Thank you very much. I have my answer.
Evidence of meeting #9 for Finance in the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was jobs.
A video is available from Parliament.
Evidence of meeting #9 for Finance in the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was jobs.
A video is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Conservative
Mark Adler Conservative York Centre, ON
No, I'm satisfied with the answer. This is my time. I'm satisfied with the answer.
Yesterday we had the president of CUPE, Paul Moist, in. I asked him if his trade union was a for-profit organization, and he claimed that it is not. I asked him what appears on the financial statements, if there is a profit showing, and he said no. This is my mistake. I should have checked the statements before. He said they appear on his website. It does show that CUPE made a profit of $11 million last year, not to mention $100 million in investments.
Now, my understanding is, and I think we would all agree in this room, that everybody should be paying their fair share of taxes. Businesses certainly do. It's odd to me that trade unions that make money, that make a profit, do not pay taxes.
Ms. MacEwen, would you agree with that? Do you think trade unions that make a profit should be paying their fair share of taxes?
Senior Economist, Social and Economic Policy, Canadian Labour Congress
I would dispute that it's a profit. How is that used? The money is used in the interests of workers.
Conservative
Mark Adler Conservative York Centre, ON
It claims on the financial statements that there's a profit of $11 million.
November 21st, 2013 / 1:15 p.m.
Senior Economist, Social and Economic Policy, Canadian Labour Congress
Does it pay dividends?
Senior Economist, Social and Economic Policy, Canadian Labour Congress
Does it sit there to be used later, or is it taken home by somebody?
Senior Economist, Social and Economic Policy, Canadian Labour Congress
It's there to be used later. It is relevant.
Senior Economist, Social and Economic Policy, Canadian Labour Congress
Yes, it is, because that money is paid by workers—
Conservative
Senior Economist, Social and Economic Policy, Canadian Labour Congress
—to be used in their best interests, so that's not a profit.
Conservative
Mark Adler Conservative York Centre, ON
No, no, no. This is after all of the strike funds have been paid.
Senior Economist, Social and Economic Policy, Canadian Labour Congress
It's not used as a profit. You're incorrect.
Conservative
Mark Adler Conservative York Centre, ON
This is after all of the expenses have been paid. I'm asking your opinion. Do you agree that trade unions that make a profit...? If they don't, they shouldn't be—
Senior Economist, Social and Economic Policy, Canadian Labour Congress
They do not make a profit. I refuse to accept the premise of your question, sir.
Conservative
Mark Adler Conservative York Centre, ON
Okay. Well, then, let the record show that the Canadian Labour Congress does not agree that trade unions that make a profit should be paying their fair taxation just like every other Canadian.
Mr. Whyte, as someone who creates jobs, you represent how many members?
President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association
Thirty thousand.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association
Employing 1.1 million.
Conservative
Mark Adler Conservative York Centre, ON
As you mentioned in your presentation, this is really the first point of entry for a lot of young people who get involved in the labour force and really cut their teeth working in the restaurant sector. I know I did, and I'm sure a lot of people around this table did at one point in their lives.
How important is that sector to the Canadian economy and to job creation? How have our government policies, in terms of lowering the corporate tax rate, keeping employment premiums at $1.88 per $100, freezing them for 2014, helped create jobs in the restaurant sector?
President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association
It's critically important. We're critically important in every community. If you compare Detroit versus another city, Detroit is gutted. They need a restaurant sector. We are the number one employer of first-time jobs, and we're number two for youth employment. A lot of those people go on to other careers everywhere.
I've got to say, instead of fighting around here, we really should be.... It's a non-partisan issue. I do think we need better labour market information, because somehow people forget about demographics.
The worst time to plan for a crisis is during a crisis. We collectively need to talk about this, all of us. We can try to one-up each other, but we have an issue coming at us, and we're feeling it. We're feeling it. The demographic cohort that's declining, that's the younger folks. We need to look at all strategies to deal with this.
To go back to your question, certainty is really important to us, and you've provided certainty. Certainty that payroll taxes won't increase when you're labour intensive is important. When you invest in the community and you're a smaller business, it's really, really important. When you're making decisions to expand, it's important, but so is the labour force, and it hurts expansion when you don't feel you can get that labour force. A lot of the skilled jobs we have lose out if we don't have the unskilled jobs.
