Debates of Sept. 15th, 2025

Question No.218—

[Cathay Wagantall, Conservative, Yorkton—Melville, SK]

With regard to the recommendations in Health Canada’s publication through the National Advisory Committee on Immunization titled, “Vaccination and pregnancy: COVID-19”: (a) how do these recommendations differ from the May 27, 2025, announcement by the United States of America’s Health and Human Services, stating the COVID-19 vaccine would no longer be included in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommended immunization schedule for healthy pregnant women and healthy children (herein referred to as “cohort”) citing “mixed data” on booster safety and efficacy for pregnant women while seeking stricter clinical trials for vaccine approvals in healthy individuals under 65; (b) did communications occur, related to the Health and Human Services announcement, between Health Canada, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization or the Public Health Agency of Canada and (i) Health and Human Services, (ii) the United States of America’s Food and Drug Administration, (iii) the United States’Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (iv) the United Kingdom’s Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, (v) the European Medical Agency; (c) if the answer to (b) is affirmative, what (i) were the dates of the communications, (ii) were the modes of communications, (iii) were the names and titles of people included in the communications, (iv) was the outcome; (d) to Health Canada's knowledge, did the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency or the European Medical Agency agree with Health Canada’s recommendations for the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine to this cohort; (e) does Health Canada, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization or the Public Health Agency of Canada have mixed data regarding booster safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine in this cohort, and, if so, how does this impact the risk-benefit analysis; (f) is Health Canada , the Public Health Agency of Canada or the National Advisory Committee on Immunization including the same or different data than the United States of America’s Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the decision to continue recommending the COVID-19 vaccines for this cohort; (g) what clinical trials or data is Health Canada, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization and the Public Health Agency of Canada including in their decision that gives them confidence to continue recommending these vaccines that differs from the United States of America’s Health and Human Services, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; (h) is Health Canada planning to request stricter clinical trials for vaccine approvals in healthy individuals under 65 in the future, and, if not, why not; (i) if the answer to (h) is affirmative, what additional vaccine clinical trial requirements will be needed for approval; (j) are there plans to change the recommendations with respect to the COVID-19 vaccine in this cohort; and (k) if the answer to (j) is affirmative, when will these recommendations be announced, and what will they include?

(Return tabled)

Question No.220—

[Leslyn Lewis, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

With regard to the government’s road infrastructure plans and policies: (a) what is the government’s current policy with regard to funding new road infrastructure; (b) what are the details of all analyses that have been conducted since 2016 by the Department of the Environment and the Department of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities with regard to Canada’s road networks and future road network needs, including, for each, the (i) date of the analysis, (ii) sources of data used, (iii) methodology used, (iv) details of any third party reports or public consultations that took place to inform the analysis, (v) summary of the analysis, (vi) policy recommendations made in the analysis; (c) has the government done any analysis on the economic value of current and future road infrastructure, and, if so, what are the results of those analyses; (d) what policy decisions were made based on these analyses, including any decisions to reduce or change government investments in road infrastructure; (e) since 2016, how much has the government invested in road infrastructure across Canada, broken down by (i) year, (ii) province, (iii) type of investment, (iv) program through which the funding flowed; (f) how much is the government forecasting to spend on road infrastructure going forward, broken down by (i) year, (ii) province, (iii) type of investment, (iv) program through which the funding would flow; (g) does the government have any analysis indicating that any road infrastructure or highways under its jurisdiction are not in good condition or are not meeting safety standards; and (h) if the answer to (g) is affirmative, what is the government doing to ensure the safety and quality of federal road infrastructure?

