There are two different types of interviews for PRs with PR card (PRC) applications pending. I cannot discern, from what you posted, which it is.
One type is the counter interview. Many PRs are scheduled for a counter interview attendant having to pick up their PRC in person. Mailing the card is the routine, but being required to pick-up the card in person is common, and attendant this there is an interview to verify the information. As long as all the information you provided was accurate, this should not be a problem. The questions will likely address, to some extent, your dates of travel, where you work, where you live, but this should largely be in a manner to verify what you already provided.
THAT SAID: I am guessing, and it is just a guess, that this is notice for the other type of interview. This is based on the extent to which you have obviously been
cutting-it-close. (Rest of this post will be about the other type of interview, a formal PR RO compliance examination interview.)
The other type of interview is more serious. It is part of a more formal examination to assess the PR's compliance with the PR Residency Obligation. This PR Residency Obligation compliance interview is a non-routine procedure.
One might say it is normal when IRCC suspects the PR has not complied with the RO. But that is a bit like saying it is normal to be handcuffed when arrested.
Hopefully the Canadian address you provided was designated a mailing address and NOT a misrepresentation of the address where you reside (this is a common "mistake" or "error" some PRs make; sometimes referred to as "fraud").
Most (but not all) of the questions will relate to:
-- where you have worked, and when (more or less precise from-to dates);
-- where you have resided, and when (more or less precise from-to dates, and where you actually resided, not just an address you can use or get mail through);
-- what other activities have you engaged in, and when;
-- what other ties you have in Canada (family, business, property, or such), and possibly, for comparison, what ties you have outside Canada (again, family, work, business, property, or such)
-- and of course details about actual dates spent in Canada.
Best to be prepared to be precise and be sure to be accurate. Other questions might be asked. You may be asked about any information you have already submitted. Otherwise, there may be contextual questions to get a reading of your overall credibility.
Probably a good idea to have paperwork showing what periods of time you were renting a residence in Canada (like rental lease agreement plus proof of payment), T-4s or employer letters or pay statements for times you were working in Canada; other documents to corroborate your claims as to dates you were physically in Canada.
2. Does IRCC only looks at the 5 year preceding the date of my application or does it also focuses on whether or not a person will be able to meet the physical presence requirements in the next 5 years?
The primary focus will indeed be on days in Canada during the five years preceding the date the PR card application was signed, assuming that as-of-that-date you have been a PR for five years or more. (Days since then and up to the fifth year anniversary would also be considered if as of when you made the application you were still short of the fifth year anniversary of the date you became a PR.)
However, IRCC may also consider (and
cutting-it-close, as you have, is likely to consider) how many days you have been in Canada in the five years immediately preceding the date of the interview.
If, for example, the PR was short of meeting the RO at the time the PR applied for the PRC, but has been in Canada enough since then to NOW be in compliance (as of the date of the interview), IRCC is likely to approve the application and issue a new PRC. No point rejecting the PRC application if the PR is now in compliance and can submit a new application while currently in compliance.
On the other hand, for example, if in the time passing since the date the PRC application was made, the PR has been absent and is no longer in compliance, that can result in being issued a 44(1) Report and Order of Inadmissibility (procedure for terminating PR status), for a failure to meet the PR RO . . . EVEN IF as of the date of the application the PR was in compliance.
Example of latter; PR landed and became a PR sometime prior to 2013 (or in early 2013) and the PR applies for new PR card June 17, 2018; attends an interview November 3, 2018:
Primary focus of inquiry is to determine if the PR was present in Canada for at least 730 days between June 17, 2013 and June 17, 2018 (date of PRC application).
IRCC will likely also consider, however, whether the PR was present in Canada for at least 730 days between November 3, 2013 and November 3, 2018 (date of interview).
The latter is actually the more important determination. Since it is about whether the PR is currently in compliance. And it is this which ultimately determines whether the PR could lose PR status.
. . . or whether or not a person will be able to meet the physical presence requirements in the next 5 years?
I suspect this is based on a misunderstanding of the PR RO.
To be clear, as of the fifth year anniversary of the date the PR became a PR, the future is totally irrelevant. After the fifth year anniversary PR RO compliance is ALWAYS determined by looking at the PREVIOUS five years. As noted, if the interview is on November 3, 2018, the calculation is about how many days were in Canada between November 3, 2013 and November 3, 2018.
Likewise, say you are traveling back to Canada next summer, on June 11, 2019. If you were to be questioned about compliance with the PR RO at the PoE, which is always a possibility, the officer would calculate how many days you have been in Canada between June 11, 2014 and June 11, 2019. Less than 730? That's a breach of the PR RO. More than 730? That's OK.
Leading to your third question:
3. Assuming my PR card is renewed, does the new issue date start from the date listed in my renewal application or the date they approve my renewal? And is it again valid for 5 years?
The new PRC is dated the date it is issued in Sydney, which can vary depending on how the process goes. The PRC will be valid for five years from the date it is issued. Date stays the same whether PR gets the card soon or not for months
BUT TO BE CLEAR: THE DATE THE NEW CARD IS ISSUED IS NOT IMPORTANT.
Yes, it would ordinarily be valid for five more years. But that is NOT at all relevant to the PR Residency Obligation. Even if you have a brand new PR card valid for four and a half more years, each and every day you still need to be in compliance with the PR RO based on the previous five years as of that day. So, again, if you are issued a new PRC in November 2018, and say you are traveling back to Canada next summer, again on June 11, 2019. If you were to be questioned about compliance with the PR RO at the PoE, which again is always a possibility, the officer would calculate how many days you have been in Canada between June 11, 2014 and June 11, 2019. Less than 730? That's a breach of the PR RO. At risk for losing PR status. More than 730? That's OK. The dates on your PR card will be totally irrelevant.
This point is important for you in particular. Since you have indeed been
cutting-it-close. There is a fair chance your file will be flagged even if they decide to issue a new PRC; flagged to alert border officers to screen you for PR RO compliance upon your return to Canada in the future.
