks?

Q-326 — June 10, 2009 — — How much funding has the Department of Fisheries and Oceans allocated to the marketing of Atlantic fishery products since 2000 inclusive, broken down by year and by sector (lobster, snow crab, salmon, etc.)?

Q-327 — June 10, 2009 — — With respect to Dorchester Penitentiary: (a) how many plans are there for renovating or completely rebuilding it; (b) what are the operating costs associated with each of these plans; and (c) is the government currently implementing any of these plans and, if not, why not?

Q-328 — June 10, 2009 — — What amounts were granted to small craft harbours in the Beauséjour riding from the year 2000 on, broken down by year and by project?

Q-400² — June 18, 2009 — — With regard to the renting of venues or properties for retreats or meetings outside of a government department, agency or a Crown Corporation’s own offices (i.e. where an expense for rental of rooms is made to an outside party) in the fiscal years 2007-2008 and 2008-2009, for all government departments, agencies and Crown corporations: (a) what was the total cost of the rental of these venues; (b) how many times were venues or properties contracted for or rented; and (c) in each case, (i) what was the name and location of the venue or property, (ii) what was the reason or purpose of the venue or property rental, (iii) how many people attended the retreat or meeting, (iv) what was the overall cost of the rental of the venue?

Q-401² — June 18, 2009 — — With respect to the Canada Account managed by Export Development Canada, on an annual basis for the last five fiscal years: (a) what is the total value of loans granted by the Account; (b) (i) what are the eligibility criteria needed to be approved for a loan, (ii) who has final authority in approving loans, (iii) which loans were approved at the recommendation of a cabinet minister; (c) which companies received loans for foreign ventures, (i) in which countries were these ventures located, (ii) what is the value, interest rate, and term of each loan, (iii) what was the purpose of each loan, (iv) what conditions were attached; (d) how many loans have defaulted, (i) which loans defaulted and what is the outstanding amount owed; (e) which companies were granted loans to finance operations within Canada, (i) what is the value, interest rate, and term of each loan, (ii) what was the purpose of each loan, (iii) what conditions were attached; and (f) with specific reference to expanded financing offered to domestic lenders in Budget 2009, for how long does the government intend to extend financing to them and when and how does the government intend to scale back such financing?

Q-402² — June 18, 2009 — — With respect to government spending in the constituency of , what was the total amount of government funding since fiscal year 2005-2006 up to and including the current fiscal year, itemized according to: (a) the date the money was requested in the riding; (b) the dollar amount requested; (c) the dollar amount received; (d) the program from which the funding came; (e) the department responsible; and (f) the designated recipient?

Q-403² — June 18, 2009 — — With respect to federal infrastructure spending in the constituency of , what was the total amount of government funding since fiscal year 2005-2006 up to and including the current fiscal year, itemized according to: (a) the date the money was requested in the riding; (b) the dollar amount requested; (c) the dollar amount received; (d) the program from which the funding came; (e) the department responsible; and (f) the designated recipient?

Q-404² — June 18, 2009 — — With respect to Employment Insurance claims made by residents of the constituency of : (a) what is the number of claims that have been made since January 2008, (i) broken down by month, (ii) in total; (b) what is the percentage of claims that have been approved since January 2008, (i) broken down by month, (ii) in total; (c) which claims have been denied since January 2008, (i) broken down by month, (ii) in total, and what were the reasons for their denial; and (d) what has been the average period of time it has taken to process the claims that have been made since January 2008, (i) broken down by month, (ii) in total?

Q-405² — June 18, 2009 — — With respect to applications to sponsor family members for visitor’s visas and permanent residency, made by residents of the constituency of : (a) what is the average processing time for applications made to sponsor family members from (i) India, (ii) Pakistan, (iii) all countries aggregated; (b) what is the approval rate for applications made to sponsor family members from (i) India, (ii) Pakistan, (iii) all countries aggregated; (c) what are the top five main grounds for denying claims and their rates of usage for applications made to sponsor family members from (i) India, (ii) Pakistan, (iii) all countries aggregated; and (d) what are the details of all refusals with the dates, names and reasons?

Q-406² — June 18, 2009 — — With respect to federal employees, including Crown corporations, consultants and Orders in Council appointees earning in excess of $200,000 a year, for the last three years: (a) which individuals earn such amounts; (b) what amounts do they earn; (c) to whom do they report; (d) what is their professional title and what tasks or service do they perform; (e) which were appointed at the discretion of a Minister of the Crown or without a competitive search process; (f) who signed employment contracts on behalf of the government; (g) what performance bonuses were awarded, and to whom; and (h) with specific reference to consultants, (i) how many individuals earned above $200,000 as a consequence of multiple contracts within a one year period, (ii) what is the duration of each contract, (iii) who authorized their employment?

