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Wednesday, November 26, 2008 (No. 7)

Questions

The complete list of questions on the Order Paper is available for consultation at the Table in the Chamber and on the Internet. Those questions not appearing in the list have been answered, withdrawn or made into orders for return.

Q-1² — November 19, 2008 — — With respect to United Nations conventions and treaties to which Canada is a signatory: (a) what is the federal government’s criteria for assessing individual provincial and territorial endorsement for ratifying a treaty or convention; (b) as of November 1, 2008, which provinces and territories have, according to this criteria, endorsed ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (the Convention); (c) what steps will be undertaken by the government to secure endorsement by the remaining provinces and territories; (d) when is the next federal-provincial-territorial ministerial meeting on human rights scheduled and will Convention ratification be on the agenda of that meeting; (e) has the Convention been added to the list of international human rights treaties and conventions that are standing items on meeting agendas of the Continuing Committee of Officials on Human Rights (CCOHR); (f) has progress on the ratification process for the Convention been discussed at CCOHR meetings and what is the status of that progress as of November 1, 2008 according to the minutes of those meetings; (g) is the target date for the completion of consultations with the provinces and territories on the ratification of the Convention within the required timeframe to permit Canada to participate fully in the first meeting of States party to the Convention, expected in November 2008, to chart the oversight committee’s future course and, if not, why not; (h) what is the federal government’s criteria for assessing individual provincial and territorial endorsement for signing the Optional Protocol of an international treaty; (i) as of November 1, 2008, which provinces and territories have, according to this criteria, endorsed Canada signing the Optional Protocol of the Convention; and (j) has progress on signing the Optional Protocol for the Convention been discussed at CCOHR meetings and what is the status of that progress as of November 1, 2008, according to the minutes of those meetings?

Q-2 — November 19, 2008 — — With respect to federal spending in the riding of Hamilton Mountain, what has been the total federal spending during fiscal years 2006-2007 and 2007-2008, itemized according to: (a) the date the money was received in the riding; (b) the dollar amount of the expenditure; (c) the federal program from which the funding came; (d) the ministry responsible; and (e) the designated recipient?

Q-3 — November 19, 2008 — — With respect to federal spending in the city of Hamilton, what has been the total federal spending during fiscal years 2006-2007 and 2007-2008, itemized according to: (a) the date the money was received in the city; (b) the dollar amount of the expenditure; (c) the federal program from which the funding came; (d) the ministry responsible; and (e) the designated recipient?

Q-4 — November 19, 2008 — — With respect to federal spending in the riding of Hamilton Mountain, what total federal spending has been announced for fiscal year 2008-2009 and beyond, itemized according to: (a) the date the money is to be, or has been received in the riding; (b) the dollar amount of the expenditure; (c) the federal program from which the funding came or will come; (d) the ministry responsible; and (e) the designated recipient?

Q-5 — November 19, 2008 — — With respect to federal spending in the city of Hamilton, what total federal spending has been announced for fiscal year 2008-2009 and beyond, itemized according to: (a) the date the money is to be, or has been received in the city; (b) the dollar amount of the expenditure; (c) the federal program from which the funding came or will come; (d) the ministry responsible; and (e) the designated recipient?

Q-6² — November 19, 2008 — — With respect to the government’s cessation of funding for the First Nations and Inuit Tobacco Control Strategy announced on September 25, 2006: (a) as the evaluation of this strategy was not completed until March 2007, on what evidence of not providing “value for money” was the decision to cut funding based; (b) as the Minister of Health, who has acknowledged the need to address the serious health implications of higher-than-average smoking rates in First Nations and Inuit populations, has given public reassurances – to the Standing Committee on Health on November 23, 2006 – that funding will be revived once a revised strategy has been developed, (i) what steps has the government taken since September 2006 to develop a revised strategy, (ii) what is the target date for the initiation of the revised strategy and its full funding; and (c) as the strategy’s evaluation document cited the absence of statistical data as an impediment in evaluation, will the collection of baseline and ongoing national tobacco use statistical data specific to First Nations and Inuit be included in the revised strategy and its funding?

