Bill C-43 (Historical)

Economic Action Plan 2014 Act, No. 2

A second Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on February 11, 2014 and other measures

Part 1 implements certain income tax measures proposed in the February 11, 2014 budget. Most notably, it
(a) extends the intergenerational rollover and the lifetime capital gains exemption for dispositions of property used in farming and fishing businesses;
(b) extends the tax deferral provision with respect to breeding animals to bees, and to all types of horses that are over 12 months of age, that are kept for breeding;
(c) permits income contributed to an amateur athlete trust to qualify as earned income for RRSP contribution limit purposes, with an election available to taxpayers for up to a three-year retroactive application;
(d) extends the definition “split income” to include income from a business or property that is paid or allocated to a minor child from a partnership or trust where a person related to the child is engaged in the activities of the partnership or trust to earn that income;
(e) eliminates graduated rate taxation for trusts and certain estates with an exception for cases involving testamentary trusts whose beneficiaries include individuals eligible for the Disability Tax Credit;
(f) eliminates the 60-month exemption from the non-resident trust rules;
(g) allows an individual’s estate to carry back charitable donations made as a result of the individual’s death;
(h) expands eligibility for the accelerated capital cost allowance for clean energy generation and energy conservation equipment to include water-current energy equipment and a broader range of equipment used to gasify eligible waste fuel;
(i) adjusts Canada’s foreign accrual property income rules in order to address offshore insurance swap transactions and ensure that income from the direct or indirect insurance of Canadian risks is taxed appropriately;
(j) better circumscribes the existing “investment business” definition in the foreign accrual property income regime;
(k) addresses back-to-back loan arrangements involving an intermediary; and
(l) extends the existing tax credit for interest paid on student loans to interest paid on a Canada Apprentice Loan.
Part 1 also implements other selected income tax measures. Most notably, it
(a) alleviates the tax cost to Canadian-based banks of using excess liquidity of their foreign affiliates in their Canadian operations;
(b) ensures that certain securities transactions undertaken in the course of a bank’s business of facilitating trades for arm’s length customers are not inappropriately caught by the base erosion rules;
(c) modernizes the life insurance policy exemption test;
(d) amends the foreign affiliate rules to ensure they apply appropriately to structures that include partnerships and makes generally relieving changes to certain of the base erosion rules to ensure they do not apply in unintended circumstances;
(e) amends the rules for determining the residence of international shipping corporations;
(f) provides for the appropriate taxation of taxpayers that invest in Australian trusts;
(g) amends the foreign affiliate dumping rules to ensure the rules apply in appropriate circumstances and, if applicable, provide appropriate results;
(h) excludes from the definition “non-qualifying country” in the foreign affiliate rules those countries or other jurisdictions for which the Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters is in force and effect;
(i) avoids unintended tax consequences with respect to the British Overseas Territory of the British Virgin Islands;
(j) simplifies the rules for the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit regime;
(k) amends the trust loss restriction event rules to provide relief for investment trusts that meet specific conditions; and
(l) increases the maximum amount that may be claimed under the Children Fitness Tax Credit and makes the credit refundable starting in 2015.
Part 2 implements certain goods and services tax/harmonized sales tax (GST/HST) measures by
(a) ensuring that pooled registered pension plans are subject to similar GST/HST treatment as registered pension plans;
(b) implementing real property technical amendments that provide for the consistent treatment of different types of housing and ensure that the special valuation rule for subsidized housing works properly with the GST/HST place of supply rules and in the context of a GST/HST rate change;
(c) clarifying the application of GST/HST public service body rebates in relation to non-profit organizations that operate certain health care facilities; and
(d) relieving the GST/HST on services of refining precious metals supplied to a non-resident person that is not registered for GST/HST purposes.
Part 3 amends the Excise Act, 2001 to provide a refund of the inventory tax, introduced in the February 11, 2014 budget, on cigarettes that are destroyed or re-worked, in line with the refund of the excise duty that exists for tobacco products that are destroyed or re-worked.
Part 4 enacts and amends several Acts in order to implement various measures.
Division 1 of Part 4 amends the Industrial Design Act to make that Act consistent with the Geneva (1999) Act of the Hague Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs and to give the Governor in Council the authority to make regulations for carrying it into effect. The amendments include provisions relating to the contents of an application for the registration of a design, requests for priority, and the term of an exclusive right for a design.
