Evidence of meeting #6 for Finance in the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was students.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Pierre Le François  General Director, Association nationale des éditeurs de livres
Claire Morris  President and Chief Executive Officer, Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada
Darryl Smith  President, Canadian Dental Association
Bob Harvey  Member, Tax and Fiscal Policy Committee, Certified General Accountants Association of Canada
David Bradley  Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Trucking Alliance
Pierre Sadik  Senior Policy Advisor, Sustainability Specialist, David Suzuki Foundation
Nathalie Bourque  Vice-President, Global Communications, CAE Inc., SR & ED Tax Credit Coalition
Peter Look  Vice-President, Tax, Nortel, SR & ED Tax Credit Coalition
Carole Presseault  Vice-President, Government and Regulatory Affairs, Certified General Accountants Association of Canada
Susan Mullin  Vice-President of Development, Association of Fundraising Professionals
Margaret Lefebvre  Executive Director, Canadian Association of Income Funds
Chris Tabor  Manager, Queen's University Bookstore, Canadian Booksellers Association
Michael Atkinson  President, Canadian Construction Association
Gerry Barr  President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Council for International Cooperation
Amanda Aziz  National Chairperson, Canadian Federation of Students
Mark Yakabuski  President and Chief Executive Officer, Insurance Bureau of Canada

6:25 p.m.

Conservative

Dean Del Mastro Conservative Peterborough, ON

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Yakabuski, I wanted to come back to you specifically on HST. This is a big issue for me. I'm from Ontario. I have a big manufacturing base in Ontario. I want to help that manufacturing base. Certainly, the effective tax rate that's brought about because of the PST is a real hindrance in Ontario, isn't it?

6:25 p.m.

President and Chief Executive Officer, Insurance Bureau of Canada

Mark Yakabuski

It is a real hindrance, and I think we have to work away. You know there's a new Minister of Finance in Ontario, and I think we have to try to deliver the message. I can tell you that when we meet with him about various issues, we will certainly point out that this creates a big lag for the Ontario economy and that he should try to find ways of addressing it.

Of course, I've had this discussion before. The Minister of Finance will tell you that it will cost in Ontario a lot of money in the short term. I take it that's basically a negotiating position that needs to be worked on. As I say, an innovative combination of the stick and the carrot has to work at some point in time.

6:25 p.m.

Conservative

Dean Del Mastro Conservative Peterborough, ON

Thank you.

Ms. Aziz, I had a good meeting with CASA. My mother was a financial aid officer at Trent University for quite a number of years. We did have a system whereby you'd apply for OSAP and that would qualify you for Canada student loans, grants, and so on. We got away from that system.

I'm really confused on the millennium foundation, I have to be honest with you, because I have such conflicting views on it that I don't know what to make of it. Can you provide us with the information that you've cited specifically on the millennium foundation and where you're getting it from? We have one group saying it's a 2% cost and we have another group saying it's just a mess.

6:25 p.m.

National Chairperson, Canadian Federation of Students

Amanda Aziz

Yes, absolutely. I know we have circulated this information to committee members and to different caucus members in the past, but we can absolutely provide that information.

Regarding some of the numbers we've been getting, we do a lot of access to information requests with regard to specific numbers. The one I talked about with regard to this organization, supporting their renewal, was one we just received through access to information. Those are their own numbers.

We can share those documents with the committee, absolutely.

6:30 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Rob Merrifield

When you do, share it with the clerk, and then we'll give that information out.

We want to thank the witnesses for coming forward and the committee for their questions.

The meeting is adjourned.