Questions and responses 42nd Parliament, 1st session December 3, 2015, to September 11, 2019

With regard to the decision to split Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada into two separate departments: (a) what is the itemized cost breakdown of all costs associated with the change; (b) who between the Minister of Indigenous Services and the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs is considered the senior Minister for the portfolio; (c) according to the decision-making structure of the organization, which Minister has the ultimate decision-making authority; and (d) if the ultimate decision-making authority is divided amongst the two Ministers, what are the various areas of responsibility of each Minister?

With regard to all government funding provided through Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada: (a) which grant allocations, programs, projects, and all other means of dispersing government funds, have been cancelled since November 4, 2015; (b) what was the rationale provided for the cancellation of each item identified in (a); (c) what amount of funding had been dispensed to each item identified in (a) at the time of cancellation, broken down by year; (d) what amount of funding had been allocated to each item identified in (a) at the time of cancellation, broken down by year; (e) what are the details of any departmental reviews of each item identified in (a) when they were originally proposed, including (i) the grade or score with which they were assessed, if any exist, (ii) the viability of the programs as it was originally determined; (f) what are the details of any and all department performance reviews of each item identified in (a) once they were underway, including (i) annual reviews, (ii) quarterly reviews, (iii) reviews undertaken at the request of the Minister; (g) which grant allocations, programs, projects, and all other means of dispersing government funds have been approved since November 4, 2015; (h) what consultations took place in relation to each item identified in (g) prior to their approval; (i) what are the details of any departmental reviews of each item identified in (g), including (i) the grade and score with which they were assessed, if any exist, (ii) the viability of these programs as it was originally determined; (j) what is the stated section of Budget 2016 under which each item identified in (g) fall, if any are applicable; and (k) what is the departmental mandate under which each of the items identified in (g) fall?

With regard to the budget of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada, broken down by program and sub-program area: (a) from 2011-2012 to 2016-2017, what was the budget amount allocated, divided by base spending and program spending; (b) from 2011-2012 to 2016-2017, what was the budget amount actually spent, divided by base spending and program spending; (c) from 2016-2017 to 2020-2021, what is the amount that is projected to be allocated, divided by base spending and program spending; and (d) what are the amounts in (a), (b) and (c) that will be taken from the lump-sum dollar figure that is set out under the two per cent cap?

With regard to the dissolution of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) into two new Departments: (a) how many staff or full-time equivalents (FTEs) employed with INAC at the time of dissolution have been transferred to (i) Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, (ii) Indigenous Services Canada, (iii) another government department or agency, broken down by department or agency; (b) how many FTEs, excluding temporary summer students, are currently employed by the (i) Department of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, (ii) Indigenous Services Canada; (c) what was the total cost of internal services for Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada in the 2017-18 fiscal year; (d) what is the anticipated cost of internal services for Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada in the 2018-19 fiscal year; (e) what was the total cost of internal services for Indigenous Services Canada in the 2017-18 fiscal year; and (f) what is the anticipated cost of internal services for Indigenous Services Canada in the 2018-19 fiscal year?

With regard to the government’s closure to the public of the Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada office in Winnipeg without an appointment: (a) what is the government’s rationale for no longer allowing access to general public without a prior appointment; (b) how many clients were served at this location between January 2015 and September 2018, broken down by month; and (c) what is the breakdown in (b) by purpose of visit, (for example, obtaining a status card, etc.)?

With regard to the Department of Indigenous and Northern Affairs: what are the details of all lawsuits settled by the Department between January 2016 and December 2018, including (i) title of case, (ii) reason for lawsuit, (iii) litigants, (iv) legal fees, (v) fiscal total of the settlement?

With regard to Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada and each First Nation reserve community: (a) how many fires have there been in all First Nations reserve communities since 2006, broken down by year; (b) which communities have their own fire departments; (c) for each community mentioned in (b), which ones have functional firefighting equipment; and (d) which communities have agreements with nearby municipalities to provide firefighting services?

With regard to fire safety education in First Nations communities: (a) what materials are distributed or provided by Indigenous and North Affairs Canada to First Nations communities; (b) how much has Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada spent annually since 2005 to educate and train First Nations communities on fire safety and firefighting; (c) what amount does Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada budget annually for education of fire safety in First Nations communities; and (d) how much has Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada spent annually, since 2005, on travel and expenses for Ministry staff to inspect and report back to the Ministry on the fire protection preparedness in Canada’s First Nations communities?