It also amends the Patent Act to, among other things, make that Act consistent with the provisions of the Patent Law Treaty. The amendments include reducing the requirements for obtaining a filing date in relation to an application for a patent, requiring that an applicant be notified of a missed due date before an application is deemed to be abandoned, and providing that a patent may not be invalidated for non-compliance with certain requirements relating to the application on the basis of which the patent was granted.
Division 2 of Part 4 amends the Aeronautics Act to authorize the Minister of Transport to make an order, and the Governor in Council to make regulations, that prohibit the development or expansion of or any change to the operation of an aerodrome. It also amends the Act to authorize the Governor in Council to make regulations in respect of consultations by the proponents and operators of aerodromes.
Division 3 of Part 4 enacts the Canadian High Arctic Research Station Act, which establishes a new federal research organization that is to be responsible for advancing knowledge of the Canadian Arctic through scientific investigation and technology, promoting the development and dissemination of knowledge of the other circumpolar regions, strengthening Canada’s leadership on Arctic issues and ensuring a research presence in the Canadian Arctic. It also repeals the Canadian Polar Commission Act and makes consequential amendments to other Acts.
Division 4 of Part 4 amends section 207 of the Criminal Code to permit charitable or religious organizations to carry out, with the use of a computer, certain operations relating to a provincially-licensed lottery scheme.
Division 5 of Part 4 amends the Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act to adjust the national standard for eligibility for social assistance to provide that no minimum period of residence is to be required for Canadian citizens, for permanent residents, for victims of human trafficking who hold a temporary resident permit or for protected persons.
Division 6 of Part 4 amends the Radiocommunication Act to:
(a) introduce an administrative monetary penalty regime;
(b) explicitly prohibit jammers, subject to exemptions provided by the Minister of Industry;
(c) provide for the enforcement of rules, standards and procedures established for competitive bidding systems for radio authorizations;
(d) modernize wording relating to the powers of inspectors and the requirements to obtain warrants;
(e) authorize inspectors to request information in writing and to seize non-compliant devices; and
(f) authorize the Minister of Industry to share information with domestic and foreign bodies for the purpose of regulating radiocommunication.
Division 7 of Part 4 amends the Revolving Funds Act to correct an error in the heading before section 4 by replacing the reference to the Minister of Foreign Affairs with a reference to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. The amendment is deemed to have come into force on July 2, 2013.
Division 8 of Part 4 amends the Royal Canadian Mint Act to eliminate the anticipation of profit by the Royal Canadian Mint with respect to the provision of goods and services to the Government of Canada.
Division 9 of Part 4 amends the Investment Canada Act to require foreign investors to provide notification whenever they acquire a Canadian business through the realization of security on a loan or other financial assistance, unless another Act applies. It also allows public disclosure of certain information related to the national security review process and makes related amendments to another Act.
Division 10 of Part 4 amends the Broadcasting Act to prohibit a person who carries on a broadcasting undertaking from charging a subscriber for providing the subscriber with a paper bill.
Division 11 of Part 4 amends the Telecommunications Act to provide the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) with the authority to impose certain conditions concerning the offering and provision of services on providers of telecommunications services that are not telecommunications carriers, to prohibit providers of telecommunications services from charging subscribers for the provision of paper bills, to allow for sharing of information between the CRTC and the Competition Bureau, to provide the CRTC with the authority to impose administrative monetary penalties for violations of the Telecommunications Act, CRTC decisions and regulations, to provide the Minister of Industry with the authority to establish a registration system and update other processes relating to telecommunications apparatus in order to assess conformity with technical requirements, and to update inspection powers for ensuring compliance with that Act.
Division 12 of Part 4 amends the Business Development Bank of Canada Act to clarify the financial and management services that the Business Development Bank of Canada is authorized to provide, including financial services in respect of enterprises operating outside Canada. It also makes some changes to the governance provisions of that Act.
