Questions and responses 45th Parliament, 1st session May 26, 2025, to present

With regard to contracts for the provision of advice, research, or speechwriting services to ministers, including the Prime Minister, since March 1, 2025: (a) what are the details of all contracts, including the (i) start and end dates, (ii) contracting parties, (iii) file number, (iv) nature or description of the work, (v) value of the contract; and (b) for speechwriting contracts, what is the (i) date, (ii) location, (iii) audience or event at which the speech was, or was intended to be, delivered, (iv) number of speeches written, (v) cost charged per speech?

With regard to ongoing or planned government IT projects with a budget of over $1 million: what are the details of each project, including the (i) project description and summary, (ii) total budget, (iii) estimated completion date?

With regard to measures taken by the government to address housing affordability, especially student housing affordability, the unique housing challenges faced by post-secondary students and broader concerns about student affordability in Canada: (a) what measures, if any, has the government taken specifically to address the unique housing challenges faced by post-secondary students across Canada; (b) what is the average cost of on-campus housing at publicly funded universities and colleges in the 2024-25 academic year, broken down by province; (c) what is the average cost of off-campus rental housing for students, including one-bedroom units and shared accommodations, in each of the following cities (i) Calgary, (ii) Guelph, (iii) Hamilton, (iv) Kingston, (v) London, (vi) Montreal, (vii) Toronto, (viii) Vancouver, (ix) Winnipeg; (d) what has been the average percentage increase in student housing costs (on and off-campus) between 2014 and 2024, broken down by city and province; (e) what data has the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation collected specifically regarding student housing shortages in the past five years; (f) how many federal dollars have been allocated toward the construction, subsidy, or support of student housing annually since 2015; (g) what federal programs currently exist to support students facing housing insecurity, and how many students accessed each program in the last academic year; (h) has the government conducted any consultations with student unions, post-secondary institutions, or provincial ministries regarding affordable student housing since 2022 and, if so, what were the results for each year since 2022; (i) what projections or studies does the government possess concerning the future supply and demand of student housing at Canada's 10 largest post-secondary institutions; (j) what is the government's estimate of the average number of hours worked per week by post-secondary students during the academic year from 2014 to 2024, and what was the average hourly wage during those years; (k) what was the average amount a student could earn through full-time summer employment in each year from 2014 to 2024; (l) what is the estimated percentage of an average student's income that was required to cover rent and housing costs in each year from 2014 to 2024; (m) what is the government's assessment of student-specific inflation, covering housing, tuition, food, and transit, compared to the general Consumer Price Index over the past 10 years; (n) what has been the average student debt at graduation for bachelor's degree holders in each province from 1995 to 2024; (o) why is the average student debt at graduation higher in the Maritime provinces compared to the rest of Canada; (p) what has been the average federal financial assistance (adjusted for inflation) provided per student annually from 1995 to 2024, broken down by (i) need-based grants, (ii) tax credits, (iii) education savings grants, (iv) government loans; (q) what has been the total annual cost to the taxpayer of providing federal student financial assistance in each of the last 30 years; (r) what data has the government collected on the outcomes of student aid recipients, including (i) employment rates within one year of graduation, (ii) post-graduation taxable income after one, five, and 10 years, (iii) student loan repayment and default rates, (iv) graduation rates of aid recipients compared to non-recipients; (s) has the government conducted any cost-benefit or return-on-investment analysis to evaluate the long-term impact of student financial aid on (i) tax revenue generation by graduates, (ii) productivity growth, (iii) future reliance on government support; (t) has the government examined whether increased student financial assistance is being offset by rising student living costs, especially rent, and thereby reducing its effectiveness in improving affordability; and (u) has the government considered linking financial aid amounts to regional cost-of-living metrics in high-cost post-secondary communities?

With regard to the Secretary of State (Labour): (a) does the secretary of State have their own department and departmental budget, and, if so, what is the name of the department and the budget; (b) does the government provide the secretary of State with their own car and driver; (c) does any deputy minister report to the secretary of State, and, if so, which one; (d) what is the highest-ranking public official who reports to the secretary of State; and (e) since he was sworn in, on how many days has the secretary of State attended a Cabinet meeting?

With regard to the Secretary of State (Nature): (a) does the secretary of State have their own department and departmental budget, and, if so, what is the name of the department and the budget; (b) does the government provide the secretary of State with their own car and driver; (c) does any deputy minister report to the secretary of State, and, if so, which one; (d) what is the highest-ranking public official who reports to the secretary of State; and (e) since she was sworn in, on how many days has the secretary of State attended a Cabinet meeting?

With regard to all public opinion research and surveys conducted or commissioned by the Privy Council Office since January 1, 2024: (a) what are the details of each public opinion research or survey, including, for each, the (i) title or subject, (ii) purpose, (iii) date, (iv) vendor who conducted the research or survey, (v) contract value, (vi) methodology used, (vii) questions asked and the associated results or findings; (b) what were the total expenditures on public opinion research and surveys in (i) 2024, (ii) 2025 to date; and (c) of the surveys in (a), are the results publicly available, and, if so, what is the website link where each is located?

With regard to all public opinion research and surveys conducted or commissioned by government departments or agencies, since January 1, 2024: (a) what are the details of each public opinion research or survey, including, for each, the (i) title or subject, (ii) purpose, (iii) date, (iv) vendor who conducted the research or survey, (v) contract value, (vi) methodology used, (vii) questions asked and the associated results or findings; (b) what were the total expenditures on public opinion research and surveys in (i) 2024, (ii) 2025 to date; and (c) of the surveys in (a), are the results publicly available, and, if so, what is the website link where each is located?

With regard to clothing allowances and expenditures on clothing, for use by the Prime Minister, the Governor General or other ministers, since January 1, 2023, and broken down by year: (a) which individuals have received a clothing allowance and, for each, how much was the allowance; and (b) what are the details of all expenditures by the government on clothing or outerwear which was provided to any of the individuals in (a), including, for each, the (i) date, (ii) amount spent and the value of the item, (iii) description of the item, (iv) title of the individual?

With regard to government travel, broken down by minister's office since January 1, 2021: (a) which ministers or exempt staff have rented vehicles, including, but not limited to, car and driver services, limousine services or car services, within Canada or elsewhere; (b) for each use identified in (a), what was the (i) date of the rental, (ii) pick-up location of the rental, (iii) drop-off location of the rental, (iv) nature of the official business, including any events attended, (v) cost of the rental, (vi) vehicle description, including the type and model, if available, (vii) name of each passenger, if known, (viii) name of the vendor, (ix) duration of the rental; and (c) for each rental listed in (a), was a driver provided?