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

With regard to the role of Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSEC) as a lead agency in protecting the government's information systems: (a) how many requests did CSEC receive from other government departments to provide expertise or information regarding protection of information systems; (b) how many staff were assigned to each request; (c) how many of the requests received was CSEC able to satisfy and how many requests were not provided a response that satisfied the request; (d) if CSEC was unable to satisfy a request for assistance, what was the reason; (e) are there any significant staffing issues that CSEC is facing that would not allow CSEC to satisfy these requests; (f) for each year from 2008 to 2012, what products, including publications, and services did CSEC/Information Technology Security provide and to whom; (g) what plans, research and development activities have been undertaken from 2008 to 2012 and what is the current status; (h) what summative evaluations have been done of the services offered to other departments; (i) for each year from 2008 to 2012 how many staff were off on (i) sick leave, (ii) administrative leave, (iii) long-term disability; (j) for years 2008 to 2012 how many audits or performance reviews were completed; (k) what were overall staff numbers in fiscal year 2011-2012; (l) what will be the overall staff numbers after Budget 2012 implementation; (m) how many of those positions include senior staff with the ability to protect Canada’s information system from attack; and (n) for each year from 2008 to 2012, how much of the government’s bandwidth was taken up with spam or other malicious attacks, broken down by (i) incoming bandwidth, (ii) outgoing bandwidth?

With regard to the proposed First Nations Education Act: (a) what is the government’s timeline for consultation with stakeholders; (b) what is the government’s plan for meaningful consultations with stakeholders; (c) with which First Nations organizations and communities does the government intend to consult; (d) with which other stakeholders does the government intend to consult; and (e) what is the government’s plan to meaningfully incorporate and address input from stakeholders in the legislative drafting process?

With regard to the Budget 2010 announcement of $25 million over five years to address the high incidence of missing and murdered Aboriginal women: (a) how much of that funding has been allocated; (b) to which organizations or entities was the funding allocated; (c) what supports for victims have been provided by this funding; (d) what improvements to the justice system, to respond directly to cases of missing and murdered Aboriginal women, have been announced or implemented; (e) what quantitative analysis has been done on the effectiveness of this funding on reducing the high incidence of missing and murdered Aboriginal women; (f) how many groups applied for funding; (g) how many groups were denied funding; and (h) what was the rationale for denying funding to those groups?

With regard to hospitals, clinics or sanatoria established by the government to treat First Nations, Inuit or Métis with tuberculosis: (a) how many such hospitals have been established by the government; (b) what area did each hospital serve; (c) how many patients were treated at each hospital; (d) what was the average length of stay for patients; (e) how many patients returned to their community after treatment; (f) how many patients did not return to their community; and (g) what was the age breakdown of patients?

With regard to the Nutrition North program: (a) what are all the recommendations made by the Nutrition North advisory board since its inception; (b) which of those recommendations have been implemented; (c) what is the rationale for implementing those recommendations; (d) what is the rationale for not implementing the rest of the recommendations; (e) since the implementation of the Nutrition North program, what cost-of-living research or evaluations have been done for the areas served by the Nutrition North program; (f) what research or evaluations have been completed and reported to the department on the effectiveness or short-comings of the program; and (g) what research or evaluations are planned for the program?

With regard to the Market Basket Measure: (a) which government department is responsible for deciding how it will be calculated; (b) what changes were made to the calculation of shelter costs within the past three years; (c) who made the decision to change the calculation of shelter costs; (d) who was consulted on the decision to change the calculation of shelter costs; (e) what kind of evaluation was performed on the new calculation of shelter costs to ensure that it still represented a reasonable measure of the actual costs of housing; (f) when will the government review the shelter cost calculation again; and (g) what will be the process for reviewing the shelter cost?

With regard to the government’s role in reducing poverty by implementing measures such as the Canada Child Tax Benefit (CCTB): (a) does the government intend to increase the annual amount of the CCTB, as it was recommended in the 2010 report on poverty presented by the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (HUMA); (b) does the government plan to amend the Income Tax Act to make the Disability Tax credit a refundable credit, as it was recommended in the 2010 report on poverty by HUMA; and (c) does the government intend to endorse the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People, as it was recommended in the 2010 report on poverty by HUMA?

With respect to the recommendations in the 2010 report of the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities, which studied the role of the government in reducing poverty in Canada: (a) does the government intend to create a federal action plan with specific goals and timetables to reduce poverty and accountability mechanisms to monitor progress; (b) has the government established a poverty reduction plan that would incorporate a human rights framework; and (c) has the government been collaborating with the provincial and territorial governments, the aboriginal governments and organizations, the public and private sector, and people living in poverty to develop a federal action plan to reduce poverty in Canada?