(Return tabled)

Question No.221—

[Leslyn Lewis, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

With regard to the government’s investments in the Aspire Food Group’s cricket facility in London: (a) how much in federal funding has the government announced for the Aspire facility to date; (b) how much funding has been disbursed to Aspire to date; (c) what is the government’s analysis of the return on investment for the millions invested in the facility, both short-term and long-term; (d) what are the key government priorities and long-term objectives that are achieved with this investment; (e) what economic or business case analyses did the government undertake before investing in the facility, and what are the results of those analyses; (f) what are the government’s analyses of the current market demand for insect protein, including specifically for human consumption; (g) is the government aware that Aspire has cut two-thirds of its workforce and is retooling its facility, and, if so, when did it become aware; (h) what measures, if any, has the government put in place to ensure their investment in the Aspire facility pays off for taxpayers regardless of the company’s wellbeing, for example, did the government include access to the value of the property or other assets in the event of insolvency as part of the conditions of the investment; and (i) what plans does the government have to invest in other insect processing facilities?

(Return tabled)

Question No.222—

[Leslyn Lewis, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

With regard to Canada’s obligations under the World Health Organization’s International Health Regulations: (a) since 2016, what work has the government undertaken to create National International Health Regulations Focal Points in order to implement the International Health Regulations within Canada; (b) what are the details of all National Focal Points within Canada, including, for each, the (i) location, (ii) mandate, (iii) number of employees or full-time equivalents, (iv) operational budget, (v) date of establishment; (c) for National Focal Points within Canada, what is the breakdown of employees by nationality; (d) what plans does the government have to establish additional National Focal Points and what are the details, including (i) their location, (ii) their mandate, (iii) the resources (personnel, funding, assets) allocated to them; (e) what is the frequency of communications between the National Focal Points and the (i) World Health Organization, (ii) Pan American Health Organization; (f) what act, including clause and section, enabled the (i) designation of National Focal Points, (ii) relationship between the National Focal Points and the Pan American Health Organization, (iii) relationship between the National Focal Points and the World Health Organization; (g) does Canada have a regional office or National Focal Point located at the Pan American Health Organization headquarters in Washington, D.C., and, if so, what is the work of that office or focal point; (h) as per article 4 of the International Health Regulations, what measures is Canada taking, or what measures will Canada take, to implement the International Health Regulations' National Focal Points regulations, including any adjustments to domestic legislative and administrative arrangements; (i) what is the role of the Pan American Health Organization in Canada and what are the programs and initiatives that Canada and the Pan American Health Organization are working on; (j) what are the roles of other government agencies and departments in working with the World Health Organization or the Pan American Health Organization; and (k) what is the reporting hierarchy in relation to the World Health Organization, National Focal Points, the Pan American Health Organization, the Minister of Health, the Privy Council Office, the Office of the Prime Minister and the Chief Medical Officers of Health in the provinces and territories?

(Return tabled)

Question No.223—

[Dean Allison, Conservative, Niagara West, ON]

With regard to COVID-19 mRNA vaccine safety and efficacy: (a) has Health Canada reviewed the peer-reviewed, published scientific article by Hulscher N, Alexander P E., Amerling R, Gessling H, Hodkinson R, Makis W et al. titled “A Systematic Review Of Autopsy Findings In Deaths After COVID-19 Vaccination”, Science, Public Health Policy and the Law. 2024 Nov 17; v5.2019-2024; (b) what is Health Canada’s assessment of the study referred to in (a); (c) which department or agency makes the final determination about causality when a family member makes a vaccine injury death claim through the Vaccine Injury Support Program; (d) how many death claims relating to the COVID-19 vaccines have been made to the Vaccine Injury Support Program to date; (e) how many death claims relating to the COVID-19 vaccines have been accepted as being causally related; (f) how many death claims relating to the COVID-19 vaccines have been paid through the Vaccine Injury Support Program and what is that total amount paid out; (g) is an autopsy required in the case of a vaccine injury death claim; (h) if the answer to (f) is affirmative, what specialized immunohistochemistry is required to prove causation in the event of an mRNA vaccine injury death; (i) has Health Canada considered mandating autopsies with appropriate immunohistochemistry staining for sudden deaths; and (j) for the years 2019 to 2024, what is the excess all-cause mortality, broken down by year and reason for mortality?

