House of Commons photoLost her last election, in 2015, with 24% of the vote.
Business of Supply April 15th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, my colleague is quite right. This is hypocrisy, pure and simple.
I would also like to point out that there is a huge discrepancy between what the Conservatives say and their record on paper. Budget 2013 clearly illustrates this.
Yes, Canadian businesses are in trouble. Consumers whose taxes go up will also be in trouble. This will be very harmful for both entrepreneurs and consumers.
Business of Supply April 15th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for the question.
Indeed, eliminating tax credits is the same as a tax increase. He mentioned certain corporations. If this tax credit is no longer guaranteed, how can those corporations reinvest in our economy if the funds they rely on cannot meet Canada's economic needs?
Furthermore, I completely agree with his comments about hypocrisy regarding the new taxes being imposed on Canadians. These taxes will quite simply put a very serious strain on family budgets, and this will have a significant impact on our economy, in any event.
Business of Supply April 15th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Sudbury.
I want to begin by thanking my colleague, the hon. member for Victoria, for moving this motion. He is giving us an opportunity to elaborate on certain aspects of the budget brought down by the Minister of Finance.
During the election campaign, the Prime Minister publicly and formally promised Canadians there would be no new taxes. Not even six months ago, his Minister of Finance reiterated that promise in anticipation of budget 2013-14. Meanwhile, they accuse their adversaries of wanting to increase the tax burden and they claim to be standing up for the taxpayer. We now know that was just malarkey. In reality, the Conservatives were secretly preparing massive tax hikes that affect all Canadians.
With support from the Prime Minister, the Minister of Finance went against every one of this government's public positions and basically increased Canadians' tax burden. The Minister of State for Finance challenged us to find tax increases in the budget. We found them handily.
No less than 1,290 types of products will be subject to higher tariffs. These new tariffs on a wide range of sectors in more than 70 countries are significant: 5% more for bicycles, 11% for scissors, 3% for strollers, 6% for table fans, 10% for vinegar and so forth. There is even a new 5% tax on iPods even though the Conservatives falsely accused the official opposition of promoting such a measure. This is another example of the government's hypocrisy when it comes to economics.
Generally speaking, we are not talking about luxury items here. We are talking about standard consumer products that are used by the majority of Canadian households. It is not the importers of these products who are going to absorb the bulk of these new tariffs. It is the consumer who is going to be stuck with the bill. It is not just consumers who are going to feel the impact of this unjustified measure. Retailers located close to the Canada-U.S. border are going to see their sales decline again because of this new price gap.
This is an ironic choice by a government that falsely claims to defend taxpayers and help the economy. Unfortunately for Canadians, the Conservatives did not stop there.
In addition to these tariff increases, the government is eliminating the 15% tax credit for money invested in labour-sponsored venture capital corporations. The government got this money back over a three-year period because businesses grew and formerly unemployed workers paid more taxes. Instead of addressing the fact that Canada is behind when it comes to venture capital, the Conservatives decided to go after Canadian taxpayers.
I want to point out that the government is eliminating the preferential tax rates for co-operatives. This means that co-operatives such as Mouvement Desjardins will support fewer small and medium-sized businesses and fewer projects. This also means less money in the pockets of depositors, who are once again being affected by the Conservatives' policies. Add to that the end of the tax exemption for things such as parking and safety deposit box rentals.
As a result of these measures, taxpayers will have less wiggle room and will have to either spend less or go more into debt, which is never good news for the economy. Over a period of just five years, the 2013-14 budget is increasing the tax burden by $7.8 billion.
This burden will go from $500 million this year to $2.3 billion before the end of the decade. Between 2010 and 2018, the Conservatives will have increased the tax burden by nearly $20 billion.
The public is the government's first victim. After cutting all federal government services to the public in their 2012-13 budget, the Conservatives are now dipping into taxpayers' pockets. Now, Canadians will be paying more for fewer services. The Conservatives will have to take responsibility for this.
This government made a choice. True to form, it decided to spare major corporations and the wealthy and force the general public to suffer the consequences. The main impact of the $12 billion in tax cuts for the private sector was to increase the financial reserves of Canadian businesses from $185 billion to $575 billion over a period of 10 years. While major corporations will benefit from the Conservatives' handouts, Canadians will be paying more to live their lives. This is completely unacceptable.
Why make Canadian taxpayers suffer because of the government's budget cuts? Why cut the number of employees at the Canada Revenue Agency by 6% when the government is losing tens of billions of dollars to tax evasion? Why eliminate tax cuts that stimulate the Canadian economy when the economic outlook is still uncertain?
The current motion condemns this situation. We want to speak out against this government's poor choices. The latest budget cuts will affect people's day-to-day lives. This wide range of new taxes will undoubtedly impact consumer confidence and debt levels.
The Conservatives refuse to admit that tax cuts for big business severely limited the government's room to manoeuvre but did not have much of an impact on economic growth. They refuse to admit that their decisions are catching up with them and that Canadians are the ones now paying the price.
With that in mind, I ask the members here to support the motion moved by the member for Victoria, thus sending a clear message to the government: the significant tax hikes set out in the latest budget are unacceptable, inappropriate and unjustified.
Business of Supply April 15th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate my colleague for her speech and point out that the Conservatives have broken their promise by introducing, in the 2013 budget, additional taxes on goods, which will impact household budgets and consumers. This will have an impact on consumption and the economy.
I would like my colleague to talk about household debt and the other repercussions that this budget will have on households.
