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44th PARLIAMENT, 1st SESSION

Journals No. 294 Friday, March 22, 2024 10:00 a.m.

The clerk informed the House of the unavoidable absence of the Speaker.

Whereupon, Mrs. Hughes (Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing), Assistant Deputy Speaker and Deputy Chair of Committees of the Whole, took the chair, pursuant to Standing Order 8.

Prayer

Government Orders

The House resumed consideration of the motion of Ms. Hajdu (Minister of Indigenous Services and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario), seconded by Ms. Sudds (Minister of Families, Children and Social Development), — That Bill C-38, An Act to amend the Indian Act (new registration entitlements), be now read a second time and referred to the Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs.

The debate continued.

Statements By Members

Pursuant to Standing Order 31, members made statements.

Oral Questions

Pursuant to Standing Order 30(5), the House proceeded to Oral Questions.

Daily Routine Of Business

Tabling of Documents

Pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), Mrs. Romanado (Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Emergency Preparedness) laid before the House, — Document entitled "Public Service Commission of Canada's Annual Reports for 2020 to 2021, 2021 to 2022 and 2022 to 2023". — Sessional Paper No. 8525-441-43.

Pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), Ms. Hepfner (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth) laid before the House, — Government responses, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8), to the following petitions:

— Nos. 441-02094, 441-02103, 441-02104, 441-02119, 441-02154 and 441-02155 concerning employment and labour;

— Nos. 441-02095, 441-02097, 441-02102, 441-02111, 441-02128, 441-02136, 441-02160, 441-02179 and 441-02198 concerning taxation;

— Nos. 441-02096, 441-02098, 441-02100, 441-02120, 441-02121, 441-02122, 441-02123, 441-02133, 441-02139, 441-02144, 441-02165, 441-02186, 441-02187, 441-02188, 441-02189 and 441-02190 concerning justice;

— No. 441-02099 concerning the environment;

— Nos. 441-02101 and 441-02166 concerning transportation;

— Nos. 441-02105, 441-02112, 441-02113, 441-02114, 441-02115, 441-02116, 441-02117, 441-02118, 441-02129, 441-02150, 441-02161, 441-02171, 441-02181, 441-02191, 441-02192, 441-02193 and 441-02196 concerning health;

— Nos. 441-02106, 441-02137, 441-02148, 441-02149, 441-02157, 441-02170 and 441-02199 concerning the democratic process;

— Nos. 441-02108, 441-02109, 441-02132, 441-02134, 441-02135, 441-02142 and 441-02213 concerning foreign affairs;

— Nos. 441-02110 and 441-02194 concerning business and trade;

— Nos. 441-02124, 441-02125 and 441-02126 concerning public safety;

— Nos. 441-02127, 441-02130 and 441-02146 concerning social affairs and equality;

— Nos. 441-02131, 441-02143, 441-02145 and 441-02153 concerning civil and human rights;

— Nos. 441-02138, 441-02175 and 441-02185 concerning the correctional system.

Presenting Reports from Committees

Ms. Diab (Halifax West), from the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights, presented the 22nd report of the committee (Bill C-332, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (controlling or coercive conduct), with amendments). — Sessional Paper No. 8510-441-402.

A copy of the relevant Minutes of Proceedings (Meetings Nos. 95 to 98) was tabled.

Mr. Williamson (New Brunswick Southwest), from the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, presented the 37th report of the committee, "Report 1, ArriveCAN, of the 2024 Reports of the Auditor General of Canada". — Sessional Paper No. 8510-441-403.

A copy of the relevant Minutes of Proceedings (Meeting No. 106) was tabled.

Mr. Williamson (New Brunswick Southwest), from the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, presented the 38th report of the committee, "Report 1, ArriveCAN, of the 2024 Reports of the Auditor General of Canada". — Sessional Paper No. 8510-441-404.

A copy of the relevant Minutes of Proceedings (Meeting No. 107) was tabled.

Introduction of Private Members' Bills

Pursuant to Standing Orders 68(2) and 69(1), on motion of Mr. Doherty (Cariboo—Prince George), seconded by Mr. Majumdar (Calgary Heritage), Bill C-386, An Act respecting the establishment and award of a Special Service Medal for Domestic Emergency Relief Operations, was introduced, read the first time, ordered to be printed and ordered for a second reading at the next sitting of the House.