(Return tabled)

Question No.226—

[Mario Beaulieu, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

With regard to the Treasury Board Secretariat and the Privy Council Office: what is the proportion of the federal public service whose first official language spoken is English or French among (i) the general public service, (ii) deputy and associate deputy ministers, (iii) positions at the EX-03, EX-04 and EX-05 executive levels, based on the most recent data available, indicating the date in each case?

(Return tabled)

Question No.227—

[Mario Beaulieu, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

With regard to the Treasury Board Secretariat and the Privy Council Office: how many unilingual English-speaking positions not requiring knowledge of French, unilingual French-speaking positions and bilingual positions exist in the federal public service, in Quebec, specifying the institution (department, branch, board, organization, agency, corporation, Canada Post, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, etc.) and the location (including the Outaouais region of Quebec)?

(Return tabled)

Question No.230—

[Leslyn Lewis, Conservative, Haldimand—Norfolk, ON]

With regard to the Action Committee on Court Operations in Response to COVID-19 (the “Action Committee”) co-chaired by Chief Justice Richard Wagner and former Minister of Justice and Attorney General David Lametti: (a) who were the originators of the idea for the Action Committee; (b) what were the terms of reference and mandate of this Action Committee; (c) given the Action Committee’s membership included high-level representatives from the executive branch of the federal government (Department of Justice Canada, Public Health Agency of Canada) and the judicial branch (Supreme Court of Canada, provincial courts), what measures were implemented to protect the separation of powers and judicial independence; (d) what measures were taken to prevent judges on the Action Committee and across Canada from being pressured to act as advocates for the federal government’s policies, as opposed to independent arbiters of fact and law; (e) given the Action Committee’s mandate centred on administrative procedures rather than judicial decision-making, why did its membership include judges, rather than just court administrators; (f) what influence, if any, did British Columbia’s Justice COVID-19 Response Group and Cross-Jurisdictional Technical Advisory Group have on the Action Committee’s formation, deliberations, and recommendations; (g) what metrics or criteria were the participating judges given in order to prevent bias on factual or legal issues surrounding COVID-19; (h) what were the procedures in place to identify and manage financial, personal or political conflicts of interest among the Action Committee’s members and direct participants; (i) what specific conflicts of interest were identified and with whom; (j) which law firms participated, either directly or indirectly, in the Action Committee; (k) did the Action Committee consider, discuss or address (i) the topics of “misinformation,” “disinformation” or “malinformation” related to court operations, judicial decision-making or any other context, (ii) the use of judicial notice in legal challenges related to COVID-19 or the pandemic response, (iii) the implementation of mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policies or restrictions for court users, staff or judges and any exemptions from such policies; (l) what actions were taken or processes put in place to ensure that legal cases related to COVID-19 were decided based on a review of all the evidence put before the presiding court, notwithstanding (i) any information or advice provided to the Action Committee by the executive branch (Department of Justice Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada, Health Canada, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization, the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety), (ii) any information or guidance provided to the courts by the Action Committee; (m) were concerns raised at any time, either internally or externally, over any aspect of the Action Committee’s (i) creation, membership, processes, independence, politicization, bias, conflicts of interest, (ii) discussion or actions around issues of public health restrictions, mask and vaccine mandates and exemptions, or the taking of judicial notice in COVID-related cases, and, if so, what were the concerns; (n) what was the communication protocol of the Action Committee to provide direction or make recommendations to courts, regulatory bodies or associations; (o) what were those communications and their dates; (p) were cases delayed waiting for information from the Action Committee; (q) did the Action Committee recommend the restriction on access to judicial chambers based on COVID-19 vaccination status; (r) who or what entities received advice or recommendations from the Action Committee; and (s) did the Action Committee set forth any requirements or guidelines to Crown prosecutors for criminal prosecutions related to harms resulting from the government’s COVID-19 pandemic response, or for handling private prosecutions that may arise from harm, negligence or other allegations?

