Questions and responses 45th Parliament, 1st session May 26, 2025, to present

With regard to the Capital Budgeting Framework introduced in Budget 2025 and its use in calculating the government's operating budget fiscal anchor: (a) what expenditure, program, transfer, subsidy, tax expenditure or other measure is classified, wholly or partly, as capital investment under the framework, including, for each, (i) its name and description, (ii) the responsible department, agency or organization, (iii) its category within the framework, (iv) the amount attributed to capital investment and the amount attributed to operating spending, separately for each fiscal year covered by Budget 2025 and the Spring Economic Update 2026, (v) its corresponding accounting treatment under the Canadian public sector accounting standards, including whether it is recognized as an expense, a reduction in revenue or a capital asset, (vi) its treatment under the System of National Accounts, where assessed, (vii) the date its classification under the framework was approved, (viii) any subsequent changes to that classification, including the dates, amounts affected and reasons; (b) for each measure identified in (a), what is the rationale for its classification as capital investment, including (i) how the conditionality and linkage criteria were assessed and satisfied, (ii) whether both criteria were required and, if not, which criterion was sufficient, (iii) the assets or capital formation expected to result and who would own or control those assets, (iv) where only part of a measure qualifies, the method used to determine the qualifying amount; (c) what are the names and titles of those who approved (i) the framework's definitions and classification criteria, (ii) each classification identified in (a); (d) what are the details of all records that were prepared or relied upon in developing the framework or determining the classifications identified in (a), including, for each, (i) the date, (ii) the title, (iii) the file number, (iv) the type of document, (v) the sender, (vi) the recipients, (vii) a summary of the contents; (e) what are the details of any methodology, guidance, decision rules or mapping documents which govern these classifications, including, for each, (i) the date, (ii) the title, (iii) the file number, (iv) the type of document, (v) the sender, (vi) the recipients, (vii) a summary of the contents; (f) how does the government assess whether the application and comparable measures are consistent across departments, agencies, and other government entities; (g) what is the detailed reconciliation, by measure and fiscal year, between the framework's capital investment and operating balance totals and the corresponding budget figures presented on a public sector accounting basis, including all adjustments, exclusions and differences in treatment necessary to reproduce those totals; (h) what are the details of all reconciliation tables, crosswalks, datasets or calculation files which support the reconciliation in (g), including, for each, (i) the date, (ii) the title, (iii) the file number, (iv) the type of document, (v) the sender, (vi) the recipients, (vii) a summary of the contents, (viii) the date on which it was provided to the Parliamentary Budget Office, if it was provided, (ix) where and when it was published, if it was published; and (i) what actions have been taken, or are planned, to address the Parliamentary Budget Officer's findings concerning classifications that appear contradictory and the inability to independently replicate the classifications using public information, and what is the timeline and the titles of the responsible officials associated with each action?

With regard to the government's mandatory minimum target of awarding 5% of the total value of federal contracts to Indigenous businesses, since the 2022-23 fiscal year, broken down by fiscal year: (a) what was the total dollar value reported as contributing toward the 5% target; (b) of the amount in (a), what was the value of work actually performed by (i) Indigenous businesses, (ii) non-Indigenous subcontractors or joint venture partners; (c) what was the total value of contracts counted toward the target that were awarded through joint ventures between Indigenous and non-Indigenous businesses; (d) how many contracts, and what total value, were counted toward the target where the supplier was subsequently (i) determined to be non-compliant with Procurement Strategy for Indigenous Business requirements, (ii) removed from the Indigenous Business Directory, (iii) found not to have been registered on the Indigenous Business Directory at the time of contract award; (e) how many contracts, and what total value, were incorrectly reported as Indigenous procurement and subsequently corrected or removed from the government's reporting; and (f) if the target was calculated based solely on the value of work actually performed by eligible Indigenous businesses, what percentage of total federal procurement would have qualified in each fiscal year?

With regard to the government's commitment to reduce spending on management consultants and the professional-services procurement measures introduced in July 2025: (a) what fiscal year and amount constitute the baseline for the government's 20% reduction target; (b) for each department or agency, what was the management consulting expenditure in (i) 2024-25, (ii) 2025-26; (c) for each department or agency, what is the projected management consulting expenditure for 2026-27; (d) since July 1, 2025, how many professional-services contracts, and of what total value, have been awarded using an outcomes-based model; and (e) how many task or time-based contracts exceeding $20 million have been awarded, including the value and reason for each exception?

With regard to government funding for rail and the Prime Minister's announcement on September 3, 2026, about $4.7 billion for VIA Rail to acquire and maintain 313 new passenger rail cars from Alstom: (a) what are the details of the original funding envelope approved for the Long Distance, Regional, and Remote program in or in connection with Budget 2024; (b) what are the details of any subsequent increases, including their amounts, dates, reasons and approving authorities; (c) what is the complete projected all-in cost and maximum federal financial exposure, broken down by (i) passenger cars, (ii) locomotives, (iii) facilities, (iv) infrastructure, (v) maintenance and technical support, (vi) spare parts, (vii) project management, (viii) all other expenditures; (d) what are the details, including the results, of any independent cost estimate, market-price assessment, international benchmarking, market-sounding, should-cost or value-for-money analysis completed before the Alstom contract was awarded, including the comparators used and any adjustments made for differences in scope and specifications; (e) what is the number and unit price of each of the nine passenger-car configurations, as well as the portions of the Alstom contract attributable to design, testing, technical support, spare parts and other non-car components; (f) what was the number of compliant final bids received, and did Alstom submit the lowest-priced compliant bid; (g) how did Alstom's bid compare with the other compliant bids and the government's pre-procurement cost estimate; (h) who prepared or commissioned the analysis supporting the claimed $1.6 billion in Canadian economic benefits, and what was the methodology, assumptions, timeframe and breakdown of benefits; (i) did (i) the government, (ii) VIA Rail, independently review or validate the $1.6 billion claim before citing it publicly, and, if so, how; and (j) of the approximately 670 direct jobs claimed, how many are new positions and how many are existing positions being maintained, and how long is each of the jobs' expected duration?

With regard to the government sanctions on Myanmar: (a) how many and which individuals, organizations, and firms associated with the Tatmadaw are currently sanctioned by the government, broken down by (i) individuals directly employed by, or holding leadership positions within, the Tatmadaw, (ii) individuals associated with paramilitary organizations aligned or associated with the Tatmadaw, (iii) organizations and firms with links to the Tatmadaw, (iv) firms with business operations in Myanmar; (b) have there been any studies conducted that have examined the possibility of expanding sanctions against the Tatmadaw and associated individuals and organizations, and, if so, what are the details of each study; (c) has there been a measurable impact of Canadian and international sanctions on the ability of the Tatmadaw to conduct combat operations, and, if so, what is the impact; and (d) has the government assessed the links between the conflict in Myanmar and the illegal drug trade in Canada, and, if so, what are those links?

With regard to leftover food at facilities owned, run or operated by government departments, agencies, Crown corporations or other government entities: (a) what are the details of all venues or operations that produce or serve food, including the (i) location, (ii) name, (iii) type of establishment (restaurant, canteen, etc.); (b) what is the total volume of leftover food each year, in total and broken down by each venue or operation; (c) how much and what percentage of leftover food is repurposed or donated, in total and broken down by each venue or operation; (d) what is the estimated volume of food waste generated by federal facilities each year, in total and broken down by venue or operation; and (e) what is (i) the whole of the government's, (ii) each venue's, policy related to food usage, repurposing, donations, and waste?