Questions and responses 41st Parliament, 1st session June 2, 2011, to September 13, 2013

With regard to lobbying activities: (a) what knowledge did the government have regarding the lobbying activities of (i) Groupe Pacific, (ii) Michael Bedzow, (iii) Suzanne Deschamps, (iv) Pacific International Inc. prior to its awarding of a $177,000 grant from the federal EQuilibrium Communities Initiatives; (b) were the previously identified four entities registered as lobbyists with the government prior to the awarding of the EQuilibrium Communities Initiatives grant; (c) what actions has the government taken since these four previously named entities activities in Quebec were recognized as unregistered lobbying; (d) why did the government award a grant to that project; (e) what analysis and research has the government engaged in regarding the Meadowbrook Golf Course area; and (f) what kind of oversight mechanisms does the government have over grants such as EQuilibrium Communities Initiatives to ensure the government does not provide support and funding to projects that run contrary to recommendations of municipal and provincial entities including but not limited to the (i) Office de Consultation Publique de Montréal, (ii) Urban Agglomeration Council?

With regard to contracts and costs associated with the Prime Minister’s office (PMO) and ministerial exempt staff: (a) how much is paid to Nigel Wright or any company of which he was a proprietor or partner; (b) did the PMO hold an open tender for Dimitri Soudas’ job or was the contract untendered; (c) how much did the PMO spend on (i) Canada’s Economic Action Plan, (ii) the G8 and G20 summits, (iii) Canadian television productions; (d) what contracts has the PMO signed with Ezra Levant or any registered lobbyist, government relations or public opinion firm in the last five years, if any, (i) for how much money (individually and in total), (ii) what was provided in return, (iii) which of these contracts were put out for open competition and which were not; and (e) how many untendered contracts have been signed in the last five years, and, if the PMO or Minister’s office has signed any such contract, (i) with whom, (ii) for how much money (individually and in total), (iii) what was obtained for each of these contracts?