Evidence of meeting #10 for Finance in the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was quebec.
A video is available from Parliament.
Senior Policy Analyst, Canadian Federation of Independent Business
Yes, certainly. The importance of rate-setting can't be overestimated for small business owners. Knowing how much they're going to be paying in payroll taxes year to year is a critical component of their business planning and a really important component of the EI program as a whole.
Conservative
Mark Adler Conservative York Centre, ON
Has the EI hiring tax credit been a success with your members?
Senior Policy Analyst, Canadian Federation of Independent Business
Yes, very much so. You'll see that we have data that supports it loud and clear. Many of our members appreciated the simplicity of the credit, in that they don't have to apply for it. It just comes when they qualify for it.
CRA does the calculation and it comes to their account directly. That's an important component of reducing the red tape and paper burden regulations for small business owners, who are often hit the hardest. It's been a big boon to our membership, for sure.
Conservative
Mark Adler Conservative York Centre, ON
I'm seeing in the high-priority issues in the survey of your members that the total tax burden rates as number one, by far. Lowering corporate tax rates to 15% and small business tax rates to 11% has been welcomed by your members and has been critical in job creation, correct?
Senior Policy Analyst, Canadian Federation of Independent Business
Yes, certainly. Low tax rates, from our perspective, are a critical component, as you've said. We are interested in examining that further: that as the economy slowly starts to pick up, and as the government reduces its deficit, they look at lowering the small business tax rate even further.
Conservative
Mark Adler Conservative York Centre, ON
How welcome was the news earlier last week that the finance minister will not only be balancing the budget by 2015-16, but in fact will have a surplus? Is that welcome news for you and your members?
Senior Policy Analyst, Canadian Federation of Independent Business
Our membership tend to be fiscal hawks. They can't afford to carry deficits themselves, so they have a hard time when the government does it. Returning the budget to balance will be welcomed by them at that time.
Conservative
Mark Adler Conservative York Centre, ON
Ms. Yalnizyan, what's the mandate of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives?
Senior Economist, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
We were established in 1980 to provide research analysis. We're funded by 12,000 individual and organizational members today to do the same thing that we've always done: economic social justice.
Conservative
Mark Adler Conservative York Centre, ON
Is all your funding from individuals or do you receive anything from organizations?
Senior Economist, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
We do get individual and organizational support. We always have and, God bless them, hopefully we always will.
Senior Economist, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
I cannot tell you. I don't know if any of our individual members are foreign established people. I don't know.
Conservative
Mark Adler Conservative York Centre, ON
No, I'm not talking about individual members. I'm talking about organizations.
Senior Economist, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
Not that I know of, sir, but I'm not the executive director, and I don't cover the finances. I'm a researcher.
Conservative
Senior Economist, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
Not to the best of my knowledge, no.
Conservative
Mark Adler Conservative York Centre, ON
Does your organization comment on foreign affairs and Canada's position on foreign affairs?
Senior Economist, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
We have a trade research wing of the organization. We have had a trade research organization—
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Rajotte
I know that I give members a lot of leeway in terms of relevance, but we are discussing the Budget Implementation Act, so if we could pull it back to that—
Conservative
Mark Adler Conservative York Centre, ON
I know. The credibility of the organization presenting is important too.
Conservative