Division 13 of Part 4 amends the Northwest Territories Act — enacted by section 2 of chapter 2 of the Statutes of Canada, 2014 — to provide that, if the election period for the first general election under that Act would overlap with the election period for a federal general election, then the maximum duration of the first Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories under that Act may be extended until five years from the date fixed for the return of the writs at the last general election under the former Northwest Territories Act (chapter N-27 of the Revised Statutes of Canada).
Division 14 of Part 4 amends the Employment Insurance Act to allow for the refund of a portion of employer premiums paid by small businesses in 2015 and 2016. An employer is eligible for that refund if its premium is $15,000 or less for the year in question.
It also amends that Act to exclude from reconsideration under section 112 of that Act decisions of the Canada Employment Insurance Commission made under the Employment Insurance Regulations respecting the writing off of penalties owing, amounts payable or interest accrued on any penalties owing or amounts payable.
Division 15 of Part 4 amends the Canada-Chile Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act in order to implement amendments to the dispute resolution mechanism of the Canada-Chile Free Trade Agreement.
Division 16 of Part 4 amends the Canada Marine Act to provide for the power to make regulations with respect to undertakings that are situated in a port. It also authorizes those regulations to incorporate by reference documents, including the laws of a province. Finally, it authorizes port authorities to acquire federal real property or federal immovables and to lease or license any real property or immovable other than federal real property or federal immovables.
Division 17 of Part 4 amends the DNA Identification Act to, among other things,
(a) create new indices in the national DNA data bank that will contain DNA profiles from missing persons, from their relatives and from human remains to assist law enforcement agencies, as well as coroners, medical examiners and persons or organizations with similar duties or functions, to find missing persons and identify human remains;
(b) create a new index that will contain DNA profiles from victims of designated offences to assist law enforcement agencies in identifying persons alleged to have committed designated offences;
(c) create a new index that will contain DNA profiles derived from bodily substances that are voluntarily submitted by individuals to assist in either the investigations of missing persons or designated offences;
(d) establish criteria for adding and retaining DNA profiles in, and removing them from, the new indices, and transferring profiles between indices;
(e) specify which DNA profiles in the existing and new indices will be compared with each other;
(f) specify the purposes for which the Commissioner of the RCMP may communicate the results of comparisons of DNA profiles and the purposes for which that information may be subsequently communicated; and
(g) specify the uses to which the results of comparisons of DNA profiles may be put.
It also makes consequential amendments to the Access to Information Act and the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act.
Division 18 of Part 4 amends the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act to provide that certain foreign entities that are engaged in the money-services business are included in the definition “foreign entity”.
Division 19 of Part 4 amends the Department of Employment and Social Development Act to eliminate the limit on the number of full-time and part-time members of the Social Security Tribunal.
Division 20 of Part 4 amends the Public Health Agency of Canada Act to create a new position of President as deputy head of the Public Health Agency of Canada, thereby separating the responsibilities of the Chief Public Health Officer from those of the deputy head of the Agency.
Division 21 of Part 4 amends the Economic Action Plan 2013 Act, No. 2 in order to provide that certain provisions of Division 8 of Part 3 of that Act apply to any corporation resulting from an amalgamation referred to in that Division, and to provide that certain provisions of the Blue Water Bridge Authority Act continue to apply to the Blue Water Bridge Authority after its continuance.
Division 22 of Part 4 amends several Acts to discontinue supervision of provincial central cooperative credit societies by the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions, to eliminate tools for federal intervention in relation to those centrals and to provincial local cooperative credit societies, and to facilitate the entry of provincial cooperative credit societies into the federal credit union system by simplifying the process for continuation and amalgamation that applies to them.
Division 23 of Part 4 amends the Financial Administration Act to authorize Her Majesty in right of Canada to neither pay nor collect low-value amounts, except amounts owed by Crown corporations to persons other than Her Majesty in right of Canada, amounts payable to Crown corporations by such persons, amounts payable under the Air Travellers Security Charge Act, the Excise Act, 2001, the Excise Tax Act, the Income Tax Act or the Softwood Lumber Products Export Charge Act, 2006, and amounts related to the public debt or to interest on the public debt. It also provides Treasury Board with the authority to make regulations to set a low-value threshold, to specify circumstances for the accumulation of amounts and to exclude amounts, as well as regulations generally respecting the operation of the authority to neither pay nor collect low-value amounts.
