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

With regard to the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces: (a) how much funding was elapsed at the end of the 2025-26 fiscal year, in total and broken down by purpose and type of funding; (b) how much funding for clothing or uniforms elapsed; (c) what is the rationale for changing the policies related to the event dress items in a manner that forces limitations in the supply system and disconnects members from their environmental (Army, Navy, Air Force) and regimental identities by giving parade commanders the power to alter and enforce uniformity among Canadian Armed Forces members' uniforms; (d) did the Canadian Armed Forces analyze the impact that the changes in the supply system and parade instructions will have on local traditions and regimental identities; (e) under the new policy in (c), will individual soldiers be required to purchase their own regimentally distinct uniform items; and (f) what are the details of consultations conducted in the development of this policy, including in all regiments, branches and corps, and what was the feedback regarding the potential loss of identity in Canadian Armed Forces parades?

With regard to the condition of federal government buildings and workplaces and the presence of pests, since January 1, 2020: (a) what buildings have reported the presence of (i) mice, (ii) rats, (iii) bats, (iv) bed bugs, (v) other pests; (b) what was the treatment program, as well as the cost associated with the treatment, for each case in (a); (c) was there any reoccurrence of pests in the building or workplace following treatment; (d) in buildings that were found to have the presence of mice, was the type of mouse identified; (e) in any instances where deer mice were identified as being present in a federal workplace, was there testing for hantavirus; (f) what steps are taken to inform employees when a pest has been identified in a workplace; and (g) are accommodations provided to employees who regularly report to work in a building that has identified the presence of pests?

With regard to the government’s announcement on February 5, 2026, requiring federal public service workers to be in office for four days a week beginning July 6, 2026: (a) which metrics or assessments were used to determine that this policy will deliver better services to Canadians and strengthen their confidence in the public service; (b) what metrics or assessments were used to determine that this decision will assist the government in hiring the best talent across Canada; (c) how does this policy support diversity, inclusion and accessibility objectives; (d) what metrics or assessments were used to measure how this decision evolves the public service culture of excellence; (e) which internal reports, impact assessments, and records of consultation were produced prior to this announcement that justify the shift from three to four days in office; (f) what are the projected costs associated with reconfiguring or reacquiring office space to accommodate the increased frequency of in-person work, and how does this align with the government’s stated goal to reduce its office portfolio by 50%; and (g) what specific evidence or comparative analyses were used to determine that a four-day requirement provides a superior return on investment or service delivery outcome compared to the existing three-day requirement?

With regard to the current human rights situation in the Philippines and the Government of Canada’s involvement: (a) what analyses of the human rights situation in the Philippines were conducted prior to the signing of the Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement and the Status of Visiting Forces Agreement; (b) if analyses were conducted prior to the signing of the Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement and the Status of Visiting Forces Agreement, were civil society organizations consulted as part of those analyses; (c) do the Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement and the Status of Visiting Forces Agreement include specific conditions related to human rights monitoring that go beyond mere compliance with federal legislation and guidelines; (d) what is the Government of Canada’s current level of engagement with Karapatan and other human rights organizations in the Philippines; (e) if Canada’s collaboration with any civil society organization in the Philippines has been suspended, on what grounds was this done; (f) through what specific mechanisms does the Government of Canada monitor the human rights situation in the Philippines, and do these mechanisms provide for the active participation of Philippine civil society organizations; and (g) are there mechanisms in place to review the Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement and the Status of Visiting Forces Agreement should the human rights situation change, and would the resulting assessments be made publicly available?

With regard to the Paspébiac wharf, which is under the responsibility of the Department of Transport: (a) what are the details of all reports from inspections carried out on this structure since 2015; (b) what work has been carried out on this structure since 2015, and what are the costs of this work; (c) what work remains to be carried out on this structure, and what are the estimated costs of that work; (d) what action has been taken since 2015 to restore the breakwater to good condition; and (e) what reasons led to the closure of the outer part of the wharf, which was previously used for commercial purposes?

With regard to the Tourelle fishing harbour, which is under the responsibility of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans: (a) what are the details of all reports from inspections carried out on this structure since 2015; (b) what work has already been carried out since 2015, and what are the costs of this work; and (c) what work remains to be carried out on this structure, and what are the estimated costs of that work?