Q-7² — November 19, 2008 — — With respect to the government’s actions to detect, prevent and treat Lyme disease in Canada: (a) by what standard is the accuracy of Lyme disease testing conducted at the National Microbiological Laboratories evaluated; (b) when was the most recent independent evaluation of the proficiency of this testing conducted, by whom and what were the results; (c) what are the current criteria for determining whether a geographical area is deemed to be endemic for Lyme-infected ticks; (d) what is the projected schedule of field study with regard to such endemic areas; (e) with respect to the recommendations of the National Conference on Lyme Disease hosted by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) in March 2006, (i) have the committees to develop new guidelines on surveillance, clinical and laboratory criteria been formed and, if so, when have they met, (ii) what stakeholder groups have participated in the development of new guidelines, what form has that participation taken, and when did it occur; (f) what is the government's strategy to protect canadians from the increase in incidents of Lyme disease anticipated by PHAC; (g) what is PHAC's strategy to increase (i) physicians' and other health professionals' awareness of the symptoms of Lyme disease, (ii) the canadian public's awareness of the symptoms of Lyme disease; (h) what measures has the PHAC taken in conjunction with provincial health authorities to increase professional and public awareness; (i) what are PHAC's measurable targets for the future increase of awareness and diagnostic accuracy of Lyme disease; (j) does Health Canada recommend the screening of blood for Lyme disease or co-infections such as babesiosis, as done in the United States and, if not, why not; and (k) what research projects into lyme borelia and tick-borne co-infections, their epidemiology, their possible role in the occurence of other diseases, and their treatment are currently being funded by the government and have been government funded during the past five years?

Q-8² — November 19, 2008 — — With regard to the Indian Residential Schools Settlement: (a) what steps have been taken by the government to ensure that survivors of the Île-à-la-Crosse Residential School in Saskatchewan receive compensation that is set out in the Indian Residential Schools settlement; (b) does the government have records of survivors from the Île-à-la-Crosse Residential School and, if so, how many does the department have record of; and (c) what are the unresolved issues of which the Prime Minister spoke about in the House of Commons on June 12, 2008 that is preventing the government to compensate the survivors of the Île-à-la-Crosse Residential School in Saskatchewan?

Q-9² — November 19, 2008 — — With regard to the National Parole Board and the Department of Public Safety: (a) what mechanisms are put in place to ensure a fair and culturally responsive approach to the parole boards administration; (b) are there specific considerations taken into account when Aboriginals appear before the parole board; (c) what mechanisms are put in place to ensure that there is suitable Aboriginal representation on the parole board; and (d) currently, what percentage of parole board members are Aboriginal?

Q-10² — November 19, 2008 — — With respect to the distribution of jobs in the government and all federal organizations in the National Capital Region: (a) how many jobs have there been on the Quebec side of the National Capital Region each year since March 31, 2004; and (b) how many jobs have there been on the Ontario side of the National Capital Region each year since March 31, 2004?

Q-11² — November 19, 2008 — — With respect to the square meters occupied by the federal government and all federal organizations in the National Capital Region: (a) how many square meters have been used on the Quebec side of the National Capital Region each year since March 31, 2004 and; (b) how many square meters have been used on the Ontario side of the National Capital Region each year since March 31, 2004?

Q-12² — November 19, 2008 — — With regard to section 5.2 of the Canada Oil and Gas Operations Act and the issuance of oil and gas licenses to Paramount Resources in the Cameron Hills region of the Northwest Territories: (a) what rationale has the Minister used to determine that a benefits agreement with local Aboriginal people is not required; (b) why has the government refused to discuss a benefits agreement with the local Aboriginal people; and (c) why has the government insisted that such discussions be carried out through the Deh Cho Land Claims negotiations?

Q-13² — November 19, 2008 — — With respect to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police detachments that were closed in Quebec in 2004: (a) four years later, what are the government’s plans for these nine detachments, specifically with respect to their possible reopening and to an increase in border staff; and (b) if an analysis of the positive and negative impacts of closing these detachments was done, what were the findings?