Division 24 of Part 4 amends the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to, among other things,
(a) replace references to an opinion provided by the Department of Employment and Social Development, with respect to an application for a work permit, with references to an “assessment”;
(b) authorize the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration or the Minister of Employment and Social Development to publish on a list the name and address of an employer who, among other things, has been convicted of certain offences; and
(c) authorize the Governor in Council to make regulations
(i) regarding the publication and removal of the names and addresses of employers,
(ii) regarding the power to require documents from any individual or entity for inspection in order to verify compliance with regulatory conditions,
(iii) requiring an employer to provide prescribed information in relation to a foreign national’s authorization to work in Canada for the employer,
(iv) governing fees to be paid for rights and privileges in relation to an assessment provided by the Department of Employment and Social Development with respect to an application for a work permit,
(v) governing fees to be paid in respect of the compliance regime that applies to employers in relation to their employment of certain foreign nationals,
(vi) regarding the collection, retention, use, disclosure and disposal of Social Insurance Numbers, and
(vii) regarding the disclosure of information for the purposes of cooperation between the Government of Canada and the government of a province.
Division 25 of Part 4 amends the Judges Act and the Federal Courts Act to implement the Government’s Response to the Report of the Special Advisor on Federal Court Prothonotaries’ Compensation with respect to the salary and benefits of the prothonotaries of the Federal Court.
Division 26 of Part 4 amends the Canadian Payments Act to make changes to the governance structure of the Canadian Payments Association and to add new obligations in respect of accountability, including by
(a) changing the composition of the Board of the Directors of the Association and the procedures for selecting the directors of the Board;
(b) establishing a Member Advisory Council;
(c) expanding the power of the Minister of Finance to issue directives to the Association; and
(d) adding new obligations in respect of the preparation of annual reports and corporate plans.
Division 27 of Part 4 amends the Payment Clearing and Settlement Act to expand and enhance the oversight powers of the Bank of Canada with respect to systems for the clearing and settlement of payment obligations and other financial transactions, so that the Bank is better able to identify risks related to financial market infrastructure and to respond in a timely and proactive manner. It also makes minor consequential amendments to other Acts.
Division 28 of Part 4 enacts the Extractive Sector Transparency Measures Act in order to impose the following obligations on entities that are engaged in the commercial development of oil, gas or minerals for the purpose of implementing Canada’s international commitments in the fight against corruption:
(a) the obligation to report to the responsible Minister certain payments made to payees; and
(b) the obligation to make reported information accessible to the public.
For the purpose of verifying compliance, the Act provides for an inspection regime and gives a power to the responsible Minister to require an entity to provide certain information. Finally, the Act provides for certain offences relating to the obligations under the Act.
Division 29 of Part 4 amends the Jobs and Economic Growth Act to provide that Canadian Nuclear Laboratories Ltd. (CNL) is an agent of Her Majesty in right of Canada, effective as of the date of CNL’s incorporation, and to provide that CNL will cease to be an agent on the day on which Atomic Energy of Canada Limited disposes of CNL’s shares. The Division also amends that Act to provide that the Public Service Superannuation Act will apply for a transitional period of three years to persons who are employees of CNL on that day.
Division 30 of Part 4 repeals a provision of the Economic Action Plan 2013 Act, No. 2 that amended a provision of the Public Service Labour Relations Act. It also amends provisions of the Economic Action Plan 2013 Act, No. 2 that amended the Public Service Employment Act in respect of the staffing complaint process.
It also makes a technical correction to a coordinating amendment in the Economic Action Plan 2013 Act, No. 2.
Division 31 of Part 4 transfers the pensionable service that is to the credit of certain Royal Canadian Mounted Police pension contributors under the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Superannuation Act to the Public Service Superannuation Act and deems those contributors to be Group 1 contributors under the Public Service Superannuation Act. It also amends the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Superannuation Act to repeal provisions relating to members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police not holding a rank.

