Finance Committee on May 10th, 2006

[Judy Wasylycia-Leis, NDP, Winnipeg North, MB]

When you give us that chart, would you give us the chart after the federal taxes are taken, and any clawbacks from the provinces that you know of?

[Serge Nadeau]

Well, we are able to give you the after-tax value by typical family, but the provinces—actually, five provinces—have said that they would not claw back the child allowances.

[Judy Wasylycia-Leis, NDP, Winnipeg North, MB]

So could you give us a breakdown for two provinces: one that claws back and one that doesn't, by family category?

[Serge Nadeau]

I think it would be better to ask the province to do that, because they are more aware of their programs than we are. What we can do is give you the impact of the—

[Judy Wasylycia-Leis, NDP, Winnipeg North, MB]

I've two more quick questions, very quickly.

[The Chair, Conservative, Brian Pallister]

No, thank you, Madam Wasylycia-Leis. You're out of time.

I have a quick question for Monsieur Dupont, if I could. I believe the budget alluded to a white paper, or a discussion document of some kind, on financial institutions. When will that be forthcoming?

[Serge Dupont]

There's been no pronouncement on the timing, other than the spring. Obviously, it is a decision for the minister to make as to the timing of the contents of that white paper.

[The Chair, Conservative, Brian Pallister]

Is it your department that's working on that?

[Serge Dupont]

Yes, that's right, it's the Department of Finance.

[The Chair, Conservative, Brian Pallister]

Thank you.

We have time for a couple more.

Mr. Savage, over to you.

[Michael Savage, Liberal, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

Thank you, Chair.

I'd like to spend a little bit of time on Bill C-48 and what's happened to that money since Parliament dissolved last year. Bill C-48 put $1.5 billion into post-secondary education. Correct?

[Paul-Henri Lapointe]

No, $1 billion.

[Michael Savage, Liberal, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

Bill C-48, I believe, was for $1.5 billion.

[Paul-Henri Lapointe]

Yes, it allowed for up to $1.5 billion.

[Michael Savage, Liberal, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

What's happened to that money?

[Barbara Anderson]

It was enabling legislation that the government could provide “up to” an amount. The announcement that was confirmed in the budget was that the government had decided to provide to provinces and territories—there was also a foreign aid component—up to $3.3 billion. It was laid out here that for post-secondary education there would be a $1 billion trust, an $800 million trust for affordable housing, and $300 million for housing aboriginals off-reserve.

[Michael Savage, Liberal, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

I understand that; it's all of Bill C-48. I want to speak specifically about the money for post-secondary education, because Bill C-48 wasn't designed or dedicated for universities and post-secondary education. It was specifically earmarked for student access, was it not?

[Barbara Anderson]

No, it was a pretty broad “up to” for post-secondary education and training, including...but I don't have the exact words here.

[Michael Savage, Liberal, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

Did the language not say student “access”, to improve student access, particularly aboriginal student access?

[Barbara Anderson]

Including aboriginal student access, and we certainly hope that the provinces spend this money that's been provided through a trust in ways that increase or improve student access. There is no reason to think they won't.

[Michael Savage, Liberal, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

There's no reason to assume they won't or no reason to assume they would, either, correct?

[Barbara Anderson]

There's every reason, I think, to assume they would. We've worked on operating principles for the trust, which outlines the objectives.

[Michael Savage, Liberal, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

I appreciate that.

The concern is that we've spent a lot of money in universities in Canada in the last number of years, $13 billion particularly in research, leading the G-7 in publicly funded research. We've done a pretty good job on that and we need to keep the pressure on. But I think there's a consensus in university communities, certainly among students but also university presidents and professors I talked to, that access is the issue. The economic update followed Bill C-48 and in fact dwarfed Bill C-48 in the money that it put into student access--$2.2 billion, for example, for the lowest-income Canadians, persons with disabilities, aboriginal Canadians.

My concern is that there is nothing specifically dedicated to student access. Tax credits do not help the lowest income Canadian, even the massive textbook tax credit of $80 on an $8,000 tuition at Acadia or $6,000 at Dalhousie. So my concern is there is no absolute way of ensuring that the money in Bill C-48 is actually going to go to students, is there?

[Barbara Anderson]

No, there is not, legally--

[Michael Savage, Liberal, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

Thank you.