Questions and responses All Sessions January 17, 1994, to present

With regard to the program that has government employees visiting recipients of Employment Insurance: (a) what is the rationale for this program; (b) when was this program created; (c) what are the specific locations the program is being run from; (d) what is the process by which these locations were chosen to do the house calls; (e) what is the total cost to taxpayers of this program, including the total cost for all travel and meal expenses for each employee; (f) which program activity does the funding for this program come from; (g) was any document review, literature review, expert and key informant interview, survey, case study, qualitative or quantitative analysis, or cost-effectiveness analysis conducted to support creating the program, and if so, what are the details of these documents; and (h) what scripts, instructions or guidelines did each employee of this program use?

With regard to navigable waters, what is the rationale for the inclusion in Schedule 2 of Bill C-45, A second Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on March 29, 2012 and other measures, of: (a) each of the 100 oceans or lakes listed in Part 1 of Schedule 2; and (b) each of the 62 rivers or riverines listed in Part 2 of Schedule 2?

With regard to the Canada Employment Insurance Financing Board: (a) what are the details of all costs associated with its establishment, operation and oversight, broken down by fiscal year, for each fiscal year since its establishment; and (b) what are the anticipated costs of the dissolution of the Board?

With respect to the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade’s Office of Religious Freedoms: (a) what meetings has the government taken in 2011-2012 regarding the development of this office; (b) what are the details of the briefing notes, reports, or other documents that were prepared for these meetings, specifically the titles or files or reference numbers of those documents; (c) what are the specific responsibilities of this office; (d) in what document are those responsibilities set down; (e) what is the proposed number of employees to work in this office; and (f) what is the proposed job title, job description, qualifications, and salary range for each position?

With respect to the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade: (a) how many departmental officers are serving in positions that are below their substantive level; (b) how many departmental officers are serving in positions that are above their substantive level; and (c) what are the additional salary costs to the Department of officers over-filling positions?

With regard to government travel, since January 1, 2006: (a) which ministers of the Crown have used rented limousines while on official business, within Canada or elsewhere; and (b) for each such use, what was (i) the date of the rental, (ii) the location of the rental, (iii) the nature of the official business, (iv) the cost of the rental?

With regard to proactive disclosure, from fiscal year 2004-2005 to the present fiscal year inclusively: (a) how many proactive disclosures have been corrected, amended, varied, or changed in any way after having already been disclosed in the case of (i) travel and hospitality expenses of Ministers or exempt staff, (ii) contracts, (iii) grants and contributions over $25,000; and (b) for each such instance, what were the particulars of each correction, amendment, variation, or change to the disclosure?

With regard to the projected impacts of Bill C-10, An Act to enact the Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act and to amend the State Immunity Act, the Criminal Code, the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, the Corrections and Conditional Release Act, the Youth Criminal Justice Act, the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and other Acts, on the number of inmates and their conditions of incarceration: (a) does the government have an estimate of how many new inmates this Bill is likely to create, and, if so, what is it; (b) how many new federal inmates does the government expect will result from this Bill; (c) how many new provincial inmates does the government expect will result from this Bill, and has the government shared this estimate with the provinces; (d) how many new young offenders does the government expect will result from this Bill and has the government shared this estimate with the provinces; (e) how many new inmates is CSC planning for as a direct result of this bill; (f) how will this Bill affect the federal incarceration rate of aboriginals, broken down geographically and by sex; (g) how will this Bill affect the provincial incarceration rate of aboriginals, broken down geographically and by sex; (h) how will this Bill affect the youth incarceration rate of aboriginals, broken down geographically and by sex; (i) what resources will be allocated to meet the unique needs of the aboriginal offenders, broken down geographically and by sex; (j) what resources will be allocated to meet the needs of the increased aboriginal offender population, broken down geographically and by sex; (k) how many new staff does CSC anticipate will need to be hired as a result of this Bill, broken down by job type; (l) has CSC planned for additional programming to accommodate the influx of new inmates resulting from this Bill, and, if so, how many new programming spaces will be created, broken down by type; (m) how is the government planning to cope with the additional safety and security issues that arise within institutions as a result of the influx of new inmates this Bill creates; (n) how is the government planning to cope with the additional public health issues, including the spread of Hepatitis B and HIV/AIDS, that will arise within institutions as a result of the influx of new inmates this Bill creates; (o) how many new cells does the government estimate will need to be constructed as a result of this Bill, broken down by type of cell, and when and where will these new cells be constructed; (p) how many cells does the government estimate will be double-bunked as a result of this Bill, broken down by type of cell; and (q) how many cells does the government estimate will be triple-bunked as a result of this Bill, broken down by type of cell?

With regard to the projected costs of Bill C-10, An Act to enact the Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act and to amend the State Immunity Act, the Criminal Code, the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, the Corrections and Conditional Release Act, the Youth Criminal Justice Act, the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and other Acts: (a) did the government conduct an impact analysis for this bill; (b) does the government have an estimate of the total cost of this bill and, if so, what is it; (c) what is the government’s cost estimate for Correctional Services Canada as a result of this Bill; (d) what is the government’s cost estimate for the National Parole Board as a result of this Bill; (e) are there any other departments or agencies that the government expects will be impacted by this legislation, and, if so, what are the estimated costs, broken down by department and agency; (f) what is the federal government’s cost estimate for the provinces as a result of this bill, broken down by province, and has the government shared these cost estimates with the provinces; (g) what is the government’s cost estimate for the territories as a result of this bill, broken down by territory, and has the government shared these cost estimates with the territories; (h) how does the government plan on managing provinces that refuse to pay for the implementation of this Bill; and (i) will the federal government pay for the implementation of this Bill in provinces where the provincial government refuses?

