Finance Committee on Nov. 19th, 2014

[Joe Oliver, Conservative, Eglinton—Lawrence, ON]

Well, Mr. Chairman, let me deal with that important question. Bill C-43 fulfills Canada's 2013 G-8 commitment to establish reporting standards for the extractive sector by next year.

Our government is committed to improving transparency and accountability in the extractive sector, where Canada has a world-class reputation. I had the opportunity of travelling around the world representing our country when I was the Minister of Natural Resources, and I can attest to that directly.

Our government's commitment builds on Canada's reputation as a global leader in responsible resource development, and already the sector has a well-established financial reporting system that ensures transparency and good governance of natural resource revenues.

The new reporting system will complement existing reporting requirements and will be established with a view to improving transparency, ensuring as well that Canada's framework is aligned with other G-8 countries and is consistent with existing international standards, particularly those of the United States and the European Union. It will also ensure a level playing field for companies operating domestically and abroad. It will enhance investment certainty and help reinforce the integrity of the Canadian extractive companies. Finally, it will help ensure that citizens around the world benefit from the natural resources in their countries.

The government's pan-Canadian approach will require Canadian extractive companies to publicly report payments of $100,000 and over to all levels of government, both domestic and abroad, including aboriginal entities, on a project-by-project basis. This approach would apply to public and private and medium and large mining, oil, and gas companies operating in Canada.

[Mike Allen, Conservative, Tobique—Mactaquac, NB]

Thank you, Minister.

I'll turn the rest of my time over to Mr. Van Kesteren.

[Dave Van Kesteren, Conservative, Chatham-Kent—Essex, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Minister.

You referenced the Speech from the Throne in your opening remarks and talked about the practice of ending pay-to-pay billing practices to customers so they don't pay extra to receive paper bills. Can you tell us what you've been hearing from the stakeholders and what can be done to ensure companies don't break the rules?

[Joe Oliver, Conservative, Eglinton—Lawrence, ON]

Our government committed in the 2013 Speech from the Throne—and reinforced this in budget 2014—to end pay-to-pay billing practices so that customers do not pay extra to receive paper bills. Bill C-43 will end pay-to-pay billing practices in the telecommunications sector. Any company that breaks the rules faces penalties of up to $15 million.

Our government is committed to putting the interests of Canadian consumers first. I could quote from the Public Interest Advocacy Centre and the Consumers' Association of Canada, which welcomed the fact that the federal government will introduce legislation to end pay-to-pay billing practices in the telecommunications sector.

John Lawford of the Public Interest Advocacy Centre said, “Consumers are clearly opposed to paying for paper bills and the federal government has clearly committed to 'eliminating' these charges.”

[Dave Van Kesteren, Conservative, Chatham-Kent—Essex, ON]

Maybe if you could just touch quickly on our government's strong and—

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

Very briefly.

[Dave Van Kesteren, Conservative, Chatham-Kent—Essex, ON]

—ongoing commitment to the north and our record on the environment. Maybe you could tell us how Bill C-43 will build on that.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

Just a brief response, Minister.

[Joe Oliver, Conservative, Eglinton—Lawrence, ON]

Mr. Chair, as you know, our government has placed a high priority on the north. An emblematic indication of that is the Prime Minister's annual northern tour, which I had the privilege of joining a couple of times.

The Canadian High Arctic research station is a key element of this northern strategy, which is underpinned by world-leading Arctic science and technology to help ensure sound decision-making. The station will provide a year-round world-class facility for science and technology in Canada's north. It will complement and—

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

Unfortunately, Minister, we're over time on this round. We can come back to this on the next Conservative round. Thank you.

We'll go to Mr. Rankin, please.

[Murray Rankin, NDP, Victoria, BC]

Welcome, Minister, and thank you to the officials for being here.

This budget is 460 pages long. It corrects a number of errors in previous bills like it. Four of them are: tobacco tax problems, money laundering, bridge amalgamation, and the Public Service Labour Relations Act. All of them had to be fixed. As well, we've had a lot of evidence here about technical concerns with the bill.

Minister, don't you think that pushing legislation through like this, with such detail, is really no way to run the financial administration?

[Joe Oliver, Conservative, Eglinton—Lawrence, ON]

Canadians expect their government to make decisions, to take action on our commitments, and that's what we're doing in the House of Commons with the BIA 2 bill. We've been faced with continued attempts by the opposition to delay and obstruct these important bills. We're going to continue to keep our commitments to Canadians by introducing and advancing important legislation.

Even though the opposition likes to suggest otherwise, it's been common practice to include various measures in the bill. The subsequent budget implementation bill is nothing new, nothing groundbreaking, and simply reflects the central role of the budget in a government's agenda. Everything in the bill supports our low-tax plan for jobs and growth.

[Murray Rankin, NDP, Victoria, BC]

You said that it was about jobs, growth and long-term prosperity. Perhaps you can explain how this act's removal of the national standard for provinces' spending in providing social assistance to refugee claimants works to achieve those goals.

[Joe Oliver, Conservative, Eglinton—Lawrence, ON]

Yes. The important thing to state right at the beginning is that the rules for welfare and other social programs are not changed. This measure establishes authority for the provinces and territories to determine waiting times should they wish to do so. We respect provincial jurisdiction in this area as always. We're committed to welcoming all newcomers including genuine refugees. We want to integrate them into Canadian society so they can fully contribute to our economy and our communities. But Canadians have no tolerance for those would abuse our generosity and take unfair advantage of it, so there are implications.

[Murray Rankin, NDP, Victoria, BC]

How does it deal with job growth and long-term prosperity, which as you said were the priorities of this bill? How does it address those objectives?

[Joe Oliver, Conservative, Eglinton—Lawrence, ON]

It addresses the objectives by giving the option to the provinces to make decisions about waiting times so that our fair and generous immigration system is not abused.

[Murray Rankin, NDP, Victoria, BC]

What provinces are in support of that measure?

[Joe Oliver, Conservative, Eglinton—Lawrence, ON]

It's up to the provinces to determine that issue.

[Murray Rankin, NDP, Victoria, BC]

How many have told you that they're in support thus far?

[Joe Oliver, Conservative, Eglinton—Lawrence, ON]

I don't have a list of those provinces.

[Murray Rankin, NDP, Victoria, BC]

Minister, we're glad to see, as Mr. Van Kesteren pointed out, that there are some changes to the pay-to-pay billing for telecommunications companies. We notice that it fails to protect the bills of consumers vis-à-vis banks. I'm wondering if the banks have a better lobby than the telcos?

[Joe Oliver, Conservative, Eglinton—Lawrence, ON]

We're very pleased that this will deal with the pay-to-pay billing on paper bills. In respect to the banking sector for credit card bills and other statements that show a payment owing, all major banks are mailing bills to their customers without charge. We're pleased with that and we think it's significant progress for consumers.

[Murray Rankin, NDP, Victoria, BC]

Minister, on the EI small business job tax credit you testified just now that your officials didn't undertake an analysis of it and you didn't take the PBO's devastating analysis into account either. You said you relied on a lobby group, the CFIB, for its analysis. Some would call that approach decision-based evidence-making. Isn't your approach rather reckless given the amount of money involved?

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

Okay. Just a brief response, Minister.

[Joe Oliver, Conservative, Eglinton—Lawrence, ON]

We have a long-term plan to reduce the EI rate to $1.47 in 2017. This would be the lowest rate in over a decade, but we wanted to provide an early relief to small businesses, who are the largest generators of employment in the country, and we're very comfortable this is the right thing to do. We want to encourage employment growth and this is one way to do it by focusing a benefit on the biggest employers and generators of employment in Canada.