Q-17² — November 20, 2008 — — With respect to Canada's mission in Afghanistan and the use of cluster munitions by Canadian Forces: (a) does Canada use cluster munitions in its military operations; (b) do any of Canada's allies use cluster munitions in areas where the Canadian military is operating; (c) have cluster munitions been used by Canada or its allies in Afghanistan and, if so, when, and does this practice continue; (d) what assurances exist to ensure that cluster munitions are not used by Canada or its allies in Afghanistan; (e) are there any agreements between Canada and its allies explicitly prohibiting the use of cluster munitions in joint operations; (f) are there any agreements between Canada and its allies explicitly prohibiting the use of cluster munitions in Afghanistan; (g) are there any agreements between Canada and its allies prohibiting the use of certain military tactics or weapons; (h) have cluster munitions ever been deployed by Canada or its allies in past joint military operations; (i) has Canada ever negotiated guidelines for the prohibition of certain weapons in joint operations; (j) what is the government's definition of what constitutes an acceptable success rate for self-destruction mechanisms and precision guidance systems for cluster munitions; (k) how was this acceptable rate of success arrived at; (l) has the Canadian Forces destroyed all existing stockpiles of cluster munitions in its arsenal and, if not, why not; and (m) does Canada intend to procure munitions in the future?

Q-18² — November 20, 2008 — — With respect to the case JOHN GUENETTE and JOANNA GUALTIERI v. ATTORNEY GENERAL OF CANADA, FRANK TOWNSON, et al. and also the case JOANNA GUALTIERI v. ATTORNEY GENERAL OF CANADA, FRANK TOWNSON, et al.: (a) what are the total expenditures of the government with regard to these cases including, but not limited to, all legal fees, monitoring the progress and impact on public opinion of the case, in preparing communications strategies, and in preparing briefing packages for officials and ministers, on an annual basis, broken down by expenditure item; and (b) with respect to the figures in (a), how much was spent annually, on a departmental or agency basis?

Q-19² — November 20, 2008 — — With respect to Canada's military imports and exports: (a) did Canada import any products from the United Kingdom between October and December 2007 containing depleted uranium and, if so, what were these products and what were their end uses; and (b) has Canada imported any products containing depleted uranium from 2007 to 2008 from other countries and, if so, what products and from which countries?

Q-20² — November 21, 2008 — — With regard to the forestry industry in British Columbia (BC): (a) what specific steps has the government done to reduce the dependency of the BC industry on the United States construction business and to facilitate and expand the sale of BC lumber to Asia; (b) for the years 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 what is the specific breakdown of the $400 million promised in the 2006 budget to deal with the mountain pine beetle, and to stimulate new economic opportunities for lumbering-dependent communities and job retraining for forest industry workers in (i) terms of exact funds to communities for economic re-adjustsments together with the names of the communities, (ii) what are the projects and funds spent on pine beetle research and alleviation, (iii) what are the specific projects and funds spent on job retraining initiatives; (c) what money was transferred to the BC government for fire prevention initiatives for the years 2006-2007 and 2007-2008, and to pine beetle ravaged communities which are at prime risk for summer forest fires; and (d) what specific initiatives and funds has the government allocated over 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 to the at “risk for fire” aboriginal communities in BC's interior?

Q-21² — November 21, 2008 — — With respect to grants and federal funding allocated or transferred by the Department of Canadian Heritage to Arts and Culture festivals in the province of British Columbia: (a) what was the total spending given to the province, broken down by festivals for the years 2006-2007 and 2007-2008; (b) what is the projected allocation of grants and federal funding for the years 2008-2009 and 2009-2010; and (c) specifically to the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, what amount was given or is projected to fund, broken down program by program, all cultural Olympiad programs, all bilingual initiatives and the francophone village and cultural events, for the fiscal years 2006-2007, 2007-2008, 2008-2009, 2009-2010?

Q-22² — November 21, 2008 — — With respect to the British Columbia salmon fisheries industry: (a) what concrete steps has the government undertaken to the development and implementation of an ocean's management strategy given that the 10 year Ocean Management Plan sunsets this year and what particular steps have been taken with regard to conservation, including a precautionary approach to management of the salmon fisheries; (b) what steps have been taken to allocate the First Nations of British Columbia a 50% share of all fisheries, and to increase treaty settlement funds to enable purchase or buy-back licenses and allow for relocation; (c) considering the devastation the mountain pine beetle has caused to the salmon industry through erosion of watersheds, what actions has the government taken to mitigate the damage to salmon spawning beds; and (d) how much money has the government given to revitalize the salmon industry, in particular the sport fishing industry in British Columbia, which contribute a large part to the salmon industry?