With regard to the Department of Health: (a) what First Nations communities have been under a drinking water advisory each year since 2006, broken down by individual First Nation community and type of advisory; and (b) how long have these advisories been in effect for each community?

With regard to internal studies and reports conducted or commissioned by the Department of Justice and Public Safety Canada that discuss the effectiveness of harsher sentences: (a) how many internal studies and reports have been conducted or commissioned by the Department of Justice since 2006 that discuss this subject; (b) how many internal studies and reports that discuss this subject had been conducted or commissioned by the Department of Justice prior to 2006; (c) what is the title and who are the authors of each internal study or report commissioned since 2006 by the Department of Justice that discuss or mention this subject; (d) by whom and for whom were each of these internal studies or reports requested; (e) what conclusions did each report conducted prior to 2006 reach about the effectiveness of harsher sentences as a deterrent to crime; (f) what conclusions has each report conducted since 2006 reached about the effectiveness of harsher sentences as a deterrent to crime; (g) did these internal reports and studies put forward alternative crime prevention solutions deemed more effective, and, if so what were they; (h) were these internal reports and studies shared with the Minister of Justice or Minister of Public Safety prior to 2006 and, if so, when and how; and (i) have these internal reports and studies been shared with the Minister of Justice or the Minister of Public Safety since 2006 and, if so, when and how?

With regard to the rising costs of the F-35 stealth fighter jets and the fact that United States officials have publicly questioned the progress and efficacy of the F-35s: (a) in what meetings with the United States has the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) or the Department of National Defence (DND) participated at which there were discussions of the increasing cost of the jets from the initial $9 billion assessment to approximately $21 billion; (b) in what meetings with the United States has DFAIT or DND participated at which there were discussions about the impact that production delays surrounding the F-35s would have on Canada’s timeline to receive the jets and the amount that the jets will cost; and (c) what is the most recent projected cost for Canada’s purchase of the F-35 jets?

With regard to the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade’s (DFAIT) recent announcement of an engagement strategy with Africa, as outlined in the department’s Report on Plans and Priorities: (a) what briefing notes has DFAIT received or produced regarding its proposed engagement with Africa; (b) what scenarios has DFAIT prepared for a Canadian role in the African continent; (c) which African countries are included in the proposed engagement strategy; (d) what is the projected cost of this engagement strategy with Africa; and (e) what is the timeline of DFAIT’s engagement strategy with Africa?

With regard to consular services: (a) what briefing notes has the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade received or produced regarding consular services in response to recent events in the Middle East and Northern Africa; (b) what measures has the government taken to ensure the safety of Canadians living abroad in response to recent events in the Middle East and Northern Africa; (c) what is the projected budget for consular services abroad over the next 3 years; (d) what impact will any changes in the projected budget for consular services have on the number of personnel working in consular affairs outside of Canada; and (e) what impact will any changes in the projected budget for consular services have on the number of personnel working in consular affairs inside Canada?

With regard to the situation in Haiti following the recent earthquake: (a) at what meetings has the government participated where there were discussions concerning the promotion of effective leadership and good governance in Haiti; (b) what measures has the government undertaken to ensure that the money pledged to Haiti is getting delivered on the ground; (c) has the government looked into any other assistance programs besides direct economic aid to help the people of Haiti; and (d) what measures has the government taken to reopen the embassy in Haiti and restore consular services?

With regard to the situation in Haiti following the recent earthquake: (a) at what meetings has the government participated where there were discussions concerning the promotion of effective leadership and good governance in Haiti; (b) what measures has the government undertaken to ensure that the money pledged to Haiti is getting delivered on the ground; (c) has the government looked into any other assistance programs besides direct economic aid to help the people of Haiti; and (d) what measures has the government taken to reopen the embassy in Haiti and restore consular services?

With regard to the rising costs of the F-35 stealth fighter jets and the fact that United States officials have publicly questioned the progress and efficacy of the F-35s: (a) in what meetings with the United States has the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) or the Department of National Defence (DND) participated at which there were discussions of the increasing cost of the jets from the initial $9 billion assessment to approximately $21 billion; (b) in what meetings with the United States has DFAIT or DND participated at which there were discussions about the impact that production delays surrounding the F-35s would have on Canada’s timeline to receive the jets and the amount that the jets will cost; and (c) what is the most recent projected cost for Canada’s purchase of the F-35 jets?

With regard to the Canadian International Development Agency’s (CIDA) decision, dated November 27, 2009, to discontinue funding for the KAIROS organization: (a) did the Minister personally sign the final memorandum regarding KAIROS funding on November 27, 2009; (b) if the Minister signed her name to the final memorandum on November 27, 2009, did the final memorandum, at the time of the Minister’s signing it, contain the handwritten word “not” in the final sentence; (c) did the Minister herself handwrite the word “not” into the final memorandum; (d) if the Minister did not handwrite the word “not” in the final memorandum, who would have had the authority to do so; and (e) did the Minister recommend that CIDA funding to KAIROS should continue?

With regard to the flooding in Pakistan in late July 2010: (a) how much money has the government matched in donations from Canadian citizens; (b) to which organizations has the money from the matching program gone; (c) how much additional money has the government spent on the prevention of disease in Pakistan; (d) how much additional money has the government spent on the reconstruction of Pakistan; and (e) has the government looked into any other programs besides direct economic aid to help the people of Pakistan?

With regard to the current renewed peace talks in the Middle East: (a) in what meetings has the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) participated regarding the renewed peace talks; (b) what briefing notes has DFAIT received or produced regarding the renewed peace talks; (c) what scenarios has DFAIT prepared for a Canadian role in the renewed peace talks; and (d) what scenarios has DFAIT prepared for a renewed Canadian role with the Refugee Working Group?