With regard to the issuance of new exploratory lobster fishing licences by Fisheries and Oceans Canada in area 19, located between Cap-des-Rosiers and Cacouna, Quebec, and suggestions that the sector would benefit from permission to use the Maurice Lamontagne Institute wharf: (a) what are the specifications of the Maurice Lamontagne Institute wharf; (b) what are the technical details regarding the wharf’s capacity; (c) what are the details of the most recent technical inspections carried out on this wharf; (d) what are the reasons for Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s refusal to permit commercial fishers to use this wharf; and (e) what modifications would need to be made if commercial fishers were permitted to use this wharf, and what would be the associated costs of such work, if any?

With regard to the recreational groundfish fishing seasons in the Lower St. Lawrence, in Gaspésie: (a) why, in recent years, has recreational groundfish fishing not been continuous in Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization area 4ST, but instead intermittent with a spring opening followed by a fishing prohibition lasting several weeks that varies by sub-area, but generally falling in July and early August; (b) what criteria does the Department of Fisheries and Oceans use to determine the recreational groundfish fishing season in Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization area 4ST; (c) does the status of groundfish stocks determine recreational fishing seasons, and, if so, what scientific evidence supports this determination; (d) is the availability of fishery officers to ensure enforcement considered when determining recreational fishing dates, and, if so, what has been the impact on recent decisions; and (e) are school holiday and summer vacation periods considered when determining recreational fishing dates, and, if so, what has been the impact on recent decisions?

With regard to government agreements with Pfizer, broken down by department or agency, since January 1, 2019: (a) what is the total value of all federal funds transferred to Pfizer, broken down by year and by program under which they were transferred; (b) which of the funding agreements included non-disclosure or confidentiality provisions, and what is the length of time (15 years, lifetime, etc.) for the provisions associated with each agreement, broken down by department; (c) what are the details of each contract signed with Pfizer, including the (i) date, (ii) value, (iii) description, including the volume of goods or services, (iv) duration, (v) manner in which the contract was awarded (sole-sourced or competitive bid); and (d) what are the details of all sponsorship agreements that government entities have entered into with Pfizer, including, for each, the (i) date, (ii) amount of government funding, (iii) event description, (iv) location?

With regard to the government's "Canada Strong" or "Build Canada Strong" campaign: (a) what is the total amount spent on the campaign to date, including the development, production, and distribution of advertising associated with the campaign, in total and broken down by type of expense; (b) what are the details of all contracts signed in relation to the campaign, including, for each, the (i) date, (ii) vendor, (iii) value, (iv) description of the goods or services, (v) duration, (vi) manner in which the contract was awarded (sole-sourced or competitive bid); (c) what is the breakdown of advertising expenditures by type of media and by outlet; (d) what are the details of all instances of public opinion research commissioned to support or evaluate the campaign, including, for each, (i) the cost, (ii) the vendor, (iii) a summary of the research conducted, (iv) the findings, (v) whether the results have been made public; (e) what is the total amount budgeted for this campaign for fiscal years 2025-26 and 2026-27; (f) what metrics or performance indicators is the government using to assess the effectiveness of the campaign, and what results have been measured to date; and (g) has a portion of the expenditures to date for the advertising campaign been spent on foreign media outlets, and, if so, what is the amount being spent on foreign outlets, in total and broken down by outlet?

With regard to hearing protection for service women and men in the Canadian Armed Forces and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police: (a) how much has the government spent annually over each of the past five years to acquire hearing protection devices, and what were the specific standard devices provided to service personnel; (b) what analysis has the government done to confirm that the current devices are the most effective on the market; (c) what actions is the government taking to ensure that current service personnel have the most effective hearing protection devices available; (d) what steps are being taken to ensure new recruits are provided the best hearing devices available; (e) how much has (i) the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, (ii) Veterans Affairs Canada, (iii) the government as a whole, paid out in each of the last five years to treat hearing loss; (f) what steps have been taken to hold providers of defective hearing devices accountable for hearing loss in members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Canadian Armed Forces; and (g) how much has the government paid in lead settlements in each of the last five years related to hearing damage resulting from work as Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers and Canadian Armed Forces members?

