Pest Control Products Act  Concern about access to minor use products was brought up prominently in the recent report of the agriculture committee on registration of pesticides and the competitiveness of Canadian farmers. According to the report: Canadian farmers...do not have access to the same safe and effective pest management tools as their competitors, particularly American producers. I was glad to be part of the committee that put that report together.

Canada Customs And Revenue Agency Act  In addition, feedback to date from the consultations on the fairness initiative indicates that Canadians are pleased with the current declaration of taxpayer rights. The Canada customs and revenue agency will not be an arm's length agency like the IRS and therefore what it might need is not what we need.

Taxation  Mr. Speaker, this government's planned proposal to replace Revenue Canada with a mega tax agency is unnecessary, expensive and could become an unaccountable mess like the IRS in the United States. I have a question for the revenue minister. If the public service hates it, if the provinces do not want it, if Canadians do not want it, why is the government imposing an American style tax collection agency on this country?

Supply  The IRS is now investigating its own internal auditors. Some academics noted that official positions on the issue now imply that Canadians are 10 times as honest as Americans in filing their income tax returns.

Division No. 298  Many were brought to our attention, as I said, when the employees of Revenue Canada came to our caucus just a week ago and articulated these fears. Representatives from the Public Service Alliance of Canada, the Union of Taxation Employees and one other labour group were justifiably apprehensive about this. The term Trojan horse has been used. I have heard the term mega taxman. It does not matter what we want to call this new superagency, it is going to be something that Canadians will not recognize and will not be comfortable with.

Canada Customs And Revenue Agency Act  Canadian taxpayers who feel they are being taxed unjustly must be able to go to someone for help and assistance. We would like to see an office for taxpayer protection established before this agency comes into effect.

Budget Implementation Act, 2000  When the government hears the need for tax reform, I suggest that its emphasis is on the wrong syllable. The government thinks that tax reform means strengthening Revenue Canada so it can collect more taxes. We in the Progressive Conservative Party suggest that tax reform means reducing and simplifying the Canadian tax system such that more Canadians succeed and ultimately do not have to pay as much tax when they choose to build their futures here in Canada.

Immigration And Refugee Protection Act  Our laws should reflect compassion for true refugees, but they should also encompass legislation to expedite the process of deporting illegal immigrants and penalize the people smugglers. During the boat crisis last summer I received a number of calls from Canadians in my riding who were outraged with the federal government's inaction on the question of illegal immigration. This inaction drew the ire of all Canadians right across Canada. Constituents have told me that they believe the federal government is failing them and their families by putting these illegal migrants ahead of the needs of ordinary Canadians.

Division No. 1265  The child tax benefit legislation will also be touched as will old age security, the Canada pension plan and the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act. Those types of bills demonstrate quite clearly that this is about economic and fiscal fairness as opposed to any moral judgment or any attempt to tread on what I think most Canadians feel is very sacred ground, which is the spiritual and religious definition of couples in marriage and how people interact.

Canada Customs And Revenue Agency Act  It would essentially provide an avenue of appeal far less costly and far more accessible to taxpayers than what currently exists. These two measures, a taxpayer bill of rights and the adoption of an office of taxpayer protection, would go a very long way toward protecting Canadian taxpayers in the new era of the Canada customs and revenue agency.

Budget Implementation Act, 2000  I have got the ire up of the big fellow across the way, but he knows we are right. He knows that the Liberal government is reducing the taxes. We have reduced taxes by $58 billion in the last three to four years and we will further reduce them.

Taxpayers' Rights  Without enacting a strong taxpayers' bill of rights, the CCRA could be plagued with the same accountability problems that makes the IRS the most hated agency in the United States.

Excise Tax Act  The base means to what is the tax applied. This is never brought up. The problem is that the base, the products to which the taxes are applied in the provincial sales tax is quite a bit narrower. Not nearly as many products are taxable under a provincial sales tax.

Canada Customs And Revenue Agency Act  Speaker, I listened with interest all day to members talking on this bill. It was a little humourous to hear some members talking about how Canadians cheerfully pay their taxes. I was thinking about my last trip home when somebody opened a letter from Revenue Canada at the post office. They owed something like an addition $600. I assure members they did not say “goody, I owe the government another $600”.

Canada Customs And Revenue Agency Act  The government has not succeeded, for instance, in convincing provinces to sign on to the HST or the blended sales tax, with the exception of a few provinces in eastern Canada. The Canadian Federation of Taxpayers believes that there will be no major savings from this new agency. The federation is certainly well-versed both in terms of tax policy, tax enforcement and also in terms of pointing out inefficiencies in government.