Presenting Petitions

Pursuant to Standing Order 36, petitions certified by the Clerk of Petitions were presented as follows:

— by Mr. Small (Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame), one concerning fisheries (No. 441-02262);

— by Mr. Viersen (Peace River—Westlock), one concerning justice (No. 441-02263);

— by Mr. MacGregor (Cowichan—Malahat—Langford), one concerning foreign affairs (No. 441-02264);

— by Ms. May (Saanich—Gulf Islands), one concerning health (No. 441-02265) and one concerning the environment (No. 441-02266);

— by Mr. Naqvi (Ottawa Centre), one concerning citizenship and immigration (No. 441-02267);

— by Mr. Hardie (Fleetwood—Port Kells), one concerning veterans' affairs (No. 441-02268) and one concerning fisheries (No. 441-02269);

— by Mr. Gerretsen (Kingston and the Islands), one concerning the environment (No. 441-02270), one concerning social affairs and equality (No. 441-02271) and one concerning food and drink (No. 441-02272);

— by Mr. Cooper (St. Albert—Edmonton), one concerning justice (No. 441-02273).

Questions on the Order Paper

Ms. Hepfner (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth) presented the answers to questions Q-2265, Q-2267, Q-2269, Q-2272, Q-2273 and Q-2278 on the Order Paper.

Pursuant to Standing Order 39(7), Ms. Hepfner (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth) presented the returns to the following questions made into orders for return:

Q-2266 — — With regard to the government authorization of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines: (a) when did Health Canada (HC), the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), and the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI), receive documentation from Pfizer acknowledging the presence of SV40 enhancer promoter sequence and SV40 poly(A)tail signal sequence in their vaccine BNT162b2; (b) with respect to the documentation related to (a), (i) how can the documentation be accessed, (ii) when was it received by HC, PHAC and NACI, (iii) was this documentation obtained before or after the BNT162b2 vaccine was authorized; (c) has HC asked Pfizer about the safety of the SV40 enhancer promoter sequence and SV40 poly(A)tail signal sequence in their vaccine, and, if not, why not; (d) if the answer to (c) is affirmative, what are the risk analyses that Pfizer did, if any, regarding these SV40 sequences; (e) what amount of SV40 sequences is considered safe (i) in a single Pfizer mRNA vaccine dose for distinct age groups, (ii) for repeated vaccine injections over time per each age group considered; (f) what were HC’s regulatory guidelines surrounding SV40 sequences in a vaccine prior to 2019; (g) what are the current (relevant for the period of 2019-2024) regulatory guidelines surrounding SV40 sequences in a conventional vaccine and in an mRNA vaccine; (h) how does HC know the SV40 fragments are inactive and have no functional role in mRNA vaccines; (i) has HC verified the amount of SV40 enhancer promoter sequence and SV40 poly(A)tail signal sequence in any of the Pfizer or Moderna mRNA vaccines, including the Pfizer XBB, and, if not, why not; (j) if the answer to (i) is affirmative, what was the outcome of this verification and how was this verification done; (k) what is HC’s official position with respect to the increased risk of DNA contaminants getting into human cells, including the cell nucleus, when encapsuled in liposomes, as is the case with the mRNA vaccines; (l) how has HC confirmed with certitude there is no genetic integration (i.e. in vivo transfection into the nucleus of human cells) of DNA plasmid fragments, which may or may not contain SV40 sequences, as found in either mRNA vaccine; (m) does the publicly undisclosed presence of SV40 sequences or any other adulteration (e.g. reverse open reading frames [ORF]) violate the terms and conditions of the Pfizer and Moderna contracts, and, if not, why not; and (n) if the answer to (m) is affirmative, what are the consequences? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-441-2266.

Q-2268 — — With regard to cleantech transactions signed by Export Development Canada (EDC), broken down by fiscal year since 2018-19: (a) what are the details of each transaction, including, the (i) date of signing, (ii) country of transaction, (iii) principal counterpart, (iv) EDC product, (v) industry sector, (vi) financial range; and (b) of the transactions in (a), which transactions were intended to support (i) carbon capture, unitization and storage technologies, (ii) blue hydrogen, (iii) grey hydrogen? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-441-2268.

Q-2270 — — With regard to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and the temporary special measures for extended family in Gaza due to the Israel-Hamas war, since the December 21, 2023 announcement: (a) how many applications have been (i) received, (ii) accepted, (iii) denied, (iv) pending or under review; (b) what is the breakdown by male and female; (c) what is the breakdown by age range; (d) how many were study permits; (e) how many were open work permits; and (f) how many IMM 5992 statutory declaration forms have been filled out? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-441-2270.