Economic Action Plan 2014 Act, No. 2

[Alexandre Boulerice, NDP, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in a way, I did appreciate the speech by my colleague from Manitoba, but I have to say that he was stepping a little out of line with his party.

He talked about the Liberal Party, its values and the importance of taking care of people and giving power and money to the provinces so that we can have effective health care services in this country. He also said a lot about former prime minister Paul Martin. I would just like to remind him that it was the Liberal government that slashed provincial health transfers.

The Liberals saved money at the expense of the people of this country by downloading their deficit onto the provinces. That is exactly what the Liberal Party did when it was in power.

I think that the member is in no position to talk because his own party did not do what he is talking about today.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, that is not necessarily true. I was in the Manitoba legislature when the issue came to the provinces. The issue in the 1990s, in good part, was that if Mr. Chrétien did not change the funding formula on health care, there would be zero contributions coming from Ottawa to the provinces by the time we reached to 2015. That is the reality.

Mr. Chrétien changed the formula that enabled guaranteed cash flow for health care transfers indefinitely from Ottawa to the provinces. If we have health care transfers today, it is because Jean Chrétien and the Liberals during the 1990s are the ones who put it into place, and guaranteed it. The member might not like that, but that is the reality.

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Minister of the Environment]

Mr. Speaker, I am going to speak this morning in favour of Bill C-43, economic action plan 2014 act no. 2, and specifically division 3, which includes the proposed Canadian High Arctic Research Station act.

The establishment of the Canadian High Arctic Research Station, more commonly referred to as CHARS, is yet another example of our government's record investments and our ongoing commitment to promoting the Canadian Arctic as a vital part of our national identity, our sovereignty, and our economic security, as outlined in our 2007 northern strategy.

I am thrilled for the people of Cambridge Bay, who will benefit from our government's investments for years to come. As the member of Parliament for Nunavut, as someone who was born and raised in Canada's north, and as someone who still calls the north home, I know first-hand how this vision for a strong and sovereign Canada has benefited northerners in our day-to-day lives and continues to do so.

As the minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, I am particularly excited about the leadership role that this new world-class research facility located in the Arctic will play in the development and dissemination of Arctic research, both at home and abroad.

The Canadian High Arctic Research Station will serve as a year-round hub for scientists and scientific research and will anchor an existing network of smaller northern research facilities. This network, with CHARS at its centre, will allow Canada to exercise stewardship and sovereignty over our northern lands while strengthening Canada's role as a global leader on Arctic issues. It will also seek to establish partnerships and bring together industry, academics, aboriginal and northern governments, and international stakeholders to leverage their expertise, experience, and resources.

CHARS will not only promote Canadian sovereignty and stewardship of Canada's Arctic lands, waters, and resources but will also support the local economy by generating employment and service contracts in the region.

It is estimated that the construction phase will introduce 150 jobs across the north and in various other specialized sectors throughout Canada. Of the 15 construction subcontracts tendered to date, over $18 million has been awarded to Inuit-owned companies or Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated registered firms.

Once CHARS is in operation, the research, capacity-building, and outreach activities will provide northerners with the skills and experience to better participate in the labour force, from mining and energy through natural resources and wildlife management to health and life sciences. CHARS will also develop highly qualified personnel and leadership in the north and across Canada.

CHARS will also build upon the work of the existing Canadian Polar Commission. The commission works to promote the development and dissemination of knowledge in respect of the polar regions, which strongly complements the research and infrastructure aspects of the CHARS mandate and aligns with the goal of mobilizing Arctic science and technology.

The proposed act will combine the Canadian High Arctic Research Station with the existing Canadian Polar Commission under the name of CHARS to create one larger, stronger champion for polar knowledge and Arctic science and technology in Canada.

CHARS will function as a departmental corporation, just like the CPC. This is also in line with other organizations that perform world-renowned research in Canada, such as the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. This model will provide CHARS with the necessary flexibility to compete on a global scale with other science organizations, but also with the resource development sector operating in Canada's North.

In addition to allowing CHARS to become a viable destination for world-class scientists, our government will ensure CHARS is positioned to address any Inuit employment and training requirements, including those arising from the Nunavut land claims agreement.

I would like to briefly review the steps that our government has made and is making to move this project from its initial inception to the establishment of this world-class research centre.

In the 2007 Speech from the Throne, the Prime Minister committed to build a world-class high Arctic research station that would strengthen Canada's sovereignty over the north and raise the profile of Canadian Arctic research both at home and abroad.

Since that time we have moved quickly. In 2008, consultations were held with partners and stakeholders, leading to a needs assessment. This brought together northerners, aboriginal organizations, research organizations, and territorial governments to share their ideas, their values, and their vision for this institution. It was at this stage, arising from discussions with stakeholders, aboriginal people, and northerners, that the vision for CHARS began to come to light.

In 2009, Canada's economic action plan provided $2 million for a CHARS feasibility study and $85 million for the Arctic research infrastructure fund. This infrastructure fund was a significant investment toward maintaining and upgrading key existing Arctic research facilities in order to improve the network of science and technology facilities that deliver benefits to northerners and all Canadians.

