Evidence of meeting #155 for Finance in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was seniors.
A video is available from Parliament.
Senior Vice-President, Policy, Canadian Trucking Alliance
In our opinion, that's correct. Yes, sir.
Conservative
Pat Kelly Conservative Calgary Rocky Ridge, AB
Wow. That's quite an indictment.
I have maybe half a minute left. What final suggestion do you have on enforcing the laws that currently exist?
Senior Vice-President, Policy, Canadian Trucking Alliance
We just want the laws enforced, plain and simple. Make it a level playing field, where everybody pays their fair share. Enforce the laws.
Liberal
Liberal
Julie Dzerowicz Liberal Davenport, ON
Actually, I'll be giving the first half of my time to Ms. Bendayan.
Liberal
Rachel Bendayan Liberal Outremont, QC
Thank you, colleague.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. My question is for B'nai Brith Canada.
Our Prime Minister issued a strong condemnation of Iran's attacks of today. It is a fact that Iran is the largest sponsor of terrorism worldwide, and I am particularly concerned about further escalation, which leads me to your recommendation number three, which calls for new investments to strengthen Canada's ability to monitor and prevent terrorism here at home.
I would like to take the short amount of time that I have for you to put on the record your specific suggestions in that regard.
Director, Research and Advocacy, B’nai Brith Canada
Absolutely.
You cannot divorce the fact that recent terror plots in Canada were targeting the Jewish community from an exploration of how to counter those terror plots. We have an extremism problem in this country, and it's worsening. As a result of that, we need to take proactive measures to ensure the safety of all Canadians, but especially the Jewish community in Canada since the Jewish community is being targeted by these terror plots.
In order to combat this radicalism, this rise in extremism, we need additional funds for our national security apparatus, specifically our INSETs, to be able to proactively monitor and prevent these occurrences from happening. It's too late if we're catching people at the eleventh hour as they're attempting to engage in acts of terror. It's too late if we're having to interrupt these people as they're in the late stages of these events.
This shouldn't be taking place in Canada. We should have the funds and the resources available to our security apparatus so that we can stop these plots before they even start. That's at the screening stages for individuals who are entering this country and are already radicalized, and that's at the stage of preventing people from becoming radicalized, whether it be online or in person here in Canada.
Liberal
Liberal
Julie Dzerowicz Liberal Davenport, ON
Thank you.
My quick question is for Mr. Cochrane.
Mr. Cochrane, I know that you talked about the need for us to further expand our social welfare system. One of the things I talk about with my constituents is how proud I am that we have massively expanded our social welfare system over the last nine years. I hope you'll agree that by introducing the CCB, by increasing the OAS and the GIS, and by introducing national child care, national dental care and phase one of the disability benefits—among other things—we've done a fairly good job of expanding our social welfare system over the last nine years.
Would you agree with that?
Liberal
Julie Dzerowicz Liberal Davenport, ON
The other question I want to ask you is with regard to how one of the things our government's been working on with the CLC is a construction pilot. It's a way of normalizing non-status construction workers who've been in Canada for over 10, 15 or 20 years and their families. Are you familiar with the program?
Liberal
Julie Dzerowicz Liberal Davenport, ON
That's okay. I was going to ask you a specific question. I'm a very big believer in it. It continues to keep a lot of the workers who've been building our buildings and our cities here for a little longer, and I'm hoping that we will be able to expand that program just because it's become so successful.
My last question is going to go to Mr. Klein of the Climate Emergency Unit.
Mr. Klein, one of the many hats I wear is travelling internationally as chair of the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association, and when I talk to other countries, they tell me that they're gearing up to actually put in a carbon tax or a price on pollution. As you know, our federal government's been implementing a comprehensive response to climate change. We've heard some testimony today, particularly from the trucking industry, that the price on pollution is expensive for some sectors.