(Return tabled)

Question No.231—

[Dan Mazier, Conservative, Riding Mountain, MB]

With regard to the Canadian Dental Care Plan: (a) what is the average cost per patient, per year, since the program’s inception; (b) what is the projected average cost per patient, per year, for each of the next five fiscal years; (c) what are the total number of claims submitted to date, and, of these, how many were denied under (i) Schedule A, (ii) Schedule B; (d) for any rejected or denied claims in (c), what is the breakdown of the (i) number, (ii) types, of treatments denied under each schedule, along with the reasons for denial; (e) what is the total number of pre-authorization requests submitted under the Canadian Dental Care Plan; (f) of the requests in (e), how many have been rejected, including the reasons for rejection; (g) what is the average time between a dental office submitting a pre-authorization request and receiving a decision (approval or denial); (h) what has been the longest adjudication time recorded to date, including the type of request; (i) how many Canadians have withdrawn from the Canadian Dental Care Plan since its launch; (j) what is the number of providers who have withdrawn from the Canadian Dental Care Plan since its launch; (k) what is the total administrative cost of delivering the Canadian Dental Care Plan since inception, including all payments to third-party administrators; and (l) what is the number of new Canadian Dental Care Plan patients approved since the program’s expansion to individuals aged 18 to 64?

(Return tabled)

Question No.232—

[Jacob Mantle, Conservative, York—Durham, ON]

With regard to enforcement actions and associated federal funding by the Canada Border Services Agency aimed at intercepting stolen vehicles at Canadian ports and railyards since January 1, 2022: (a) how many stolen vehicles were intercepted and detained by the Canada Border Services Agency in each calendar quarter, broken down by Canada Border Services Agency region; (b) for each quarter, how many interceptions resulted from police referrals versus Canada Border Services Agency-initiated detections; (c) what was the total value of intercepted vehicles at point of seizure, broken down by quarter and region; (d) what total amount has been allocated to the Canada Border Services Agency for vehicle-theft interdiction, including personnel, equipment, scanners, mobile units, training, intelligence stations and related measures, broken down by fiscal year and category of expenditure; (e) how much of the funding allocated in each fiscal year remains unspent, re-allocated or carried forward into subsequent fiscal years; (f) for each equipment or technology purchase, including X-ray container scanners, what are the details of each purchase, including the (i) date, (ii) vendor, (iii) cost, (iv) description of the item, (v) volume, (vi) operation deployment date, (vii) current functionality status; (g) how many inspections have been conducted annually using newly-funded equipment, broken down by equipment type and location; (h) how many full-time equivalent Canada Border Services Agency personnel are dedicated to auto­theft enforcement, disaggregated by fiscal year, and what share of their time is tracked as active deployment versus administrative time or other time; (i) what performance metrics, including interceptions per inspection or seizures per staff-hour, are tracked by the Canada Border Services Agency and reported, whether internally or otherwise, and what are the quarterly results since 2022; (j) how many reports or audits have been conducted internally or otherwise evaluating the efficiency and effectiveness of the Canada Border Services Agency's auto-theft operations, and what remedial actions or findings have been documented; (k) what steps were taken to address operational deficiencies and the issue that the Port of Montreal has only five Canada Border Services Agency agents for container inspection and frequent equipment breakdowns; (l) what accountability measures and ongoing public transparency frameworks are in place to ensure that vehicle-theft enforcement funding delivers measurable increases in seized stolen vehicles versus other expenditures; (m) of the stolen-vehicle interceptions reported in each quarter, how many were based on the Canada Border Services Agency's marine cargo targeting referrals versus rail yard targeting, and what has been the annual "resultant rate" of marine cargo examinations leading to interceptions; (n) what is the current status of the e-Manifest replacement and National Targeting Centre transformation initiatives intended to automate risk targeting, including project milestones, timelines and delays, and when this technology will reach operational readiness at enforcement sites such as Montreal and Toronto; and (o) what percentage of the Canada Border Services Agency's auto-theft funding allocated in the 2024 Estimates has been spent, and how much remains unspent or carried forward as of the most recent fiscal quarter?