Following consultations and assessments in 2010, the Prime Minister announced that the CHARS facility would be built in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut. I was pleased to be in Cambridge Bay, joined by the Hon. John Duncan, Minister for Indian and Northern Affairs Development at that time, to make the announcement in the community—

[The Acting Speaker, Barry Devolin]

Order. I would remind the minister that she cannot refer to her colleagues by their given names.

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Nunavut, NU]

I apologize, Mr. Speaker.

The Prime Minister made the same announcement from Churchill, Manitoba, due to unforeseen weather conditions.

Cambridge Bay is an ideal place for the construction of this new world-class facility. It is centrally located and provides easy access to all parts of the north. It is also located right on the Northwest Passage, an invaluable location for the purpose of demonstrating our Arctic sovereignty.

The community itself is also very excited about the station. They see CHARS as creating economic opportunities, strengthening community infrastructure, sharing knowledge, and opening the community of Cambridge Bay to the world.

I would like to quote a friend, Fiona Buchan-Corey, a Cambridge Bay resident, who works at the Nunavut Arctic College. She said:

This multimillion dollar project is going to have a huge economic impact on Cambridge Bay, and we have been very proactive as a community in terms of trying to maximize the benefits to it....

And we're excited about the employment opportunities, not only during the construction stage, but also afterwards....

During the construction of the CHARS facility, it is anticipated that 150 people will be employed locally across the north and in more specialized sectors across Canada, and there will be permanent jobs when the station begins operating.

More recently, on the Prime Minister's ninth annual northern tour this past August, I was privileged to be back in Cambridge Bay with the Prime Minister to witness the launch of the construction of CHARS with a groundbreaking ceremony.

Once built, the station, which incorporates Inuit-inspired design principles, will be one of the largest buildings in the territory. These buildings will showcase green building technologies and serve as a test bed for future research and technology testing for infrastructure and renewable energy approaches from the north.

The day when the CHARS facility will be completed is coming more quickly than many people believe. Already the steel structure for one of the first buildings of the CHARS campus has been erected. I was very excited to see this in person while attending the Kitikmeot Inuit Association annual general meeting just a few weeks ago.

Establishing the governance for this facility is the last key piece that needs to be put in place in creating this important new institution in order to have it fully operational by 2017.

I urge all members in the House to take another important step by passing this important legislation and supporting Canada's vision for a strong and sovereign Canada.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the member was in a very interesting position when she was the former minister of health. Given the importance of health care to all Canadians, Paul Martin, back in 2004, signed a health agreement with the provinces that ultimately led to what we have today. Those were the highest health care transfers in the history of Canada, all because of Paul Martin working with the provinces and getting that agreement.

When the member was the minister of health, she had the responsibility of coming up with the next agreement, or an agreement that would provide assurances to the provinces that Canada would continue to support health care. Within this particular budget, there is no indication of it whatsoever, even though many Canadians, my constituents included, as shown through petitions and surveys, all want to see a higher priority.

Why does she believe, as the previous health minister, that the government just does not seem to understand the importance of health care?

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Nunavut, NU]

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to receive that question from the member and to clarify the record.

During the discussions related to the cuts made by the Liberal government to health care, education, and infrastructure, I do not know if the member is aware that I was the finance minister for Nunavut and dealt with the issues resulting from the cuts Liberals made to health, education, and transfers.

I am very pleased to report that our government took the opposite position and did not cut transfers to the territorial and provincial governments. Since our government has been in place, for my riding alone the transfer payments have increased by over $500 million. Second, the infrastructure investments, guaranteed for ten years, have increased from $50 million to $419 million.

Under the Liberals, we experienced cuts to transfers and education and no increase in infrastructure budgets. I was the finance minister for Nunavut. I was also the health minister for Nunavut who was dealing with the Liberal cuts. We have restored that funding so that the territorial governments and provinces can make the investments according to their own priorities within their respective jurisdictions.

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. minister for her speech relating to division 3 of part 4 of an omnibus bill.

I would like to ask her if the act for the creation of the Canadian high Arctic research station is important. I believe it is important. It winds up, and it is confusing in relation to the role of what used to be the Canadian Polar Commission, so there appears to be some transition. There is no reference in it to research on the climate crisis or the loss of ice in our Arctic region.

