COVID-19 Pandemic Committee on May 13th, 2020

[Marilène Gill, Bloc, Manicouagan, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

As the member for Manicouagan, I would like to address the House today on a matter that is very important in my constituency. At 350,000 square kilometres, it borders the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Regionally, I am also in eastern Quebec, which includes the Gaspé, the Magdalen Islands, and the Lower St. Lawrence.

These are regions whose economy rests basically on two very important seasonal industries: tourism and fishing. Make no mistake, it is not the workers who are seasonal, it is the industry itself, as our former leader Gilles Duceppe so rightly used to say.

Those industries are very important for that region of Quebec, but I see no measures to support them that accommodate all their uniqueness. These are cyclical industries, meaning that they operate at a very specific period during the year.

A few minutes ago, I heard the Prime Minister say that he had intervened to help the companies and the workers in those seasonal industries.

I would like to know what the specific assistance is and how it is tailored to the companies and the workers in the seasonal industries he mentions.

[Navdeep Bains, Liberal, Mississauga—Malton, ON]

Mr. Chair, I would like to thank my colleague for her question.

We know that the current situation is causing upheaval in the lives of Canadians from one end of the country to the other and that it is having a major impact on our small and medium businesses. Since this crisis began, we have not hesitated to implement strong and speedy measures to support more Canadians. That is what we will continue to do.

We know that the tourism sector is key to a number of communities in the country. We must help them to get through this crisis as best we can. We are continuing to have discussions and to tailor our measures so that as many Canadians as possible can take advantage of them.

[Marilène Gill, Bloc, Manicouagan, QC]

Mr. Chair, with all respect, I am hearing that nothing has been done. Measures have been proposed, but, as I understand it, they are not specific to the seasonal sectors.

Let us take the seasonal fishing industry. The fishers are currently going out, but right in the middle of the COVID-19 crisis. One fishing season has been pushed back. The same thing applies to tourism. The season will be pushed back, and it is possible that there may even not be one.

The people and the companies in this sector have no second chances. They cannot start again in the fall. It's a bit like agriculture. They can't start a fishing season or a tourist season in the fall. So they need assistance.

We have some proposals. For example, would the government be prepared to let the Canada emergency response benefit provide workers with eligibility to employment insurance benefits? They could then get through the coming year and make it to next season.

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Québec, QC]

Mr. Chair, I want to thank the member for speaking about the situation in all regions of Canada, particularly in Quebec.

From the start, we've been implementing significant measures to support the millions of workers who are currently struggling. We've taken significant measures with respect to tourism, agriculture and regional development. We're providing broader investments, such as the wage subsidy and emergency loans for small businesses, of which there are many in my colleague's constituency.

We'll continue to work very hard so that the workers and businesses in her constituency can get through this crisis and emerge stronger and more united.

[Marilène Gill, Bloc, Manicouagan, QC]

Mr. Chair, that's strike two. This is the second time that I've asked a question about targeted assistance for the seasonal industry.

My honourable colleague's response doesn't make me feel any better. The workers in the industry also don't feel any better when they see that, at the end of the summer, they'll have no job and no money to put food on the table. Will these workers receive assistance adapted to their needs?

It's the same thing for businesses. We're currently talking about the businesses in my constituency, but there are also businesses in the East. Quebec and Canada as a whole, both in terms of fishing and tourism—

[The Chair, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The honourable President of the Treasury Board has the floor.

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Québec, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

My colleague probably knows the information that I'll be giving. The Canada Emergency Response Benefit is available to all individuals who haven't been receiving employment insurance benefits since December 2019. A number of stakeholders in Canada and Quebec called for this, particularly in the places—

[The Chair, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The next question goes to Mr. Singh.

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

The Prime Minister announced the business bailout, and in that proposal, he said that there would be limits on CEO bonuses and share buybacks.

By saying “limits”, the Prime Minister is suggesting that there would be some amount of bonuses or share buybacks that could be paid for with public dollars. If that's the case, how much?

