Debates of May 7th, 2013

Criminal Code

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

(Order discharged and bills withdrawn)

The House resumed consideration of the motion that Bill C-60, An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on March 21, 2013 and other measures, be read the second time and referred to a committee, and of the amendment.

Economic Action Plan 2013 Act, No. 1

[Randall Garrison, NDP, Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I listened with interest to my hon. colleague's speech. I did not hear him talk about the provisions in the budget that would drastically reduce the value of takeovers that would be examined under the Investment Canada Act.

In view of the fact that he voted against our motion to stop the Canada-China FIPA, and also in view of his leader's support for the takeover of Nexen by a Chinese state corporation, does he have any concern about this reduction in the size of takeovers that would be examined under the Investment Canada Act?

[Scott Simms, Liberal, Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL]

Mr. Speaker, always I have concerns. It happens in my riding. Corporations in my riding, and in many situations, fishermen, miners and loggers, are put in a grave situation.

However, I am not going to completely turn off the tap of investment into my area. If I did that, it would be far worse than what we have right now. If we turn off the investment in the mining sector in my riding alone, and part of the new riding I will inherit after the next election, if we do not sign onto these agreements that allow reciprocity, we will find ourselves at a disadvantage. None of that will be extracted and no benefits will be taken.

I have my concerns, just like the hon. member does, but I do not close the door completely and lock it to future investment in the area. There is no company in my riding that can extract this mineral. There is no one company that can take all this, whether it is oil, gas or logging. We need that outside investment for this to work, and yes, reciprocity is a two-way street.

The unfairness is vetted through many boards. There are certain mechanisms by which we can settle these disputes. Granted, some of these disputes do not work out for us. However, that does not mean I am willing to eliminate this whole process. That would be far more detrimental than the situation my hon. friend proposes.

[Jonathan Tremblay, NDP, Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my Liberal colleague has opened the door, and I will therefore ask him the question that I put to his colleague from Ottawa—Vanier concerning employment insurance and the EI fund.

Is transferring money from the EI fund to the consolidated revenue fund in order to pay down deficits elsewhere a form of veiled tax?

[Scott Simms, Liberal, Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL]

Mr. Speaker, would it be a veiled tax? What the member is talking about is what the Auditor General said some time ago about putting it into consolidated revenue and whether that was the right thing to do. The money did not disappear. It went into consolidated revenue.

If he is talking about an employment insurance tax on people, as opposed to keeping it in there, it becomes a premium. A tax is a tax, as my hon. colleague from the Conservatives said, whether it is a premium or whether it is through general revenue taxes, which most of the consolidated revenue comes from.

I am not quite sure where he is coming from with his question, but I would be happy to answer anything else.

I will ask him a question. If he is going to be in government the next time, will he put that $52 billion back into revenue?

[Dean Del Mastro, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and to the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I listened intently to the member's comments. He spoke about a number of measures in this piece of legislation. I know he has spent some time in my riding, the electric city, Peterborough, Ontario. I also know that he has frequented his own area. I also know that he is an accomplished weatherman. I wonder if he has read the barometer on a number of the issues in the budget, such as incentives for manufacturing, the extension and indexing of the gas tax credit for municipalities and infrastructure funding. Has he read the barometer on these and found out that they are indeed popular?

[Scott Simms, Liberal, Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL]

Mr. Speaker, I feel as if my dew point is rising.

I want to thank my hon. colleague from Peterborough. I am a huge fan of that city. It is a fantastic little place. I say little, but it is actually bigger, but it has that small town feel to it. I remember many times sitting in Haaseltons having coffee downtown. It is a great place.

What is the barometer reading for what he is talking about? It is high pressure, sunny skies; low pressure, not so sunny. It is very simple. I can see the barometer dropping as we speak.

[Brad Butt, Conservative, Mississauga—Streetsville, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to rise in the House and speak to Bill C-60, an act to implement certain measures in the budget that was presented on March 21 by the Minister of Finance.

This bill is about continuing the important work of this government on jobs, growth and long-term prosperity. This bill would implement very important measures for all Canadians, and I know it would improve the lives of people across Canada and in my riding of Mississauga—Streetsville.

At the outset, I would like to quote some of other things the Minister of Finance told the House on March 21 when he tabled economic action plan 2013. He stated:

Canada is in an enviable position among the world's industrial economies. We have fared relatively better than most in the aftermath of the worst recession in a generation. As many of our allies and trading partners continue to struggle, we are well placed to prosper.

...by sticking to the long...view...by taking strong, decisive actions whenever it has been required. We have grown stronger, even as many have weakened.

However, he went on to say:

...it is...clear to the world that Canada has picked the right path and the right plan, a responsible plan for jobs, growth and long-term prosperity.

