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 government expenditures on travel, hospitality and conferences: (a) what was the total amount spent on (i) travel, (ii) hospitality, (iii) conferences, broken down by each department, agency or government entity, broken down by year since January 1, 2022, including the current year to date; (b) what specific spending reduction measures or actions, if any, is the government implementing to lower their (i) travel, (ii) hospitality, (iii) conference, expenditures in the current year and in the future, as a whole-of-government approach, and broken down by the approaches taken by each individual department, agency or other government entity; and (c) for each measure in (b), how much annual savings is the government projecting as a result?

With regard to correspondence, both traditional and electronic, and including all forms (emails, letters, website feedback, direct messaging through applications, etc.) received by the government regarding citizenship ceremonies, since January 1, 2025: (a) how many correspondence items were received by (i) the Prime Minister, the Office of the Prime Minister or the Privy Council Office, (ii) the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, the minister's office or Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada; (b) of the correspondence in (a), how many items received were about virtual citizenship ceremonies, or a similar topic, further broken down by those in favour of keeping the virtual citizenship oath or ceremony, and those in favour of getting rid of the virtual citizenship oath or ceremony; and (c) what is the breakdown of (b) by manner in which the correspondence was received (emails, letters, website feedback, direct messaging through applications, etc.)?

With regard to the Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage — Local Festivals program, since January 1, 2022, broken down by year: (a) what is the total amount of investments made in Abitibi-Témiscamingue for each project holder; and (b) what are the reasons explaining why the government reduced funding for various local festivals in Abitibi-Témiscamingue?

With regard to the May 4, 2026, groundbreaking ceremony for the National Monument to Canada's Mission in Afghanistan: (a) what were the costs associated with the ceremony in total, and broken down by type of expense, including (i) transportation, (ii) accommodations, (iii) hospitality and catering, (iv) staging and production, (v) advertising and communications, (vi) security, and other expenditures, broken down by type; (b) how many individuals attended the ceremony, broken down by category, including (i) Afghanistan veterans, (ii) family members of fallen Canadian Armed Forces personnel, (iii) cadets, (iv) Junior Canadian Rangers, (v) Veterans Affairs Canada officials, (vi) Canadian Armed Forces personnel, (vii) elected officials; (c) what criteria were used to determine invitees to the ceremony; (d) which veterans' organizations, regimental associations, or Afghanistan veteran groups were consulted during the planning of the ceremony; (e) which veterans' organizations, regimental associations, or Afghanistan veteran groups received formal invitations to attend the ceremony; (f) how many Afghanistan combat veterans were formally invited to attend the ceremony; (g) how many family members of the 158 fallen Canadian Armed Forces members were formally invited to attend the ceremony; (h) were any invitations extended to the mothers, fathers, spouses, or children of fallen Canadian Armed Forces members and, if so, how many; (i) what was the rationale for including cadets and Junior Canadian Rangers as featured participants in the ceremony; (j) what were the total travel and accommodation costs associated with transporting cadets, Junior Canadian Rangers or other youth participants to Ottawa, broken down by group and province or territory of origin; (k) why were no Afghanistan combat veterans or family members of fallen soldiers given formal speaking roles during the ceremony; (l) what direction, if any, was provided regarding the themes or messaging emphasized during the ceremony; (m) which ministers' offices, departments, or agencies were involved in the planning and approval of the ceremony program; (n) which senior Canadian Armed Forces officers were invited to attend, and which attended; (o) were any concerns raised internally regarding the representation or participation of Afghanistan veterans or families of the fallen and, if so, what were those concerns; and (p) what steps will the government take to ensure that Afghanistan veterans and the families of fallen Canadian Armed Forces members are prioritized and represented during the official unveiling ceremony currently planned for 2028?

With regard to the government’s involvement in the CANSEC conference: (a) which department or agency of the government invites foreign delegations to attend CANSEC; (b) what delegations, from which countries, have been invited by the government to attend CANSEC; (c) how does the government assess the human rights records of foreign delegations invited to CANSEC; (d) has the government ever instructed the Canadian Commercial Corporation or any other department or agency not to invite specific delegations to CANSEC; (e) what type of visas are issued to foreign delegations attending CANSEC, and what is the application process for these visas; (f) have any foreign delegations ever been refused visas to attend CANSEC; (g) what is the total amount of funding provided by the government, through all departments, agencies, and Crown corporations, broken down by fiscal year, since 2015, to (i) CANSEC, (ii) the City of Ottawa for the purposes of CANSEC, (iii) the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries for the purposes of CANSEC; (h) are any conditions placed on the funding in (g)(i) to (g)(iii) in order to comply with international conventions such as the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights; (i) what is the Canadian Commercial Corporation’s relationship with the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries in preparation for the annual CANSEC conference; (j) what role does the Canadian Commercial Corporation play in promoting Canadian exports or services to foreign delegations at CANSEC and what are the details of these exports or services; (k) what role does the National Defence play in promoting Canadian exports or services to foreign delegations at CANSEC, and what are the details of these exports or services; (l) what role does Global Affairs Canada play in promoting Canadian exports or services to foreign delegations at CANSEC and what are the details of these exports or services; (m) what goods, technology and services were exhibited by the government at CANSEC, broken down by year, for each year since 2015; (n) what government employees participated in CANSEC, each year since 2015, and what are the details, including, for each, their (i) name, (ii) position, (iii) department, agency or Crown corporation; and (o) of the participants in (n), which were listed as speakers on the official agenda?