This bill is sufficiently important to have been a stand-alone piece of legislation, not buried in an omnibus bill along with measures to get rid of paper bills and extra billing and dealing as well with revolving funds, the banning of jammers, money laundering, and extractive sector transparency. In other words, this omnibus bill is a dog's breakfast of over 450 pages.

I ask the hon. minister why she would not have preferred to have this Canadian high Arctic research station bill dealt with separately so that it could be properly studied.

[Leona Aglukkaq, Conservative, Nunavut, NU]

Mr. Speaker, I can say that people in Cambridge Bay are very excited about the creation of the Canadian high Arctic research station. I can also say that the people of the Arctic are very excited about having a stand-alone institution in the Arctic to conduct Arctic research, as opposed to research done down south, far from the people. This new institution will bring researchers to the north to conduct research in the Arctic with people in the Arctic.

In terms of why the two organizations have merged, as defined by the proposed legislation, the purpose of the new organization, CHARS, would be to advance knowledge of the Canadian Arctic in order to improve economic opportunities, environmental stewardship, and the quality of life of northerners and all other Canadians, and promote the development and dissemination of knowledge of the polar regions in the Arctic.

The House resumed consideration of the motion that Bill C-43, a second Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on February 11, 2014 and other measures, be read the second time and referred to a committee, and of the amendment.

[Nycole Turmel, NDP, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to speak to a topic as important as the act to implement certain provisions of the budget.

That said, I must stress that I think it is shameful that as we debate such a broad and complicated bill, we are under our 83rd gag order. The Conservatives have imposed this gag order, and the Liberals are complicating things even more by making irrelevant objections that prevent us from having real discussions.

As I mentioned, today we are debating a document that is around 460 pages long, includes 400 clauses and amends several dozen pieces of legislation. This document even includes measures that were not mentioned in the budget speech.

This bill is the kind of thing we have come to expect from the Conservative government. The government ignores middle-class families, workers and people in need. Instead, it manages to find a way to help out the banks.

The content of the bill is worrisome, and so is the way it is being presented to us. By refusing to split this omnibus bill, the government is once again demonstrating how little respect it has for our democratic institutions. On that note, I would like to quote Manon Cornellier, who writes a blog for the well-known magazine, L'actualité. This is what she had to say about the government's practice:

For the Conservatives, the omnibus bill process is too useful to step away from. It is the perfect way to succeed without having to be overly accountable. The fact that Parliament feels marginalized is the least of their worries.

How can the government ask MPs, who represent millions of Canadians, to make a decision on dozens of legislative measures with one single vote?

The Conservatives know all that. It was not that long ago, when they were in opposition, that they were the ones tearing their hair out over Liberal omnibus bills. In fact, the Prime Minister himself made a passionate argument against these types of bills. I would like to quote what he said in 1994, when the House was debating a 21-page bill, not a 400-page bill like the one we are looking at now.

...in the interest of democracy I ask: How can members represent their constituents on these various areas when they are forced to vote in a block on such legislation and on such concerns?

We can agree with some of the measures but oppose others. How do we express our views and the views of our constituents when the matters are so diverse? Dividing the bill into several components would allow members to represent views of their constituents on each of the different components in the bill.

When I look at the 460 pages of this bill, I wonder whether, after 10 years in power, the student has managed to surpass the teacher in the art of holding this Parliament in contempt.

We must also talk about some of the measures that we support and that is what really does not make sense in this whole undertaking, in this entire exercise. We could easily work together to pass measures that both parties support.

Nevertheless, it is true that the Prime Minister's comments apply to the current situation. There are indeed some measures in this bill that meet the NDP's demands. For example, since 2007 we have been calling for the creation of a DNA data bank to help the authorities solve missing persons cases. I am pleased to see this measure in Bill C-43, even though we can question why it was included in a budget implementation bill.

The government has finally admitted that it was time to put an end to pay-to-pay fees, the fees charged to consumers who want to receive a paper rather than an electronic invoice. These fees are being abolished for broadcasting and telecommunications companies, but, and this is very odd, not for banks.

That is about it for the good things. This bill has dozens of problematic measures though. For example, the government is using this mammoth bill to sneak in its private member's bill to let the provinces restrict access to welfare for refugee claimants and people who are not permanent residents.

