Finance Committee on May 29th, 2014

Evidence of meeting #39 for Finance in the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site.) The winning word was amendment.

A video is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

Bill C-31, An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on February 11, 2014 and other measures

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Brian Ernewein General Director, Tax Policy Branch, Department of Finance

Ted Cook Senior Legislative Chief, Tax Legislation Division, Tax Policy Branch, Department of Finance

Bernard Butler Director General, Policy Division, Policy, Communications and Commemoration Branch, Department of Veterans Affairs

Suzy McDonald Director General, Workplace Hazardous Materials Directorate, Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch, Department of Health

Jason Wood Director, Policy and Program Development, Workplace Hazardous Materials Directorate, Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch, Department of Health

Brian McCauley Assistant Commissioner, Canada Revenue Agency

Denise Frenette Vice-President, Finance and Corporate Services, Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency

Soren Halverson Senior Chief, Corporate Finance and Asset Management, Department of Finance

Wayne Foster Director, Securities Policies, Department of Finance

James Wu Chief, Financial Institutions Analysis, Department of Finance

Donald Roussel Acting Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Safety and Security, Department of Transport

Kash Ram Director General, Road Safety and Motor Vehicle Regulation, Department of Transport

Michel Leclerc Director, Regulatory Affairs Coordination, Department of Transport

Colin Spencer James Director, Policy and Program Design, Temporary Foreign Workers, Skills and Employment Branch, Department of Employment and Social Development

Darlene Carreau Chairperson, Trade-marks Opposition Board, Department of Industry

Paul Halucha

Nathalie Martel Director, Old Age Security Policy, Income Security and Social Development Branch, Department of Employment and Social Development

Thao Pham Assistant Deputy Minister, Federal Montreal Bridges, Department of Transport

France Pégeot Special Advisor to the Deputy Minister, Department of Justice

Ann Chaplin Senior General Counsel, Department of Justice

Atiq Rahman Director, Operational Policy and Research, Department of Employment and Social Development

9:20 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative James Rajotte

Recorded vote on NDP-18.

(Amendment negatived: nays 5; yeas 4)

(Clause 302 agreed to)

Can I group clauses 303 to 307?

9:20 p.m.

Liberal

John McKay Liberal Scarborough—Guildwood, ON

No.

9:20 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative James Rajotte

Which one...?

9:20 p.m.

NDP

Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC

I was looking at 303, not 302. It was an incorrect vote cast by me and my fellow New Democrats. Is it possible to revisit it?

9:20 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative James Rajotte

Do you want to vote in favour?

9:20 p.m.

NDP

Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC

That's right.

9:20 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative James Rajotte

Can we unanimously consider adding a unanimous vote in support?

9:20 p.m.

Conservative

Gerald Keddy Conservative South Shore—St. Margaret's, NS

Sure.

9:20 p.m.

NDP

Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC

Voting in favour....

9:20 p.m.

Conservative

Mike Allen Conservative Tobique—Mactaquac, NB

In this case, a happy circumstance....

9:20 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative James Rajotte

Okay, everybody is getting along.

We'll go to clause 303.

Mr. McKay.

9:20 p.m.

Liberal

John McKay Liberal Scarborough—Guildwood, ON

I'm fine with voting but not for discussion. I just wanted to....

(Claude 303 agreed to)

9:20 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative James Rajotte

Can I group 304 to 307?

9:20 p.m.

NDP

Guy Caron NDP Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC

You can group clauses 304 and 305.

(Clauses 304 and 305 agreed to)

9:20 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative James Rajotte

Clauses 306 and 307, all in favour?

9:20 p.m.

NDP

Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC

Just to allow for some expediency, can we go through to 310, or do we need to...because we're switching issues?

9:20 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative James Rajotte

I can go as far as the committee wants.

Shall clauses 306 to 310 carry?

9:20 p.m.

NDP

Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC

We'll be voting against but just for....

9:20 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative James Rajotte

Okay, all in favour...?

No, I can't do that?

Let's do clauses 306 and 307.

9:20 p.m.

Liberal

John McKay Liberal Scarborough—Guildwood, ON

Go to 307 and then we'll....

(Clauses 306 and 307 agreed to)

9:20 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative James Rajotte

I want to thank our officials for division 20.

We'll now be moving to division 21.

Can I group the three together?

We'll bring our officials forward for division 21.

Okay, welcome to the committee.

Mr. McKay will speak on clause 308, then we will have discussion.

9:20 p.m.

Liberal

John McKay Liberal Scarborough—Guildwood, ON

Chair, this division—that is, clauses 308 to 310—corrects an oversight in the last omnibus bill C-4, following a pattern by the Conservatives wherein each omnibus bill includes several measures to correct previous omnibus bills. We've already seen that earlier this evening where we're just correcting previous bills that did not receive the scrutiny they should have received because they are improperly before us.

Conservatives are forcing these massive omnibus bills through Parliament, each one including hundreds of clauses changing 50 or so different laws and none of these measures are given the scrutiny they deserve. Conservatives have established this process where they're passing bad laws and having to correct them after the fact. I know you'll be upset about that, Chair.

In terms of this measure before us, we support the correction but we deplore the process.

9:25 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative James Rajotte

Mr. Keddy.

9:25 p.m.

Conservative

Gerald Keddy Conservative South Shore—St. Margaret's, NS

To me the Liberals are saying one thing and doing another.

May 29th, 2014 / 9:25 p.m.

Conservative

Andrew Saxton Conservative North Vancouver, BC

That's not unusual.