Questions Passed as Orders for Returns March 28th, 2013
With regard to the May 29, 2012, announcement of the closure, to the public, of the visa section of the Canadian Consulate General in Buffalo: (a) how many permanent resident visa applications were transferred to Ottawa (i) in total, (ii) broken down by type of visa application, including Federal Skilled Worker, Quebec Skilled Worker, Provincial Nominee Program, Federal Investor Program, Self-employed Class, Quebec Business Class, Canadian Experience Class, Entrepreneur Class, Permanent Resident Class, Family Class, and other classes of application; (b) how many of the total permanent resident visa applications that were transferred to Ottawa have been fully processed as of (i) May 29, 2012, (ii) June 29, 2012, (iii)July 29, 2012, (iv) August 29, 2012, (v) September 29, 2012, (vi) October 29, 2012, (vii) November 29, 2012; (c) how many of the permanent resident visa applications that were transferred to Ottawa have been fully processed, broken down by type of application including Federal Skilled Worker, Quebec Skilled Worker, Provincial Nominee Program, Federal Investor Program, Self-employed Class, Quebec Business Class, Canadian Experience Class, Entrepreneur Class, Permanent Resident Class, Family Class, and other classes of application; (d) how many of the total permanent resident visa applications that were transferred to Ottawa have been fully processed as of (i) May 29, 2012, (ii) June 29, 2012, (iii)July 29, 2012, (iv) August 29, 2012, (v) September 29, 2012, (vi) October 29, 2012, (vii) November 29, 2012; (e) how many of the total permanent resident visa applications that have been transferred from Buffalo to Ottawa required medical examination results; (f) of the total permanent resident visa applications that have been transferred from Buffalo to Ottawa that required medical examination results, (i) how many more exceeded the 12-month validity period of the medical examination results, (ii) how many more can be reasonably expected to exceed the 12-month validity period of the medical examination results; (g) what kind of provisions has or will Citizenship and Immigration Canada make for permanent resident applicants that have seen the validity of their medical examination results expire as a result of the delays in processing that have arisen from the transfer of applications from the Buffalo to the Ottawa office, in particular for those applicants that already have a job waiting for them and in general for other applicants; (h) how many calls and emails has the department received regarding the delays that have resulted from the transfer of applications from the Buffalo to the Ottawa office, broken down by (i) inquiries regarding the status of an application due to delays in applications processing, (ii) complaints regarding the status of an application due to delays in applications processing; and (i) what is the value of Budget 2012 cuts reflected in the closure of the Buffalo office in (i) personnel reductions, measured in full-time equivalence, (ii) service level impacts?
Women's Rights March 27th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to draw parliamentarians' attention to Amnesty International's “I love my body, my rights” campaign on sexual and reproductive rights.
The purpose of this campaign, which is running throughout 2013, is to raise public awareness of forced marriage and pregnancy. Many activities have been organized in order to prepare for the International Conference on Population and Development, which is scheduled for 2014 and will focus on women's rights.
Even today, 10 million young girls under the age of 18, sometimes even as young as seven or eight, are forced into marriage without their consent, usually to much older men. They are then often forced to get pregnant, which frequently puts their health and life at risk.
As parliamentarians and as citizens first and foremost, we cannot accept this. We must fight these manifest injustices and do everything we can to protect women's rights.
Public Safety March 21st, 2013
Mr. Speaker, it is difficult to understand the twisted logic of the Minister of Public Safety. Instead of looking after the safety of our communities, he prefers to play the apprentice television producer. There is not one Canadian who asked to watch refugees get arrested in HD. These refugees have probably gone through traumatic experiences. Exploiting people's misery is unacceptable. Border services officers do serious and dangerous work. It is not entertainment.
When will the minister stop defending the indefensible and put a stop to this dangerous publicity stunt?
Racial Discrimination March 21st, 2013
Mr. Speaker, I would like to point out that today is International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and also the start of the Week of Solidarity with the Peoples Struggling against Racism and Racial Discrimination.
Every day, people experience discrimination based on their origins, religion, colour, ethnocultural affiliation or gender. This discrimination is pervasive in Canada and elsewhere, and it is quite simply unacceptable.
We must not tolerate the fact that almost 1,500 hate crimes are committed every year in Canada. We must not tolerate the fact that visible minorities with equal skills have unemployment rates that are 1.7 times greater than the average.
As parliamentarians, and also as Canadians, it is our duty to speak out against this and to oppose acts of discrimination and those who support this discrimination through their actions or their silence.
It is our duty to take action to eliminate all forms of discrimination and to promote equal opportunities for everyone.
Citizenship and Immigration March 20th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, when Syrian Canadians asked the government to help them reunite with family members who are living in terror in Syria, the Minister of Immigration flatly refused to meet with them.
He also told them that Turkey is not allowing Syrian refugees to leave the country. However, the Turkish ambassador refuted this false statement.
Now that the minister can no longer hide behind bogus excuses, can he tell us how he intends to foster family reunification for Syrian Canadians?
The Criminal Code March 19th, 2013
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question.
Obviously, we can never emphasize too strongly the importance of accountability. Other colleagues of mine have also said the same thing. Clearly, in a democratic society, accountability quite simply helps to preserve our democratic system in which individual freedoms are respected above all else. Safeguards must be put in place and used, but at the same time we must never lose sight of individual freedoms and rights.
As I see it, accountability is critical and is an important part of Bill C-55.