Question Period Notes
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Senate Public Bill S-218, An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act (great apes, elephants and certain other animals) was introduced by Senator Sinclair on November 17th, 2020.
On November 20, the Supreme Court of Canada will issue its decision on the constitutionality of Ontario's sex-offender registry.
Ethiopia is one of the largest recipients of Canadian international development assistance, which continues to achieve results and have a positive impact on the lives of Ethiopians.
• What is Health Canada doing to make Trikafta available to Canadians with cystic fibrosis?
The Canadian portion of the Keystone XL pipeline was approved in March 2010, subject to 22 conditions. Construction on the 1.2 mile cross-border section was completed in spring 2020.
On July 3, 2020, construction officially began in Canada, with 269 kilometers of pipeline to be constructed and commissioned in Alberta over the next three years, supported by loan guarantees and a direct investment by the Government of Alberta.
In March 2019, President Trump issued a Presidential Order authorizing the KXL to cross the Canada-U.S. border. In July 2019, the Indigenous Environmental Network and the North Coast Rivers Alliance brought forward two motions seeking a preliminary injunction and temporary restraining order to cease construction of the pipeline on the U.S. side of the border. On October 16, 2020, a U.S. District Court judge in Montana denied the motions. Other lawsuits related to the Endangered Species Act, the Bureau of Land Management federal permits, and other indigenous and environmental challenges are still pending. Construction on the Canadian side is ongoing and not impacted.
President-elect Biden has previously vowed to rescind the Presidential permit for the project.
Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline, which carries Canadian oil from Superior, Wisconsin, through the water of the Great Lakes at the Straits of Mackinac to Sarnia, Ontario, is a concern in Michigan. On November 13, 2020, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced that the state is revoking Enbridge’s 1953 authorization (its ‘easement’) to operate Line 5 through the Straits of Mackinac. The state is citing alleged violations of the easement agreement by Enbridge in operating the dual Line 5 pipelines over the years, which Michigan sees as an unreasonable oil spill risk, and is giving the company 180 days to cease operations. The Attorney General is also filing a parallel legal challenge, and Michigan’s earlier lawsuit to shut the line also remains pending.
In the fast-paced and constantly evolving marketplace to secure necessary products and supplies to support the Government of Canada’s response to the pandemic, there have been reports of wrongdoing and fraudulent activity associated with the procurement of PPE from around the world. Questions may arise as to the measures that Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) has in place to protect the integrity of the federal procurement system during this period.
On behalf of Global Affairs Canada (GAC), Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) issued a National Master Standing Offer (NMSO) to Nuctech Inc., a Chinese state-owned company, for x-ray screening equipment for use in non-operational areas in Canadian missions abroad.
What Progress has been made on pay equity?
Malicious actors are seeking to exploit vulnerabilities that have emerged in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.