Q-23 — November 21, 2008 — — With regard to the issue of Canadian Omar Khadr's continued detention at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, by the United States: (a) has the government ever responded to the question posed by the agents of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade on June 3, 2008, as reported in La Presse on November 20, 2008, of why it was not doing more for this Canadian; (b) if so, what was the content of said response; (c) does the government have any reason to believe, whether expressed in a response to the June 3 question or not, that Omar Khadr would not be subject to a fair trial in Canada were he to be returned to his country of citizenship; (d) does the government have any reason to believe that the laws of Canada do not provide adequate methods of dealing preventively with any security risk that Omar Khadr may be found to pose in this country; (e) has the government ever articulated in any documents, communications or memoranda, why Canada should remain the only western country not to call upon the American government for the return of its citizen being held at Guantanamo Bay; (f) if so, what is the content of said documents, communications or memoranda; (g) has the government ever analyzed whether Omar Khadr's conditions of detention at Guantanamo Bay would pass scrutiny under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms; (h) if so, what was the content and conclusion of this analysis; (i) if not, why was this analysis not undertaken; (j) has the government ever analyzed whether Omar Khadr can expect to receive a fair trial consistent with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms from the United States; (k) if so, what was the content and conclusion of this analysis; (l) if not, why was this analysis not undertaken; (m) in the aftermath of the Supreme Court of Canada's decision in Canada (Justice) v. Khadr, has the government analyzed whether there were any breaches of international law or Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms rights in its or the American government's handling of Omar Khadr; and (n) if so, what was the content and conclusion of this analysis?

Q-24² — November 21, 2008 — — With regard to the federal emergency preparedness funding to the provinces and territories over the last five years for firefighting equipment: (a) how much funding has the government contributed to those specific projects which involved the purchase of firefighting equipment through the Joint Emergency Preparedness Program (JEPP); (b) what is the specific breakdown of the government's emergency preparedness contributions, by province and territory; and (c) other than the JEPP program, what other funding has been made available to the provinces, territories and municipalities to specifically support the purchase of firefighting equipment?

Q-25² — November 24, 2008 — — With respect to the government appointment of chairpersons at the Employment Insurance Board of Referees: (a) how many chairperson positions are there in Canada; (b) how many of those positions are currently vacant, why are they vacant, and what is the length of time of each vacancy; (c) what cities are the vacant positions located in; (d) what is the average waiting time for an appeal hearing before a board of referees when there is an appointed chairperson, and what is the waiting time for an appeal hearing when there is no chairperson and someone has to fill the vacant chair position from another district; (e) what is the government's current policy on filling vacancies on the board of referees; (f) when does the government plan on filling vacant board of referee chairperson positions across Canada; (g) what is the renumeration package afforded each chairperson; (h) who pays the travel and expenses for a chairperson to travel from another district; and (i) how much has the government spent in the past year on travel for chairpersons from one district to another, and how much did they pay the year before last?

Q-26² — November 24, 2008 — — With respect to Canada's mission in Afghanistan and the transfer of detainees by the Canadian Forces (CF): (a) what is the total number of detainees transferred by the CF to other entities since the beginning of Canada’s mission in Afghanistan, (i) on an annual basis, (ii) over the total length of the mission; (b) of the number in (a), what is the breakdown by (i) citizenship, (ii) sex, (iii) age; (c) to which entities have the detainees been transferred; (d) to which locations have the detainees been transferred; (e) what is the total number of detainees currently held by the CF; (f) of the number in (e), what is the breakdown by (i) citizenship, (ii) sex, (iii) age; (g) what is the total number of reports and allegations of abuse of prisoners captured by the CF filed by (i) the CF, (ii) Corrections Canada, (iii) RCMP since February 1, 2008; and (h) what are the titles of each report on Afghan detainees produced by Canadian officials and their publication date?


² Response requested within 45 days