With respect to the Canadian Coast Guard Maritime Search and Rescue (SAR) program and, more specifically, to the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary training in the Pacific region: (a) how many full-time and part-time volunteers worked in the Pacific region from 2008 to 2010, and what are the seasonal variations of full-time and part-time volunteers; (b) how many maritime SAR incidents, classifications M1 to M4, have occurred in Nanaimo—Cowichan from 2008 to 2010; (c) what is the amount spent by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans on work with the Coast Guard Auxiliary in the Pacific region; (d) was there an analysis of the impact of cuts to the SAR in the Pacific region, and, if so, what is the result of the analysis; and (e) what was the SAR budget in 2008-2010, and what is the projected Coast Guard budget for the Pacific region for the next three years?

With regard to employment policy and programs overseen by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada or delivered by Service Canada: (a) what research went into the design of each of the following policies and programs, (i) the Aboriginal Labour Market Programs, (ii) Employment Insurance, (iii) Employment Measures, (iv) Labour Market Agreements; (b) how is each of the following policies and programs monitored for outcomes, (i) the Aboriginal Labour Market Programs, (ii) Employment Insurance, (iii) Employment Measures, (iv) Labour Market Agreements; (c) what studies were conducted to ensure each of the following policies and programs was performing as planned, (i) the Aboriginal Labour Market Programs, (ii) Employment Insurance, (iii) Employment Measures, (iv) Labour Market Agreements; (d) what summative evaluations have been done concerning each of the following programs or policies, (i) the Aboriginal Labour Market Programs, (ii) Employment Insurance, (iii) Employment Measures, (iv) Labour Market Agreements; (e) who are the target clients for each of the following policies or programs, (i) the Aboriginal Labour Market Programs, (ii) Employment Insurance, (iii) Employment Measures, (iv) Labour Market Agreements; and (f) what were the reviews or audits done annually since 2000 of (i) the Aboriginal Labour Market Programs, (ii) Employment Insurance, (iii) Employment Measures, (iv) Labour Market Agreements?

With regard to the British Columbia Treaty Process: (a) what substantive actions has the government taken to study the issue of accumulation of interest from treaty loans; (b) how does the debt from this interest affect the treaty negotiations; (c) when will the government outline its new approach to funding for First Nations self-government as announced in the March 2010 budget; (d) how has the federal mandate on negotiation changed since 2006; (e) how many treaty loans will come due in 2012; (f) what is the total value of those treaty loans coming due in 2012; (g) what is the total value of interest on those loans; (h) what steps has the government taken to extend the deadline on treaty loans; (i) when will the government report to the House of Commons on the treaty loan deadline; and (j) what is the communications plan for First Nations regarding the treaty loan deadline, including those First Nations involved in treaty negotiations, those that have dropped out of the process and those that are not involved in treaty negotiations?

With regard to Service Canada: (a) where are the Employment Insurance (EI) processing centers currently located; (b) how many employees are at each EI processing centre; (c) where are the EI call centers currently located; (d) how many employees are at each EI call centre; (e) where are the Canada Pension Plan/Old Age Security (CPP/OAS) call centers currently located; (f) how many employees are at each CPP/OAS call center; (g) under the new national workload system for EI claim processing, what is the regional breakdown for processing workload; (h) what is the rate of sick leave use among Service Canada employees in total and specifically for (i) EI processing centers, (ii) EI call centers, (iii) CPP/OAS call centers; (i) what is the number of Service Canada employees on short-term disability leave in total and specifically for (i) EI processing centers, (ii) EI call centers, (iii) CPP/OAS call centers; (j) what is the number of Service Canada employees on long-term disability leave in total and specifically for (i) EI processing centers, (ii) EI call centers, (iii) CPP/OAS call centers; (k) what is the rate of overtime and the number of hours of overtime worked at Service Canada in total and specifically for (i) EI processing centers, (ii) EI call centers, (iii) CPP/OAS call centers; (l) what is the percentage of term Service Canada employees and the percentage of indeterminate Service Canada employees in total and specifically for (i) EI processing centers, (ii) EI call centers, (iii) CPP/OAS call centers; (m) what is the number and percentage of term Service Canada employees who have been employed for more than three years in total and specifically for (i) EI processing centers, (ii) EI call centers, (iii) CPP/OAS call centers; (n) how many management employees (excluded and non-excluded) does Service Canada have in total and specifically for (i) EI processing centers, (ii) EI call centers, (iii) CPP/OAS call centers; (o) how many security guards does Service Canada employ; (p) how many Service Canada centers have a security guard present in total as well as those that specifically deal with EI claims; (q) how many EI overpayments have been assessed during each of the last five years; (r) how many penalties for EI overpayments have been recovered during each of the last five years; (s) what is the average length of time to investigate an overpayment during each of the last five years; (t) how many complaints did the Office of Client Satisfaction receive during each of the last five years; and (u) how long did the average complaint take to investigate and resolve during each of the last five years?