With regard to Alto (VIA HFR - VIA TGF Inc.) and passenger rail in Canada: (a) on what basis, studies, and facts was the change made from pursuing high-frequency rail to pursuing high-speed rail; (b) why has the government not pursued legislated passenger rail priority, in general or for VIA Rail specifically, on privately-owned rail infrastructure in Canada along established passenger rail routes; (c) what funding has been provided, broken down by year since 1990, for infrastructure improvements along established VIA Rail passenger rail routes; (d) by what instrument or instruments is the public release of records relating to the 2023 Request for Qualifications restrained; (e) by what instrument or instruments is the public release of intellectual property that is owned by the Government of Canada relating to the 2023 Request for Qualifications restrained; (f) with respect to the 2023 Request for Qualifications, what are the details of the independent corridor alignments, Class 5 cost estimates, ridership forecasts and revenue models, operating cost models, financial structures, financial models, construction schedules, and risk and opportunity registers submitted by each of the three shortlisted consortia; (g) what are the upper and lower capital cost estimates submitted by each of the three shortlisted consortia included in the 2023 Request for Qualifications; (h) what were the conclusions of the analyses conducted before 2023 on the financial viability of high-speed rail proposals for Canada; (i) what are the current estimates of the capital cost, net present value, benefit-cost ratio, and 30-year government subsidy requirement for Alto; (j) what are the most recent estimates of the capital cost, net present value, benefit-cost ratio, and 30-year government subsidy requirement for the high-frequency rail predecessor to Alto; (k) what is the government’s estimate of the risk levels of the Alto project exceeding $90 billion in capital costs and by what amounts; (l) on what basis does the government believe Alto’s annual ridership projections are credible; (m) what are the methodology, sensitivity ranges, and baseline assumptions used for Alto’s annual ridership projections; (n) has Alto or the government commissioned a comparative freezing rain, snow, or ice risk assessment for the proposed Alro routes and, if so, what are the details and conclusions; (o) what is Alto's planned service reliability target under freezing rain conditions; (p) has Alto commissioned a full comparative winter weather cost analysis; (q) what public benchmarking mechanism will exist to detect cost escalation in the co-development phase before it becomes irreversible; and (r) what are the time and cost savings projected for the expedited Expropriation process in Bill C-15 versus standard Expropriation Act procedures?

With regard to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and the 2026 FIFA World Cup, since January 1, 2025: (a) how many individuals granted temporary visas have been identified by risk assessment units as being associated, or potentially associated, with organizations inadmissible to Canada; (b) how many individuals granted temporary visas have been identified by risk assessment units as having fraudulent documentation; (c) how many individuals have been granted temporary visas who have been identified as having criminal records; (d) how many foreign workers submitted applications to enter Canada, broken down by (i) applications approved, (ii) applications denied, including reason for denial; (e) what criteria and supporting documentation are required to approve applicants for temporary visa; (f) how many temporary resident visas were issued, broken down by length of visa; (g) how many temporary visa applications were denied but were overruled by the minister and subsequently approved, including the reason given for overruling; and (h) how have Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and the Canada Border Services Agency been working to prepare for a surge in visa applications and screening demands?

With regard to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, since December 15, 2025, and broken down by country of origin: (a) how many citizenship applications were approved, broken down by (i) applicant citing Canadian ancestor of one generation, (ii) applicant citing Canadian ancestor of two generations, (iii) applicant citing Canadian ancestor of three generations, (iv) applicant citing Canadian ancestor of four generations, (v) applicant citing Canadian ancestor of five generations or more; and (b) how many citizenship applications have been approved in total, by way of citizenship by descent?