With regard to the $26 million available through Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada for fire protection services for First Nations communities: (a) how much of the $8.2 million allocated for capital spending (equipment and infrastructure) has been used since 2006, broken down by year; (b) which First Nations communities have used this fund to update firefighting equipment; (c) how much of the $8.2 million was used for fire protection infrastructure; (d) what is the surplus remaining annually since 2006, broken down by year; and (e) how is the surplus, if there is one, to be distributed in the year that follows?

With regard to contracts under $10 000 granted by Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada since January 1, 2016: what are the (i) vendors' names, (ii) contracts' reference and file numbers, (iii) dates of the contracts, (iv) descriptions of the services provided, (v) delivery dates, (vi) original contracts' values, (vii) final contracts' values if different from the original contracts' values?

With regard to total funding spent by the Department of Indigenous and Northern Affairs in the last five fiscal years: (a) what percentage has been spent inside the National Capital Region versus outside the National Capital Region, including staff costs, operating costs, contract work and transfers to individuals, tribal governments or organizations, broken down by year; (b) what is the total amount spent inside the National Capital Region versus outside the National Capital Region, including staff costs, operating costs, contract work and transfers to individuals or organizations, broken down by year; (c) what is the percentage of direct transfers to individuals, tribal government, or organizations as opposed to the total amount spent by the Department, broken down by year; (d) what is the total amount of direct transfers to individuals, tribal government, or organizations, broken down by (i) year, (ii) program, (iii) sub-program, (iv) recipient organization, (v) funding amount, (vi) date funds were transferred; and (e) what is the total amount spent by the Department, broken down by year?

With respect to budgets at the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development Canada (INAC) from 2010-2011 to 2016-2017: (a) what amount was budgeted to each INAC regional office and program area, broken down by (i) program area, (ii) fiscal year; (b) how much of those amounts identified in (a) were spent; (c) what amount of the total budgeted funds were returned to Treasury Board as unspent; (d) what incentives do regional and headquarter offices have to lower their spending below budgeted amounts; (e) how many INAC personnel received financial bonuses for their work, broken down by fiscal year; (f) what were the amounts of each bonus identified in (e); and (g) what was the total amount spent by INAC on bonuses in each province and territory, broken down by fiscal year?

With regard to Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada and each First Nation reserve community: (a) how many First Nations communities have conducted an Asset Management Plan review focusing on fire protection services since 2005, broken down by year; (b) which communities have completed and filed an Asset Management Plan Report as mentioned in (a) with Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada; (c) for each community that has filed an Asset Management Plan in (a), which communities have acted on the Asset Management Plan; and (d) which communities that have acted on an Asset Management Plan have staff from Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada visited to confirm work done to improve fire protection and fire education for the community?

With regard to the answer to Order Paper question Q-616 on the budgets of Indigenous and Northern Affairs and for Health Canada’s First Nations and Inuit Health Branch (FNIHB): (a) how do the departments follow Treasury Board Secretariat policies of internal control, as well as provisions in the Financial Administration Act, if they do not track base spending and sunsetting funds; (b) how do the departments project future funding if they are not tracking what funds are sunsetting and what funds are in base spending; (c) how do the departments determine necessary additional budget investments without tracking what funding sunsets; (d) how does the Department of Indigenous and Northern Affairs provide information about base spending on the sections of its website entitled (i) National First Nations Consolidated Infrastructure Investment Report 2014-15, (ii) National First Nations Infrastructure Investment Plan 2015-2016, if it claims to not track base spending; (e) how did the Department of Indigenous and Northern Affairs calculate, in its answer to Order Paper question Q-616, the spending above the two per cent cap both for the 22% figure and the 16% figure; (f) what are the details of the calculation in (e); (g) what is the formula with which the calculation in (e) was made; (h) what is the amount of money that is the two per cent base spending for 2016-2017 that the Department used to calculate its answer to Order Paper question Q-616; (i) what is the amount of money from budget 2016-2017, broken down by program, that the Department of Indigenous and Northern Affairs used in its answer to Order Paper question Q-616 to calculate the amount above the two per cent cap the government would be spending; (j) did the Department of Indigenous and Northern Affairs use the same formula to provide the amount the Department spent above the two per cent cap for each year since 1994; (k) for each year since the two per cent cap was put in place, what amount of money in both dollars and percentage was above the level of funding that would have been provided under the two per cent funding cap as calculated with the formula used in the answer to section (d) of Order Paper question Q-616; (l) did the Office for the Coordination of Parliamentary Returns (OCPR) at the Privy Council Office (PCO) assign Order Paper question Q-616 regarding analysis conducted by the Department of Indigenous and Northern Affairs to the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs; (m) what is the title of the individual who put together the response; (n) on what date was the response finalized; (o) did OCPR assign any part of the analysis of Order Paper question Q-616 to the Department of Finance; and (p) did anyone from either the Office of the Prime Minister, the Office of the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, or the Minister’s office provide any advice or instruction regarding the response to Order Paper question Q-616 and, if so, what are the details of these communications, including (i) the titles of the individuals who provided the advice or instruction, (ii) the specific advice or instructions that were given?