With reference to the study by Doctor Masazumi Harada entitled "Long-term study on the effects of mercury contamination on two indigenous communities in Canada (1975-2004)": (a) does Health Canada’s blood guidance value account for long-term low-level exposure to mercury; (b) what steps has Health Canada taken to study births in Grassy Narrows where the children exhibited symptoms of congenital Minamata disease; (c) what actions has Health Canada taken to inform Grassy Narrows residents about the potential for congenital Minamata disease; (d) since Health Canada stopped monitoring mercury in Grassy Narrows in the 1990s, has there been any follow-up study to ensure mercury levels have not changed; (e) how many people have applied to the Mercury Compensation Board since its beginning; (f) how many of those people were denied compensation; (g) for what reasons was compensation denied; (h) how many people appealed the denial of compensation and, of those people who appealed, how many were successful; (i) what investigation has been done into the long-term health of workers at chloralkali plants in Canada; (j) have chloralkali plant workers received any compensation for adverse health effects from mercury; (k) are there any plans to add the residents of Wabauskang (formerly Quibell) on the Wabigoon River to the list of possible beneficiaries of the Mercury Compensation Board; (l) what has been done to identify and remediate all mercury hot spots across Canada; and (m) how is the government upholding the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement in relation to persistent mercury pollution hotspots including, but not limited to, Thunder Bay, Sarnia and Cornwall?

With regard to the British Columbia Treaty Process: (a) what substantive actions has the government taken to study the issue of accumulation of interest from treaty loans; (b) how does the debt from this interest affect the treaty negotiations; (c) when will the government outline its new approach to funding for First Nations self-government as announced in the March 2010 budget; (d) how has the federal mandate on negotiation changed since 2006; (e) how many treaty loans will come due in 2011; (f) what is the total value of those treaty loans coming due in 2011; (g) what is the total value of interest on those loans; (h) what steps has the government taken to extend the deadline on treaty loans; (i) when will the government report to the House of Commons on the treaty loan deadline; and (j) what is the government's communications plan as concerns the treaty loan deadline and First Nations, including those First Nations involved in treaty negotiations, those that have dropped out of the process and those First Nations that are not involved in treaty negotiations?

With respect to the First-Time Home Buyers' Tax Credit program: (a) how many first-time home buyers received benefits under this program from 2006 to date (i) in total, (ii) by province; (b) how much money was paid to program recipients on an annual basis from 2006 to date (i) in total, (ii) by province; (c) how many applications were received and how many were declined on an annual basis from 2006 to date (i) by province, (ii) in total?

With respect to the Universal Child Care Benefit program: (a) how many families received payments under this program from 2006 to date (i) in total, (ii) by province; (b) how many single parents applied and received payments under this program (i) by province, (ii) in total; (c) how much money was paid to program recipients on an annual basis from 2006 to date (i) in total, (ii) by province; and (d) how many applications for the program were declined on annual basis from 2006 to date (i) by province, (ii) in total?

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 Nanaimo—Cowichan, specifying each department or agency, initiative and amount?

For each of the financial quarters from 2008 until today, what are the details of any contract between Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) and the following companies, including what prompted the issuing of the contract, who were the staff from the company that worked on the contract and what use was made of the results of each contract or what were the deliverables of the contract and, for each of the contracts, what steps did INAC take to determine if the contractee was lobbying INAC on other issues: (a) Laurier Research Group Limited; (b) Halifax Group; (c) Bay Street Research and Records Management Inc.; (d) Publicmetrics; (e) Centre for Public Management Inc.; (f) Delsys Research Group Inc.; (g) Accenture; (h) Canadian Development Consultants Inc.; (i) Hallux Consulting Inc.; (j) Stratum Associates; (k) Public History Inc.; (l) Wampum Records; (m) Stratos Inc.; (n) Workgroup Designs Inc.; (o) Joan Holmes & Associates Inc.; (p) Naut Sa Mawt Resources Groups Inc.; (q) Institute on Governance; (r) The History Group Inc.; (s) Forest Communications Inc.; (t) Smith Research Inc.; (u) Sea Mist Consultants; (v) Nisha Technologies Inc.; (w) Prairie Research Associates Inc.; (x) Rawson Group Initiatives Inc.; (y) Bronson Consulting Group; and (z) Sussex Circle?

With regard to Section 74 of the Indian Act, is there a policy document, directive, guideline or other documentation that the Department uses to apply the Minister’s authority?

With regard to the Post-Secondary Student Support Program (PSSSP) through Indian and Northern Affairs Canada: (a) when was the contract awarded for the report “The Post-Secondary Student Support Program: An Examination of Alternative Delivery Mechanisms”; (b) how much was the contract; (c) how many other contracts have been awarded to this company in the last five years and what was their value; (d) how many other contracts have been awarded to study PSSSP or the Indian Studies Support Program in the last five years; and (e) what is the value of those contracts and who were they awarded to?