Q-2271 — — With regard to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) transferring refugees to Niagara Falls, Ontario, between February 1, 2023 and February 1, 2024: (a) how many have been transferred to Niagara Falls in total; (b) what is the monthly breakdown of the number of refugees transferred to Niagara Falls; (c) which hotels is the government using to lodge refugees in Niagara Falls; (d) how many hotel rooms are currently being occupied by refugees in Niagara Falls; (e) what is the capacity of each hotel room that is being occupied by refugees in Niagara Falls; (f) how many refugees are staying in each hotel room in Niagara Falls; (g) what is the average length of time IRCC expects (i) an individual refugee, (ii) a refugee family, to be lodged in a Niagara Falls hotel room; (h) for all refugees being lodged in government funded Niagara Falls hotel rooms, without identifying names or other personal information, how many days has each refugee stayed; (i) what is the average cost per night that IRCC pays per refugee for staying in a Niagara Falls room; (j) for the night of February 1, 2024, what was the total cost IRCC paid hoteliers to house refugees located in Niagara Falls; (k) what is the average cost that IRCC pays per refugee who lives in a Niagara Falls hotel room for daily meals and refreshments; (I) for the month of January 2024, what was the total cost IRCC paid hoteliers to feed refugees located in Niagara Falls; (m) what are the countries of origin for refugees who have been accommodated in Niagara Falls; (n) what is the breakdown of refugees transferred to or accommodated in Niagara Falls by each country of origin; (o) how much funding was transferred by the federal government to the municipality of Niagara Falls to deal with the influx of refugees in the city; (p) how much funding has been transferred by the federal government to the Region of Niagara to deal with the influx of refugees in the region; (q) how much funding was transferred by the federal government to local not-for-profit, charitable, and nongovernmental organizations in Niagara Falls to deal with the influx of refugees in the city; (r) what are the names of the specific not-for-profit, charitable, and non-governmental organizations who have received federal government funding; (s) what is the breakdown of funding for each organization to date; (t) how many more refugees does IRCC currently plan to transfer to or accommodate in Niagara Falls; (u) how many refugees have moved out of government funded hotel rooms in Niagara Falls and into personal accommodations; (v) when does the federal government plan to stop paying for refugee hotel rooms in Niagara Falls; and (w) what are the terms and conditions of the financial agreement that IRCC has with each hotelier located in Niagara Falls that houses refugees and receives federal monies to provide this service? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-441-2271.

Q-2274 — — With regard to properties sold by the government since January 1, 2021: what are the details of all properties which have been sold by the government, including, for each, the (i) street address and land location, (ii) city or municipality, (iii) province or territory, (iv) type of property (residential, commercial), (v) description of property, including size of land and square footage of buildings, (vi) date of sale, (vii) price that the property was sold for, (viii) value of the last known municipal property assessment as performed by the province or territory where the property was located in, (ix) buyer? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-441-2274.

Q-2275 — — With regard to the approximately $602 million that Indigenous Services Canada spent on medical evacuations in 2022: what is the breakdown of the spending by (i) province or territory, (ii) community, (iii) reason for the evacuation (heart attack, prenatal care, child delivery, cancer treatment, etc.)? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-441-2275.

Q-2276 — — With regard to the regional development agencies, since January 1, 2020: what are the details of all contracts awarded to vendors located outside of Canada, broken down by (i) regional development agency, (ii) vendor, (iii) vendor location, including the postal code, the municipality, and the province, (iv) value, (v) description of the goods and services, including the volume, if applicable, (vi) the date the contract was signed, (vii) start and end dates? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-441-2276.

Q-2277 — — With regard to the tax rate paid by corporations to the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA), broken down by fiscal year from 2015-16 to 2022-23: (a) what was the average effective tax rate paid by financial corporations broken down by revenue (i) above $100 million (ii) above $500 million, (iii) above $1 billion in revenue; (b) what was the average tax rate paid by oil and gas corporations, and oil and gas extraction corporations, broken down by revenue (i) above $10 million, (ii) above $100 million, (iii) above $500 million, (iv) above $1 billion; and (c) what was the average tax rate paid by real-estate corporations broken down by revenue (i) above $10 million, (ii) above $100 million, (iii) above $500 million, (iv) above $1 billion? — Sessional Paper No. 8555-441-2277.

Government Orders

The debate continued.