This measure is a direct attack on women, men and children of all ages who are already vulnerable. Over the past three years, I have met a number of refugees and asylum claimants at my riding office. These individuals have often gone through incredible ordeals, and when they get here, they have to keep being brave so they can integrate into our communities

Considering that it takes months or years to process asylum claims in Canada, it is not surprising that some claimants might need a little help from time to time while they wait. If the government wants to scrimp and save at someone's expense, maybe it should start by asking corporations and banks to do their fair share rather than go after the poorest people around.

I will give another example of worrisome measures included in this bill. The Conservatives decided to go forward with their plan to introduce a tax credit to create jobs in small businesses. Let us be clear. The NDP has been saying for a long time that the government needs to provide proper support for small and medium-sized businesses, which make an enormous contribution to our economy.

However, the Conservative Party is whistling in the wind with this measure. We already know that it will not be effective even though it has not even been implemented yet. The Parliamentary Budget Officer has already warned the government that its plan will create at most 800 jobs in Canada.

The current government is certainly not behaving responsibly by spending $500 million to create 800 jobs. We have said this a number of times and we hope that the public will hear this message: spending $500 million to create 800 jobs is not at all effective. Why are the Conservatives insisting on moving forward with this bad idea?

I could go on and on listing examples of the negative measures set out in this bill. When it comes to a budget or a forecast for the coming years, it is really important for the parties to work together to find solutions to our economic problems, particularly with regard to stable jobs and lower-paying jobs. Unfortunately, we cannot do that because of the gag order and the attitude of the Conservative government.

I could also talk about what these 460 pages do not contain, namely initiatives to address youth employment, increase access to social housing, improve our health care system or protect our environment, for example.

This bill once again proves to Canadians that they cannot count on the Conservatives to stand up for their interests and respect our democracy. Canadians know that they deserve better than what we are currently seeing in this bill.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for her speech.

In this huge, 460-page omnibus bill, the only measure that has to do with the economy or the budget is a program—perhaps that is not the best word—that takes $550 million out of the employment insurance fund, even though that is not the government's money. Who is it for and what is it for?

Is it fair that the government is using that much in contributions to create only 800 jobs? We have a problem with that number. This will hurt our economy. We need a government that believes in the role of Parliament and small business in Canada.

[Nycole Turmel, NDP, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for raising the issue of the money being siphoned off the EI fund. The Liberals did it, and now the Conservatives are doing it, all at the expense of workers.

At the same time, EI services have been cut back. Workers have unstable and poorly paid jobs, and are often entitled to fewer weeks of EI benefits. It is very unfortunate, especially knowing that 800 jobs are going to cost $550 million.

It is unbelievable and unacceptable that the Conservatives are doing this and are governing a country this way. It is very unfortunate, particularly when we could be improving our legislation and regulations. That would help Canadians, and especially the manufacturing sector, which my colleague talked about this morning.

[Matthew Dubé, NDP, Chambly—Borduas, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague's speech was very interesting.

Yesterday I listened to the member for Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques. He wondered whether some of the members opposite actually knew what was in their omnibus bill, because they did not seem to have an answer to the more specific questions we were asking them.

I think that my colleague from Skeena—Bulkley Valley even said that not a single government member showed up to the technical briefing that was offered. Only opposition members did.

Does my colleague have the same concerns as I do regarding the government introducing an omnibus bill without seeming to grasp the seriousness of the situation?

For example, it was clear that some aspects of the last omnibus bill had nothing to do with a budget. Take, for example, the issue of appointing Quebec judges to the Supreme Court. I heard a Conservative member say that the Conservatives had talked about it eight months ago. No, eight months ago was when the budget was tabled.

As my colleague just mentioned in her speech, there are some things in this bill that were not in the budget speech. Could she talk about these concerns?

[Nycole Turmel, NDP, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his observations on the current situation, on previous budgets presented here and on the fact that Conservative members are not responding to this.

I cannot believe that the members opposite are not getting any feedback or questions from their constituents. How can they explain to their constituents that the government is making cuts everywhere, preventing new jobs from being created and introducing unethical regulations or rules?

We cannot forget that the Conservative government was elected with just 39% of the vote. In other words, there are a lot of people who are opposed to this government's policies.

I am very concerned that the government is not showing any flexibility or any semblance of respecting democracy.