With regard to Iranian Football Federation president Mehdi Taj’s being denied entry into Canada in April 2026: (a) on what date was Mehdi Taj’s application for a temporary resident visa, or any other type of visa, received by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada; (b) on what date was Mehdi Taj’s application processed, and what was the initial decision; (c) who made the initial decision; (d) on what date did the (i) Office of the Deputy Minister, (ii) Office of the Minister, first receive a file noting this application; (e) did the minister ever approve or take any action on this file after receiving it, and, if so, what action was taken and on what date; (f) did the minister ever approve or sign off on Mehdi Taj’s visa application, and, if so, on what date; (g) what is the minister’s explanation for how Mehdi Taj was able to board a flight to Canada and arrive at Pearson Airport; (h) what is the detailed timeline for this file, according to the department’s internal tracking documents including who received it, on what dates, and what decisions were made; (i) what are the details of all documents related to this file, including, for each, the (i) date, (ii) title, (iii) sender, (iv) recipients, (v) file number; and (j) on what date did the government decide to revoke or rescind Mehdi Taj’s visa approval, and on what date was the Canada Border Services Agency notified of this decision?

With regard to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, broken down by country of origin, and since January 1, 2025: (a) how many applicants for asylum with pending applications or appeals are currently employed; (b) how many applicants for asylum with pending applications or appeals are not currently employed; (c) how many applicants for asylum pending applications or appeals are found to have criminal records; (d) how many applicants with pending applications or appeals for asylum were found to have committed a crime after applying for asylum; and (e) how many applicants for asylum with pending applications or appeals obtained a criminal record in Canada?

With regard to differences between Canadian and international regulation of food dyes and additives, and data related to food products sold in Canada with synthetic dyes: (a) has Health Canada conducted any review of the United States Food and Drug Administration's 2025 announcement to phase out petroleum-based synthetic food dyes, including FD&C Red No. 3, FD&C Red No. 40, FD&C Yellow No. 5, FD&C Yellow No. 6, FD&C Blue No. 1, FD&C Blue No. 2, and FD&C Green No. 3, and, if so, what were the findings; (b) does Health Canada plan to phase out any of the products in (a), and, if so, what are the details, including the timeline of such a plan; (c) what specific consultations, if any, has Health Canada held regarding international alignment on food dye and additive regulations since 2020, and what are the details of each consultation, including the (i) date, (ii) location, (iii) individuals involved; (d) for each of FD&C Red No. 3 (erythrosine), FD&C Red No. 40 (allura red), FD&C Yellow No. 5 (tartrazine), FD&C Yellow No. 6 (sunset yellow), FD&C Blue No. 1 (brilliant blue), FD&C Blue No. 2 (indigotine), and FD&C Green No. 3 (fast green), what is the most recent data held by Health Canada or the Canadian Food Inspection Agency on the (i) number of food products sold in Canada containing the dye, (ii) average concentration in products containing the dye, (iii) categories of food products in which the dye most commonly appears, (iv) date the data was collected; and (e) what are the details, including the findings, of any assessments Health Canada has conducted on the dietary exposure of Canadian children to synthetic food dyes?

With regard to temporary resident permits revoked by the government and broken down by country of origin for each of the last five years: (a) what was the number of temporary resident permits revoked, broken down by country of origin; (b) what is the breakdown of (a) by how many were revoked by (i) the minister, (ii) Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada officials, (iii) Canada Border Services Agency officials; (c) what is the breakdown of (b) by (i) single-entry permits, (ii) multiple-entry permits, broken down by less than one year, one to two years, and two to three years; (d) what is the breakdown of (c) by permits which were revoked before entry to Canada, and those revoked after entry to Canada; and (e) what is the breakdown of (d) by stated reason for revocation or denial of entry?

With regard to temporary resident permits, and broken down by each of the last five years: (a) what was the number of temporary resident permits issued, broken down by country of origin; (b) of the permits in (a), how many were authorized by (i) the minister, (ii) Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada officials, (iii) Canada Border Services Agency officials; (c) what is the breakdown of (b) by (i) single-entry permits, (ii) multiple-entry permits, broken down by less than one year, one to two years, and two to three years; (d) what is the breakdown of (c) by inadmissibility type which was overridden; and (e) for each answer in (d), were they authorized under the special temporary resident permit for victims of human trafficking or domestic violence?

With regard to assets held by Crown corporations: what are the details of all assets held by Crown corporations with an estimated value in excess of $100 million, including, for each, the (i) description, (ii) estimated value, (iii) location?