Q-407² — June 18, 2009 — — With respect to the renovation of the landing strip at the Saint-Hubert Airport: (a) has a department received a request for financing from “Développement l'aéroport Saint-Hubert de Longueuil”, the City of Longueuil, “Aérocentre YHU de Longueuil” or any other organization; (b) under which program is this request being processed; (c) has this request been approved; (d) what amount does the department intend to contribute to this project; and (e) when does the department intend to announce its contribution?

Q-408² — June 18, 2009 — — With regards to the Canadian Human Rights Commission and the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal: (a) as an employee of either institutions, how much money did Mr. Richard Warman receive in total; (b) how much money, in total, did Mr. Warman receive from appearances as a witness before the Commision or Tribunal; and (c) how much money, in total, did Mr. Warman receive as awards or damages from complaints before the Commission or Tribunal?

Q-409² — June 18, 2009 — — With regards to Canadian International Development Agency funding and programming: (a) what programs and initiatives has the Agency undertaken specifically around conflict management in Africa and what were the total costs associated with each for the last three fiscal years; (b) what equipment and resources were purchased through the Agency’s budget for conflict management initiatives in Africa; (c) what programs has the Agency undertaken specifically designed for development aid in Africa and what are the total costs associated for each; (d) what programs has the Agency put in place and how much funding has been reserved for emergency relief aid to Africa; (e) what is the total bilateral aid funding for Africa in last three fiscal years; and (f) what is the total multilateral funding for Africa in the last three fiscal years?

Q-410² — June 18, 2009 — — With regards to Canadian International Development Agency's funding and programming: (a) what programs and initiatives has the Agency undertaken specifically around conflict management in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and what were the total costs associated with each for the last three fiscal years; (b) what equipment and resources were purchased through the Agency’s budget for conflict management initiatives in the CARICOM; (c) what programs has the Agency undertaken specifically designed for development aid in the CARICOM on a per country basis and what are the total costs associated for each; (d) what programs has the Agency put in place and how much funding has been reserved for emergency relief aid to the CARICOM; (e) what is the total bilateral aid funding for the CARICOM, including Guyana, in last three fiscal years; and (f) what is the total multilateral funding for the CARICOM, including Guyana, in the last three fiscal years?

Q-411² — June 18, 2009 — — Given that the government has stated its intention to double aid to Africa: (a) what are the additional amounts that will be invested in Africa in the next budget, 2009-2010; (b) what African countries, that are members of la Francophonie, will benefit from these funds; (c) what are the amounts distributed, by countries, in the bilateral projects; and (d) what are the amounts distributed through the multilateral programs?

Q-412² — June 18, 2009 — — Given that the government has stated that it intends to increase the programs it offers in Africa in 2009-2010: (a) which African countries of the Francophonie and exactly which programs will benefit from this increase; (b) what amounts will be distributed by country and by program for this increase; (c) what amounts has the government distributed to the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) in 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 budgets; (d) what are the amounts that the government will distribute to the OIF in the new 2009-2010 budget; and (e) what funds will be distributed to other international institutions of la Francophonie working in Africa?

Q-413² — June 18, 2009 — — Regarding the Knowledge Infrastructure Program announced in January 2009: a) how many proposals were received from Aboriginal educational institutions; b) how many of those proposals were accepted; c) how many were refused and why; and d) of those accepted, how much funding was allocated?

Q-414² — September 10, 2009 — — With respect to the crew personnel who were on board during the October 2004 HMCS Chicoutimi fire: (a) how many are still working with the Canadian Forces (CF) as submariners; (b) how many have left the CF permanently for any reason; (c) how many have left their positions and were transferred to other departments within the CF; and (d) what compensation or severance has been paid to crew members?

Q-415² — September 10, 2009 — — With respect to the privatization of the military supply chain process for the Canadian Forces, since 2006: (a) what is the government’s position on such privatization; (b) what is the business case for such privatization; (c) what products or services are anticipated to be supplied through a privatized supply chain; (d) what discussions have occurred with private consultants or contractors; and (e) have any contracts been signed and, if so, (i) with whom, (ii) on what date, (iii) in what amount, (iv) who approved the contracts on behalf of the government, (v) which contracts were not subject to a competitive bid process?

Q-416² — September 10, 2009 — — What is the total amount of government funding since fiscal year 1998-1999 up to and including the current fiscal year, allocated within the constituency of , listing each department or agency, initiative, and amount?

Q-417² — September 10, 2009 — — With respect to the isotope crisis due to the shutdown of the NRU reactor at Chalk River: (a) what is the government's long term plan to ensure reliable isotope production in Canada; (b) what is the government's short term plan to provide isotopes for Canadian tests; (c) will the government license the McMaster Nuclear Reactor as part of its short term solution; (d) how many medical tests have been postponed due to the shortage; (e) how many medical tests have taken place with substitute materials, such as thallium, since the shortage began; (f) what are the total additional costs to date incurred as a result of these alternate tests; and (g) will the government be reimbursing the provinces for these additional costs and, if so, when can they expect payment?


² Response requested within 45 days