I am proud to be a member of a government that is committed to a solid plan for the near and long term. I am proud of a Minister of Finance and a Prime Minister who have put the economy first. However, I am also immensely proud of Canadians who continue to work hard, do their best and make Canada the greatest country in the world. There is no better way this is shown than through community service and charitable giving. It has been my honour and privilege to serve on many community agencies in the city of Mississauga with passionate volunteers for more than three decades. I see the wonderful work that each and every one of them does, and I see the tremendous generosity of people who donate to these vital organizations.

That is why I am so delighted to see that this bill would implement a new super credit for first-time donors to charitable organizations, so that we may bring in thousands of new contributors to support these important services. Charitable giving promotes philanthropy and good citizenship while helping others when they need it most.

I had the distinct pleasure to serve as a member of the board of directors of the Peel Children's Aid Society and Peel Children's Aid Foundation, and I am very pleased to see that this bill would allow certain adoption-related expenses, incurred before a child's adoption file is opened, to be now eligible for the adoption expense tax credit. Our CAS system plays a very important role in adoption, and any way we can help families with the costs of this would be greatly appreciated.

I see as well that there is good news in this bill for veterans. The bill would amend the War Veterans Allowance Act to ensure that veterans' disability benefits would no longer be deducted when calculating the war veteran allowance, and the contributions for the last post fund for funeral and burial services would be doubled.

Further, this budget is very good news for our partners in the municipalities across Canada. Bill C-60 proposes to index the gas tax revenue that is sent to municipalities, which they use for important transit and transportation infrastructure that suits local needs. Our last budget made this transfer permanent, and this one would ensure that the funds would grow with inflation. This government respects our towns and cities, and works with them as true partners. I am certain that in my own city of Mississauga these important funds would help our city continue to grow and provide needed transportation infrastructure for many years to come.

As a member of the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities, I am very pleased to see that this bill proposes changes to the temporary foreign worker program, to ensure that it operates within its original mandate—to permit the use of foreign workers on a temporary basis in certain sectors where Canadians cannot fill those jobs—and to ensure ultimate accountability through a new registration and fee process. While there has been much media fanfare about the TFW program, it is still a vital system for some areas of the country and should be improved, not scrapped. Bill C-60 proposes a strengthened program with the proper checks and balances as we move forward.

There is also new support for job creators. Bill C-60 proposes changes to the mineral exploration tax credit, it would extend the temporary accelerated capital cost allowance rate for machinery and equipment, and it would modernize the general preferential tariff regime for developing countries to help Canadian companies better compete with foreign firms.

It also would provide more than $70 million in tariff relief for families purchasing sports equipment or baby clothing.

Through this budget, the Government of Canada is renewing its commitment of fiscal transfers to the provinces for equalization until March of 2019, providing them that important sense of stable funding. Bill C-60 would make a number of changes that continue Canada moving on the path of better jobs and greater prosperity. It sets an important tone of confidence and responsibility at times that are still cautious and fragile. This is not the time to propose huge new tax increases on Canadians or go on wild spending sprees. We cannot play fast and loose with Canadians' hard-earned tax dollars, and we cannot slag our trading partners and the private sector.

As we move forward, I look forward to the implementation of the new Canada job grant with the provinces and employers; I look forward to the ten-year renewal of the Canada building fund with provinces and municipalities; I look forward to the five-year renewal of the affordable housing program and the homelessness partnering strategy; I look forward to the renewal of the hiring tax credit for Canada's job creators; I look forward to new investments in innovation and technology; and I look forward to Canada's continued economic leadership at home and in the world.

It is easy for members on the other side to criticize while offering no ideas of their own, other than raising taxes and increasing spending. That is not a plan for Canada; it is a recipe for disaster.

As the Minister of Finance concluded on March 21:

Today we move this responsible plan forward, forward toward that bright future. With this plan, our government renews our commitment to Canadians, our commitment to jobs, our commitment to growth, our commitment to long-term prosperity for all Canadians.

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

It being 5:15 p.m., pursuant to an order made Thursday, May 2, 2013, it is my duty to interrupt the proceedings and put forthwith every question necessary to dispose of the second reading stage of the bill now before the House.

The question is on the amendment. Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the amendment?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

No.

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

All those in favour of the amendment will please say yea.

[Some hon. members]

Yea.

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

All those opposed will please say nay.

[Some hon. members]

Nay.

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

In my opinion the nays have it.

And five or more members having risen:

Call in the members.

(The House divided on the amendment, which was defeated on the following division:)

Vote #674

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

I declare the amendment defeated.

The next question is on the main motion. Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

No.

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

All those in favour of the motion will please say yea.

[Some hon. members]

Yea.

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

All those opposed will please say nay.

[Some hon. members]

Nay.

[The Speaker, Conservative, Andrew Scheer]

In my opinion the yeas have it.

And five or more members having risen: