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

With regard to contraventions to Section 67.1 of the Access to Information Act, since 1999: (a) how many charges have been laid; (b) how many convictions have been registered; (c) how many persons employed by the government have been dismissed for contraventions; and (d) how many persons employed by the government have been demoted, denied promotion, or otherwise disciplined for contraventions?

With respect to the relocation of the Ottawa District Parole Office of Correctional Services Canada from Laurier Avenue to 191 Gilmour Street: (a) was there a public invitation for tender issued and, if so, when was it issued; (b) how many responses to the tender invitation were received; (c) how many proposals met the requirements of the tender request; (d) what specifically were the reasons given for the properties that did not meet the requirements; (e) were lease negotiations started for any property other than 191 Gilmour Street and, if so, why did negotiations stop; (f) how long is the lease for 191 Gilmour Street; (g) is this a standard length of time for leases of this nature; (h) who is the owner of the 191 Gilmour Steet property; and (i) were there consultations with the Ottawa Board of Education or the Elgin Street Public School prior to the negotiation and signing of the lease at 191 Gilmour Street?

With regard to lawsuits filed against the government for the failure to fulfill security clearance requirements in a reasonable time: (a) how many lawsuits have been filed; (b) how many have been settled; (c) what was the total cost; and (d) what was the average settlement cost?

Does the government have a policy or guidelines regarding security clearances for contractors and companies performing work in government buildings or under NAFTA trade agreements and, if so: (a) who conducts and approves the security clearances; (b) what is the average turn-around time for these clearances; (c) are the security clearances valid for all departments and all government occupied space and if not, why; and (d) are the clearances valid for a certain number of years?

With regard to the conference entitled the “Sommet de la Francophonie”, that was held in Moncton, New Brunswick, in 1999: (a) what are the names of all companies, groups and individuals who were awarded contracts or money from the government in connection with the conference; (b) what was the reasoning behind the awarding of these funds; (c) what are the dates on which the funding was awarded; and (d) what is the detailed breakdown of the total value of each contract awarded?

With regard to the Atlantic Canada Opportunites Agency’s expenditures over the last three years, what grants and contributions have been awarded to each of the following Atlantic provinces: (a) New Brunswick; (b) Nova Scotia; (c) Prince Edward Island; and (d) Newfoundland and Labrador?

What contracts or sub-contracts were awarded to Groupaction Inc., Lafleur Communication Marketing, Gosselin Communication, Media/I.D.A. Vision, Communication Coffin, BCP, Groupe Everest and Groupe Polygone since June 1994, specifying the source, the department, Crown corporation or agency, the dollar amount, the date of each contract, the rationale and the procurement method?

With regard to the investigation and legal action involving the Business Development Bank (BDC), what is the complete list of all legal fees and disbursements: (a) billed to the BDC in relation to their lawsuit involving Mr. Francois Beaudoin; and (b) billed to or incurred by the Justice Department in relation to this lawsuit?

Following the April 22, 2003 closure of the Northern Cod Fisheries in Zones 2J, 3K and 3L and the Gulf Fisheries in Zones 3P, 4R and 4S and the South Coast Fishery in Zone 3Ps, what measures has the government taken to preserve cod stocks in Zones 3M and 3N, zones containing the nose and tail of the Grand Banks and the Flemish Cap?

Concerning the RCMP Airbus investigation terminated on April 22, 2003: (a) what was the duration of the investigation; (b) how many investigators (full or part-time) were involved in the investigation on a yearly basis for its duration; (c) what is the financial cost related to the investigation on a yearly basis; (d) how many transatlantic flights were taken by persons pursuing the investigation; (e) were any payments made to informants for information provided to the RCMP, the Department of Justice, the office of the Solicitor General or any other government department and, if so, what was the total paid?

With respect to “smart regulations” cited in Throne Speech 2002, specifically regulations associated with environmental assessment processes: (a) what action is the government taking to ratify the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty; (b) what departments are involved; (c) what government officials are involved; and (d) what is the time frame allotted for Canada's ratification?

With respect to the government's commitment in Throne Speech 2002 to “strengthen government science, integrating its efforts across departments and disciplines, and focussing on the priorities of Canadians”: (a) what steps have been taken to date to fulfill this commitment; (b) what has been accomplished; (c) what is the time frame alloted for completion of integration; and (d) has consideration been given to using science in the North as a pilot for general integration?

Which Chiefs of Staff for Ministers or other political staff in Ministers' offices have been assigned government cars and drivers or government cars?

With respect to Parliament Hill and the surrounding vicinity: (a) how many tourists are expected to visit next summer; (b) how many buses are expected; (c) what arrangements will be available to facilitate access to Parliament Hill by vehicles carrying tourists; and (d) what arrangements will be available to facilitate access to Parliament Hill by vehicles carrying tourists who have mobility challenges?

With respect to the Goods and Services Tax (GST), how much GST revenue has been collected, broken down on a year-by-year basis from 1993 to 2001?

With reference to the Residential Schools litigation, how many lawyers and how many support staff in the Department of Justice have worked on these actions and for how many hours?

How many students have been admitted to Canada since 1993 from Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Libya and Syria?

With respect to victims of crime, what is the number of lawsuits filed against Corrections Service Canada and the National Parole Board since 1988, and what is the nature of each such lawsuit?

With regard to the creation of a National Weapons Enforcement Support Team (NWEST): (a) will NWEST only support local law enforcement in anti-trafficking and anti-smuggling efforts, or will there be occasions where NWEST will act as the lead law enforcement unit while enforcing firearms related laws; (b) what will be the projected cost for the setting up and enactment of NWEST; (c) why was this funding not given to the RCMP so that our national police force could form a special unit, similar to NWEST; (d) will the commencement of NWEST's operations result in the diminishment of Canada's existing law enforcement community; (e) have the new members of NWEST been sent to the United States to be trained for the NWEST by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF) and if so; (i) how many people were sent for training; (ii) what are the backgrounds of the people who were trained; and (iii) what was the cost involved for the training and the travel?