Question of Privilege

A question of privilege having been raised by Mr. Barrett (Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes), the Speaker ruled that there was a prima facie case of privilege;

Whereupon, Mr. Barrett (Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes), seconded by Mrs. Kusie (Calgary Midnapore), moved, — That the House, having considered the unanimous views of the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates, expressed in its 17th report, find Kristian Firth to be in contempt for his refusal to answer certain questions and for prevaricating in his answers to other questions and, accordingly, order him to attend at the bar of this House, at the expiry of the time provided for Oral Questions on the third sitting day following the adoption of this order, for the purposes of (a) receiving an admonishment delivered by the Speaker; (b) providing responses to the questions referred to in the 17th report; and (c) responding to supplementary questions arising from his responses to the questions referred to in the 17th report.

Debate arose thereon.

Mr. Gerretsen (Kingston and the Islands), seconded by Mr. van Koeverden (Milton), moved the following amendment, — That the motion be amended by:

(a) deleting the words “, at the expiry of the time provided for Oral Questions on the third sitting day following the adoption of this order,”; and

(b) adding the following:

“provided that; (d) it be an instruction to the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs to study the procedure for questioning Kristian Firth at the bar of the House and report back to the House with recommendations within 10 sitting days following the adoption of this order; and (e) Kristian Firth attend the bar of the House no later than three sitting days following concurrence in the report.”.

Debate arose thereon.

Messages from the Senate

Messages were received from the Senate as follows:

— ORDERED: That a message be sent to the House of Commons to acquaint it that the Senate has passed Bill C-34, An Act to amend the Investment Canada Act, without amendment;

— ORDERED: That a message be sent to the House of Commons to acquaint it that the Senate has passed Bill C-67, An Act for granting to His Majesty certain sums of money for the federal public administration for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2024;

— ORDERED: That a message be sent to the House of Commons to acquaint it that the Senate has passed Bill C-68, An Act for granting to His Majesty certain sums of money for the federal public administration for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025.

Question of Privilege

The House resumed consideration of the motion of Mr. Barrett (Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes), seconded by Mrs. Kusie (Calgary Midnapore), — That the House, having considered the unanimous views of the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates, expressed in its 17th report, find Kristian Firth to be in contempt for his refusal to answer certain questions and for prevaricating in his answers to other questions and, accordingly, order him to attend at the bar of this House, at the expiry of the time provided for Oral Questions on the third sitting day following the adoption of this order, for the purposes of (a) receiving an admonishment delivered by the Speaker; (b) providing responses to the questions referred to in the 17th report; and (c) responding to supplementary questions arising from his responses to the questions referred to in the 17th report;

And of the amendment of Mr. Gerretsen (Kingston and the Islands), seconded by Mr. van Koeverden (Milton), — That the motion be amended by:

(a) deleting the words “, at the expiry of the time provided for Oral Questions on the third sitting day following the adoption of this order,”; and

(b) adding the following:

The debate continued.

Returns and Reports Deposited with the Clerk of the House

Pursuant to Standing Order 32(1), papers deposited with the Clerk of the House were laid before the House as follows:

— by the Speaker — Minutes of Proceedings of the Board of Internal Economy of the House of Commons for February 15, 2024, pursuant to Standing Order 148(1). — Sessional Paper No. 8527-441-43.

— by Mr. Blair (Minister of National Defence) — Response of the government, pursuant to Standing Order 109, to the sixth report of the Standing Committee on National Defence, "Canadian Armed Forces Health Care and Transition Services" (Sessional Paper No. 8510-441-346), presented to the House on Friday, November 24, 2023. — Sessional Paper No. 8512-441-346.

— by Mr. Blair (Minister of National Defence) — Reports on the administration of the Canadian Forces Superannuation Act, together with the Auditor General's Report, for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023, pursuant to the Canadian Forces Superannuation Act, R.S. 1985, c. C-17, ss. 57, 59.7 and 72. — Sessional Paper No. 8560-441-92-07. (Pursuant to Standing Order 32(5), permanently referred to the Standing Committee on National Defence)

— by Ms. Hajdu (Minister of Indigenous Services) — Response of the government, pursuant to Standing Order 109, to the 34th report of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, "Emergency Management in First Nations Communities" (Sessional Paper No. 8510-441-348), presented to the House on Monday, November 27, 2023. — Sessional Paper No. 8512-441-348.

