Evidence of meeting #21 for Finance in the 39th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was federal.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Massimo Pacetti Liberal Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC
Sorry, time is limited and I don't want to interrupt, but this is just a natural evolution of what's going to happen: the supply is going to increase if there's demand--
Liberal
Massimo Pacetti Liberal Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC
I'm not sure what the government can really add to it by just throwing money at it. If the demand is there, supply is going to be there, is it not?
Executive Director, Canadian Renewable Fuels Association
Yes, but will the supply be made in Canada? That is the question. These are NAFTA products and they'll travel freely across the Canada-U.S. border. The fact remains that if you pay less tax, less than half the tax to produce that fuel in the United States than you do in Canada, you're going to make a lot more money producing it in the U.S. and shipping it to Canada than by producing it in Canada.
So I would submit that having a lower tax rate on an industry that does exist in Canada is better fiscal policy than a conceptually higher tax rate on an industry that will never be based here.
Liberal
Liberal
Massimo Pacetti Liberal Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC
Okay, thank you.
Mr. Hindle, I know there was some other money dedicated to juvenile diabetes. Was that another type: type 2 or type 3?
Member of the Board of Directors, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation of Canada
There are two parts to that answer. There was almost $6 million spent through CIHR on diabetes research, of which very little went to type 1. Basically, type 1 is an auto-immune disease that is not preventable. Type 2, the one we're most familiar with, is preventable and treatable. Type 3, which occurs much less often, is called gestational diabetes, during pregnancy.
As for the money for research on type 1 diabetes, not very much of it comes from the Government of Canada.
Liberal
Massimo Pacetti Liberal Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC
But when money does come from CHIR, is the money dedicated to a certain type?
Member of the Board of Directors, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation of Canada
Type 2.
Liberal
Massimo Pacetti Liberal Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC
So it is dedicated--it's not up to the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation to decide?
Member of the Board of Directors, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation of Canada
No. There are two particular institutes that direct most of that money because of their connection to it, and the vast majority of it goes to type 2.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Brian Pallister
Thank you, sir.
Next up is Mr. Carrier.
You have five minutes.
Bloc
Robert Carrier Bloc Alfred-Pellan, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
My question is for Ms. Frost, who represents the National Anti-poverty Organization.
In your third recommendation, you talk about “insure access to banking.” That was part of your recommendation. Could you tell us exactly what you mean by “access to banking”? Does it mean physical access or being able to open up an account?
President, National Anti-Poverty Organization
What we mean by that is low-income citizens in a lot of our banks are not allowed to open accounts. A lot of people don't have proper ID. A lot of banks ask for a $5 deposit. People don't have that. So banks are turning people away.
We actually did a survey about that in Saskatoon and we had people go into the banks simply to see how many banks would turn them away. Royal was one of them, CIBC and....
I don't know what can be done about that, but it is a big problem. And it's not only in Saskatchewan; it's all over Canada. If you're low-income people, if you're on welfare, the banks will refuse to serve you if you don't have that $5 to put in, or if you don't have proper ID. People on welfare can't afford ID if they don't have it, because there's a cost to getting your ID.
Bloc
Bloc
Robert Carrier Bloc Alfred-Pellan, QC
My question deals with self-employed artists and it is addressed to Mr. Sharpe, from the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada.
When you say that the Income Tax Act should allow self-employed artists to contribute to registered pension plans, are you asking for a change which would apply to all self-employed workers or just self-employed artists?
Director, Freelance Services Division, American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada
Our proposal is limited to self-employed artists, but as to the previous question—I don't know whether you heard that or not—we don't feel there should be any differentiation between it. We feel this is something that would benefit all self-employed workers, but we are advocating for our members in the arts sector for self-employed artists. We think it's possible and very beneficial to have some type of system that would work for all self-employed and would be a great idea.
Conservative
Conservative
Garth Turner Conservative Halton, ON
Thanks.
Mr. Jackson, the government has just announced its expenditure reduction of $1 billion per year and a debt reduction of $13.2 billion a year. As an economist, do you feel that is an appropriate and correct measure for a government to take? Do you think that will increase our competitiveness and our fiscal situation?