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

With regard to the Conference Secretariat, in 2017: (a) how many conferences were organized; (b) what is the cost breakdown of each conference that was organized; and (c) for each conference, (i) how many external contractors were commissioned, (ii) who are the contractors?

With regard to federal-provincial-territorial meetings or conferences held since November 4, 2015: (a) what are the details of each, including (i) date, (ii) location, (iii) title or purpose of meeting, (iv) ministers in attendance; (b) what are the total government expenditures broken down by meeting or conference; and (c) what is the itemized breakdown of the expenditures in (b)?

With regard to the Zika virus: (a) what steps has the government taken to prevent the spread of Zika to Canada; (b) has the government had any communication with provinces or municipalities concerning their preparedness in the result of an outbreak in Canada and, if so, what are the details of that communication; (c) are there any special protocols in place regarding airplanes arriving in Canada from locations known to have high rates of the Zika virus; (d) does the government have any directives in place regarding spraying or fogging in the event of an outbreak and, if so, what are those directives; and (e) if there are any directives in place regarding spraying or fogging, do they include steps to protect the honey bee population and, if so, what are such steps?

With regard to the November 24, 2017, claim of the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport in the House of Commons that Canadians expect a government to come out with legislation that is multi-jurisdictional: (a) does the Attorney General concur with the Parliamentary Secretary’s assertion; (b) is it the government’s position that the laws passed by the Parliament of Canada are not limited to the constitutional jurisdiction of Parliament; (c) has the present government proposed bills which would legislate beyond the constitutional jurisdiction of Parliament; and (d) if the answer to (c) is affirmative, which bills are they and what are their extra-jurisdictional provisions?

With regard to Phase 1 and the second Long-Term Infrastructure Plan under the New Infrastructure Plan undertaken by Infrastructure Canada: (a) what provinces and territories have submitted lists of priorities or projects to be funded under Phase 1 and for each, (i) what is the itemized list of projects and priorities from each province and territory, (ii) how many of the projects listed in (a)(i) have been approved for funding, (iii) what is the federal contribution for each project or priority listed under (a)(ii), (iv) what is the construction start date of each project or priority listed under (a)(ii) if such a date has already passed; (b) what provinces and territories have submitted lists of priorities or projects to be funded under the Public Transit: Faster Commutes and Innovative Communities program under the Long-Term Infrastructure Plan, including (i) the itemized list of projects or priorities from each province and territory, (ii) the number of the projects listed in (b)(i) that have been approved for funding, (iii) the federal contribution for each project or priority listed under (b)(ii); (c) what provinces and territories have submitted lists of priorities or projects to be funded under the Green Infrastructure: Clean Air, Clean Water program under the Long-Term Infrastructure Plan, including (i) the itemized list of projects or priorities from each province and territory, (ii) the number of the projects listed in (c)(i) that have been approved for funding, (iii) the federal contribution for each project and priority listed under (c)(ii); (d) what provinces and territories have submitted lists of priorities or projects to be funded under the Rural and Northern Communities program under the Long-Term Infrastructure Plan, including (i) the itemized list of projects or priorities from each province and territory, (ii) the number of projects listed in (d)(i) that have been approved for funding, (iii) the federal contribution for each project or priority listed under (d)(ii); (e) what amount of money has been earmarked for each project listed in (a)(ii), (b)(ii), (c)(ii) and (d)(ii); (f) what data was used to determine which projects would be selected; and (g) when will these projects be announced?

With regard to the involvement of the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs in the Muskrat Falls project: (a) does the Minister intend for the government to become the owner of the Muskrat Falls hydroelectric facility, its high voltage power lines, and its underwater cable if it has to make good on the loan guarantee; (b) has the Minister analyzed the constitutionality, especially as regards section 92A of the BNAA, of a situation where the government would own or operate a facility to produce electricity on provincial land and, if so, what were the findings of this analysis; (c) has the Department considered the possibly that, if the loan guarantee were called upon and the Government of Canada takes possession of the facility, it could dispose of the Muskrat Falls assets, including transferring them to another province or one of its Crown corporations, without the approval of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador; (d) if the answer to (c) is affirmative, what were the Department’s conclusions; (e) has the Department assessed the consequences for Quebec of its involvement in the Muskrat Falls project, in particular the arrival of a new competitor for the export markets sought after by Hydro-Québec in the Atlantic provinces and the northeastern United States; (f) if the answer to (e) is affirmative, what were the Department’s conclusions; (g) have the Minister or the Department contacted the Government of Quebec regarding this file, and what have they done to address the issues identified by the Quebec National Assembly in its unanimous resolutions of April 6, 2011, and November 30, 2012; and (h) has the government discussed with the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador the possibility of authorizing infrastructure to transport electricity across Quebec’s territory?