[The Chair, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The honourable minister.

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Mr. Chair, we believe that it's very important that we support jobs. In that regard, we're trying to make sure that businesses can get through this time.

As we provide that support, we've been very clear for large enterprises that share buybacks will not be allowed, period, and that there will, of course, be limitations on total compensation for senior executives in order to give Canadians confidence that we're doing the things we need to do to support them, but that we're not supporting executives.

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Chair, Germany has actually taken the lead and said that if a company wants public money, then its executives must commit to reducing their pay.

Will Canada follow Germany to ensure that public dollars go to workers and not to enrich the executive suite, and commit that no public money will go to bonuses or increasing salaries for executives?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Mr. Chair, we are looking forward to releasing the complete details of the large employer emergency financing facility, and I think the member opposite will be quite pleased to see that we will be leading on behalf of Canada in advance of what Germany is doing.

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Chair, we know the PBO has said that $25 billion, at least, is being lost to our revenues because corporations are avoiding paying their fair share.

Will the Prime Minister commit today very clearly that if a company is hiding its money by putting it in an offshore tax haven, that company will not receive public help, yes or no?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Mr. Chair, again with regard to this program, we want to be very clear that the support that goes to large businesses actually supports their Canadian enterprises and their Canadian employees. In that regard, we will not allow any company that has been convicted of tax evasion to have access to these funds, and we will carefully evaluate on an ongoing basis to make sure that companies remain eligible for this support based on their continuing investment in Canada.

[The Chair, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Mr. Singh.

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Chair, how many companies can the Minister of Finance name that have been convicted of tax evasion that would be denied help under this program?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Mr. Chair, I think what's most important is that we focus on Canadians. We're trying to support Canadians, whether they're working for small or large businesses, so they can get through this, can support their families during this time, and come out with a job at the end of it. That is exactly where our focus lies in this regard.

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Chair, not a single company. We are four years past the Panama papers and there hasn't been a single conviction.

Those are simply fancy Liberal words saying that a company that has been convicted of tax evasion.... There are simply no companies that this government can give as an example.

Why don't we follow what France has done and commit very clearly, not in Liberal fancy words but straight up, if a company is hiding its money by using offshore tax havens, it will not get public help. Will the minister commit to that right now?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Mr. Chair, we've been working with France and other countries to make these rules stricter for businesses. The process around the common reporting standard and the base erosion profit shifting has made it more difficult for firms to move money into tax havens, and it has ensured that we have transparency in seeing when they do so.

We'll continue to do that hard work to make sure that businesses abide by the rules and pay their appropriate part of taxes in our country.

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Chair, let's talk about hard work. If a company is not convicted of tax evasion, but is putting its money in Barbados or Bermuda, for example, specifically to avoid paying taxes—and we have a similar example of Loblaws doing something like this—will that company, despite not having a conviction, but clearly having avoided paying their fair share by putting their money in an offshore tax haven, receive help, yes or no?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Mr. Chair, I'd suggest that the member be very careful in accusing companies of wrongdoing. We have a country that respects international rules. We allow our companies to trade and do business around the world. That continues to be important, and that supports Canadian jobs.

At the same time, we're trying to make sure those international rules work and get tighter. That's what we've been working on. We'll continue to do that because we know it's important that we can work internationally. It's important that companies pay their fair share here in Canada.

[The Chair, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The next question goes to Mr. Hoback.

[Randy Hoback, Conservative, Prince Albert, SK]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

The Liberals hand-picked ambassador to China, Dominic Barton, stated that China's conduct during the pandemic is damaging to its own soft power. However, when asked if there should be an investigation into China's behaviour during the crisis, the health minister stated that's not for her to say because she doesn't have “all the evidence about what China did or didn't do.”

Why is Canada's ambassador to China criticizing China's actions during the pandemic while this Liberal government is defending it?

[The Chair, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

The honourable Deputy Prime Minister.