— by Mr. LeBlanc (Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs) — Report on the operation of sections 83.031 to 83.0391 of the Criminal Code for the year 2023, pursuant to the Criminal Code, S.C. 2023, c. 14, s. 83.0392 (1). — Sessional Paper No. 8560-441-1383-01. (Pursuant to Standing Order 32(5), permanently referred to the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security)

— by Mrs. Lebouthillier (Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard) — Response of the government, pursuant to Standing Order 109, to the 11th report of the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans, "Restoring Full Accountability for Resources and Governance of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission" (Sessional Paper No. 8510-441-350), presented to the House on Wednesday, November 29, 2023. — Sessional Paper No. 8512-441-350.

— by Mr. MacKinnon (Leader of the Government in the House of Commons) — Orders in Council approving certain appointments made by the Governor General in Council, pursuant to Standing Order 110(1), as follows:

— P.C. 2024-105, P.C. 2024-106, P.C. 2024-107, P.C. 2024-108 and P.C. 2024-136. — Sessional Paper No. 8540-441-3-21. (Pursuant to Standing Order 32(6), referred to the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage)

— P.C. 2024-103. — Sessional Paper No. 8540-441-9-20. (Pursuant to Standing Order 32(6), referred to the Standing Committee on Finance)

— P.C. 2024-104. — Sessional Paper No. 8540-441-10-07. (Pursuant to Standing Order 32(6), referred to the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans)

— P.C. 2024-113 and P.C. 2024-133. — Sessional Paper No. 8540-441-16-22. (Pursuant to Standing Order 32(6), referred to the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities)

— P.C. 2024-112. — Sessional Paper No. 8540-441-1-17. (Pursuant to Standing Order 32(6), referred to the Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs)

— P.C. 2024-114, P.C. 2024-120 and P.C. 2024-128. — Sessional Paper No. 8540-441-22-17. (Pursuant to Standing Order 32(6), referred to the Standing Committee on Industry and Technology)

— P.C. 2024-137 and P.C. 2024-138. — Sessional Paper No. 8540-441-13-19. (Pursuant to Standing Order 32(6), referred to the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights)

— P.C. 2024-134. — Sessional Paper No. 8540-441-17-12. (Pursuant to Standing Order 32(6), referred to the Standing Committee on National Defence)

— P.C. 2024-109, P.C. 2024-124 and P.C. 2024-125. — Sessional Paper No. 8540-441-29-15. (Pursuant to Standing Order 32(6), referred to the Standing Committee on Natural Resources)

— P.C. 2024-71, P.C. 2024-72, P.C. 2024-73, P.C. 2024-74, P.C. 2024-110 and P.C. 2024-111. — Sessional Paper No. 8540-441-5-11. (Pursuant to Standing Order 32(6), referred to the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs)

— P.C. 2024-115, P.C. 2024-116, P.C. 2024-117, P.C. 2024-118, P.C. 2024-119 and P.C. 2024-135. — Sessional Paper No. 8540-441-30-20. (Pursuant to Standing Order 32(6), referred to the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security)

— P.C. 2024-162. — Sessional Paper No. 8540-441-33-07. (Pursuant to Standing Order 32(6), referred to the Standing Committee on Science and Research)

— P.C. 2024-121, P.C. 2024-122 and P.C. 2024-123. — Sessional Paper No. 8540-441-24-19. (Pursuant to Standing Order 32(6), referred to the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities)

— by Mr. Virani (Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada) — Charter Statement — Bill C-68, An Act for granting to His Majesty certain sums of money for the federal public administration for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025, pursuant to the Department of Justice Act, R.S. 1985, c. J-2, sbs. 4.2(1). — Sessional Paper No. 8560-441-1232-63. (Pursuant to Standing Order 32(5), permanently referred to the Standing Committee on Finance)

— by Mr. Wilkinson (Minister of Natural Resources) — Report on the state of Canada's forests for the year 2023, pursuant to the Department of Natural Resources Act, S.C. 1994, c. 41, sbs. 7(2). — Sessional Paper No. 8560-441-461-03. (Pursuant to Standing Order 32(5), permanently referred to the Standing Committee on Natural Resources)

Petitions Filed with the Clerk of the House

Pursuant to Standing Order 36, petitions certified by the Clerk of Petitions were filed as follows:

— by Mr. Ruff (Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound), one concerning health (No. 441-02274);

— by Ms. Lewis (Haldimand—Norfolk), one concerning health (No. 441-02275) and one concerning foreign affairs (No. 441-02276).

Adjournment

At 2:30 p.m., the Assistant Deputy Speaker adjourned the House until Monday, April 8, 2024, at 11:00 a.m., pursuant to Standing Orders 28(2) and 24(1).