With regard to the budgets of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada and Health Canada’s First Nations and Inuit Health Branch, broken down by each program and sub-program for the 2016-2017 fiscal year: (a) what amount of money has been reallocated to each program and sub-program area; (b) what amount of money has been reallocated from each program and sub-program area; (c) what are the reasons for each reallocation in (a) and (b); (d) what is the impact, actual or anticipated, of each reallocation in (a) and (b); (e) what are the identified shortfalls within each program and sub-program; (f) what amount was allocated for child welfare, broken down by where it was allocated from (i.e. Main Estimates, Budget 2016, etc.); (g) what amount of money was allocated and spent on Jordan’s Principle as of January 26, 2016; (h) what is the government’s definition of Jordan’s Principle; (i) are there any group cases for Jordan’s Principle that exist in Saskatchewan and Manitoba and, if so, which ones; (j) what process has the government used to assess that the need for implementing Jordan’s Principle is 127 million dollars per year; (k) what is the amount allocated to the First Nations Mental Wellness Continuum; (l) what amount of money has been identified as needed for the full implementation of the First Nations Mental Wellness Continuum; and (m) how many mental wellness teams have been identified as needed to reach every First Nations community in Canada?

With respect to Health Canada’s Drinking Water Safety Program, Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) capital expenditures on drinking water and wastewater infrastructure on reserve, and INAC expenditures on maintenance and operations for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure on reserve: (a) what amount has been allocated, broken down by program and by year (and, where applicable, by region), over the last ten years; (b) what amount has been spent, broken down by program and by year (and, where applicable, by region), over the last ten years; and (c) why, in applicable instances, were allocated funds left unspent or transferred away from the originally intended line item?

With regard to the audit that was conducted for the Kainai Nation (Blood Tribe) last year by KPMG, as commissioned by Indigenous and Northern Affairs: (a) what is the status of the audit; (b) if the answer to (a) is that the audit was completed, (i) when was it completed, (ii) what are the details and findings of the audit, (iii) why weren’t the audit findings made public when the audit was completed; (c) what are the details of any memos or briefing materials related to the audit including the (i) date, (ii) sender, (iii) recipients, (iv) title and subject matter, (v) internal file or tracking number; and (d) has the Minister been briefed on the audit’s findings, and, if so, when did this briefing take place?

With respect to the Child and Family Services program, the Aboriginal Head Start on Reserve and other programs offered by Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) and Health Canada for the purposes of early childhood development and early childhood education for Indigenous peoples, the Native Alcohol and Drug Abuse Program and other programs offered by INAC and Health Canada for the purposes of diagnosing and treating addictions and other mental health and wellness issues, including suicide prevention initiatives and the Mental Health Continuum Framework: (a) what, if any, concerns, vulnerabilities, gaps, shortfalls and other lacunae in funding, program design and delivery were identified by the two respective departments, broken down by program; (b) what steps, if any, have been taken to rectify the concerns, vulnerabilities, gaps, shortfalls and other lacunae mentioned in (b), broken down by program; and (c) how much has been allocated and spent for each of these programs, in aggregate and broken down by region, for each year between 2009 and 2017?

With regard to statements by the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs that First Nations band members can receive financial information of their band from the Minister’s office: (a) how many requests have been received by the Minister from First Nations band members; (b) how many requests have been received by Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada from First Nations band members; (c) how many First Nations band members have received the information requested from the Minister; and (d) how many First Nations band members have received the information requested from Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada?

With regard to the Department of Indigenous Services and the Department of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs: (a) do the departments collect data about incidence and impacts (health, social, etc.) of mold in on-reserve housing; (b) if the answer to (a) is affirmative, (i) which First Nations communities, listed by region, reported incidents of mold in housing, (ii) how many such incidents did they report, (iii) what were the reported or assessed impacts; and (c) if the answer to (a) is negative, why do the departments not collect this information and do they plan to do so in the future?