Finance Committee on Nov. 14th, 2016

Evidence of meeting #55 for Finance in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was enhancement.

A video is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

Subject Matter of Bill C-26, An Act to amend the Canada Pension Plan, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board Act and the Income Tax Act

Committee Business

MPs speaking

Robert-Falcon Ouellette

Steven MacKinnon

Jennifer O'Connell

Francesco Sorbara

François-Philippe Champagne

Gérard Deltell

Also speaking

June Dewetering Committee Researcher

Glenn Purves General Director, Federal-Provincial Relations and Social Policy Branch, Department of Finance

Michel Montambeault Director, Canadian Pension Plan, Old Age Security, Office of the Chief Actuary, Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions

Pierre LeBlanc Director, Personal Income Tax Division, Tax Policy Branch, Department of Finance

Michel Millette Managing Director, Office of the Chief Actuary, Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions

Claude Lavoie Director, Economic Studies and Policy Analysis Division, Economic and Fiscal Policy Branch, Department of Finance

Marianna Giordano Director, CPP Policy and Legislation, Income Security and Social Development Branch, Department of Employment and Social Development

Conservative

Ziad Aboultaif Conservative Edmonton Manning, AB

It's a new way of moving.

Conservative

Dan Albas Conservative Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, BC

If you want to make the amendment, I would be happy to support that.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter

Okay. Mr. MacKinnon is amending it with “existing and future reports” instead of “first report”.

Liberal

Steven MacKinnon Liberal Gatineau, QC

Yes, and strike the word “comprehensive”.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter

Okay. Read it as it would carry with the amendment.

Liberal

Steven MacKinnon Liberal Gatineau, QC

Sure: That the Standing Committee on Finance undertake a study on existing and upcoming reports by the Advisory Council on Economic Growth and that the Committee report its findings to the House.

Conservative

Dan Albas Conservative Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, BC

The only question I do have, though, and I'm saying this because I do know politics somewhat, is that we're agreeing that we will study it, and this isn't just a way to keep it permanently off in the future, I would hope.

Liberal

Steven MacKinnon Liberal Gatineau, QC

Correct.

Conservative

Dan Albas Conservative Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola, BC

Okay. I think that's just fine.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter

On the amendment, Mr. Grewal.

November 14th, 2016 / 4:05 p.m.

Liberal

Raj Grewal Liberal Brampton East, ON

I just have a question. So we're studying a report to issue another report...?

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter

The report that's on the table is the first report of the Advisory Council on Economic Growth—

Liberal

Raj Grewal Liberal Brampton East, ON

Essentially, they're making recommendations—

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter

—and there will be future reports, so it's opening it up so that we can basically study them all, as I understand it.

Liberal

Raj Grewal Liberal Brampton East, ON

Then we write our own report and table that in the House.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter

Then our committee would report those findings to the House.

Liberal

Raj Grewal Liberal Brampton East, ON

Just to understand this in terms of process, the first report is by the Advisory Council on Economic Growth. These people are going to write a report on the recommendations to the finance minister, and then we're going to get that report, and we're going to study that report and write our own report to table in the House.

Does anybody else see a problem with that process?

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter

Mr. Champagne.

Liberal

François-Philippe Champagne Liberal Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC

Mr. Chair, does that include even the recommendations the government is not pursuing? So that's a report on a report including things that we don't implement?

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter

That is true.

Liberal

François-Philippe Champagne Liberal Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC

I'm just trying to understand the logic here.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter

I don't want to get into the debate—

Liberal

François-Philippe Champagne Liberal Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC

No, I'm not debating, I'm just trying to understand the logic here.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter

—but the fact of the matter is that the committee might decide, after listening to the economic advisory council, that the government should have put something, should have implemented a policy that they recommended and the government didn't accept. That's where you could end up.

Liberal

François-Philippe Champagne Liberal Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC

In a one-hour hearing.