(Return tabled)

Question No.233—

[Jacob Mantle, Conservative, York—Durham, ON]

With regard to the Canada Border Services Agency's Release Prior to Payment Privilege program: (a) as at the Release Prior to Payment Privilege program's transition period end date of May 20, 2025, at 3:00:01 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time, how many importer program accounts were enrolled in the Release Prior to Payment Privilege program, including as part of the program's transition plan or after October 21, 2024; (b) of the importer program accounts reported in (a), what is the percentage of the total importer program accounts; (c) of the importer program accounts reported in (a), how many (i) provided the required financial security and thereby maintained Release Prior to Payment Privilege privileges by the program's transition period end date of May 20, 2025, at 3:00:01 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time, and what is the percentage of total importer program accounts, (ii) imported only goods not subject to duties and taxes (e.g., zero-rated goods) between October 21, 2024, and May 20, 2025, at 3:00:01 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time, and what is the percentage of total importer program accounts, (iii) imported dutiable or taxable goods between October 21, 2024, and May 20, 2025, at 3:00:01 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time but did not satisfy financial security requirements and were removed from the program, and what is the percentage of total importer program accounts, (iv) did not import any goods between October 21, 2024, and May 20, 2025, 3:00:01 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time and were removed from the program, and what is the percentage of total importer program accounts; (e) as at the Release Prior to Payment Privilege program's transition period end date of May 20, 2025, at 3:00:01 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time, how many importer program accounts were ineligible for Release Prior to Payment Privilege; (f) between October 21, 2024, and the Release Prior to Payment Privilege program's transition period end date of May 20, 2025, at 3:00:01 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time, how many importer program accounts submitted requests for a reduction of financial security amounts, and how many were (i) granted, (ii) denied; (g) of the requests for reduction of financial security reported in (f), what was the amount of the financial security demanded by the Canada Border Services Agency and the amount of reduction requested, broken down by importer program account; and (h) of the requests for reduction of financial security reported in (f) that were denied by the Canada Border Services Agency, what were the reasons for each denial, broken down by importer program account, and what were the reasons provided to each requester?

(Return tabled)

Question No.235—

[Scott Aitchison, Conservative, Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON]

With regard to the use of temporary foreign workers in the healthcare sector: (a) what is the total number of temporary foreign workers employed in healthcare-related occupations each year since 2015, broken down by (i) nurse aides, (ii) personal support workers, (iii) licensed practical nurses, (iv) physicians, (v) other job categories, and further broken down by province or territory, and by country of origin; (b) what is the number of healthcare employers currently approved to hire temporary foreign workers, broken down by (i) province or territory, (ii) healthcare occupation; and (c) what is the number of known contract violations or complaints involving healthcare-sector temporary foreign workers, broken down by (i) province or territory, (ii) healthcare occupation, including the nature of the violations?

(Return tabled)

Question No.237—

[Brad Vis, Conservative, Mission—Matsqui—Abbotsford, BC]

With regard to the Federal Skilled Worker Program, since January 2016, broken down by year: (a) how many individuals applied to the program with the National Occupational Classification codes (i) 31102 (General Practitioners and Family Physicians), (ii) 31100 (Specialists in Clinical and Laboratory Medicine), (iii) 31101 (Specialists in Surgery); (b) of the applicants for each National Occupational Classification code in (a), how many were approved through the Federal Skilled Worker Program; and (c) of the applicants in (b), how many have been licensed by a recognized federal, provincial or territorial regulatory authority to practice medicine in Canada?