I wonder if you might have a comment on maybe the importance of our having this comprehensive plan on climate change at the federal level, which does include a price on pollution, and the importance of our continuing to have a price on pollution moving forward.
Team Lead, Climate Emergency Unit
You're asking a big question in the dying moments here.
I am a supporter of the principle of carbon pricing, but I also think it's been significantly oversold, both by its detractors and by its proponents. It speaks a little bit to Mr. Cochrane's point of view. Canada is making progress on climate but not nearly at the pitch and pace that the emergency requires.
We are largely overly dependent on signals through carbon pricing and tax credits that aren't up to the task. We actually need a green industrial strategy like Mr. Cochrane talked about, and the youth climate corps that we've come to talk about could be another way of doing that. What the polling shows on the youth climate corps is that there are, in fact, tens of thousands of young people who are simply saying, “We get it. Sign us up, please.” They're waiting for their invitation.
Liberal
Conservative
Adam Chambers Conservative Simcoe North, ON
I'll ask for unanimous consent. Mr. Morrice was patient enough to sit through the entire committee meeting. He should be afforded a couple of questions.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Peter Fonseca
That's very good. We're a collaborative bunch.
MP Morrice, please go ahead.
Green
Mike Morrice Green Kitchener Centre, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you, colleagues.
I want to start by saying thank you to Mr. Wood and the Canadian Trucking Alliance for raising the profile of the Driver Inc. model. It not only avoids taxes, but also robs drivers of the benefits they're entitled to.
It seems to me like this is an opportunity to have parties work together. The governing party has put a pilot program in place that the Trucking Alliance is looking to see rolled out more widely, and it's clear that opposition parties want to see this done too. It's rare these days that we see points of alignment here, and I wonder, amongst colleagues, if that's something we could work on together over the coming weeks.
I want to say thank you to Mr. Cochrane, particularly for his advocacy on the Canada disability benefit and on getting it fixed, along with addressing the housing crisis by doubling the supply of affordable housing.
My question is for Mr. Klein and Ms. Asghar.
When it comes to the youth climate corps that you've advocated for, you mentioned that the U.S. has already, of course, put this into place earlier this year through the American Climate Corps. You mentioned the price tag being about a billion. That sounds like a lot, but we know that if we put a windfall profit tax on oil and gas, we could raise $4.2 billion a year, as Mr. Cochrane also called for.
Can either of you speak to the lessons we can learn from the American Climate Corps on what has worked there over the last few months and also speak to the economic impacts of 20,000 young people in full-time work related to the climate economy, whom we're going to need going forward?
What should my colleagues know about the economic impact of a youth climate corps in the midst of a climate crisis? It's the kind of big idea that I think we need, as you said, Mr. Klein, at the pitch and the pace we're at right now. Would one of you like to comment on that in about 45 seconds?
Organizer, Youth Climate Corps, Climate Emergency Unit
Seth, if you're good with it, I think I want to take this one.
Based on our research and using the 2023 income tax brackets, we actually found that with the incremental income that a YCC graduate would earn compared to a high school graduate, which is $15,850 per year, the federal government would receive additional income taxes, per person, of up to $2,700 per year, not including deductions or tax credits. Provincial and territorial governments could receive $890 to $2,880 per year, not including deductions or tax credits.
Over a 40-year career, this is up to $108,000 in additional revenue for the federal government and $35,600 to $115,200 for provinces and territories. If the YCC creates 20,000 jobs per year for a billion dollars, it would be paid back in roughly 10 to 15 years in additional income tax revenue. That's not including all of the other things we've talked about, which are part and parcel of this incredible policy initiative.
Team Lead, Climate Emergency Unit
The only thing I'd love to add is that, if we did in fact pay for this with an excess profit tax or windfall profit tax, as Mr. Cochrane suggested, the net benefit, in terms of tackling inflation, would actually be positive. It would actually help with lowering prices, and there's a lovely symmetry to bringing in a windfall profit tax like that to pay for a program like this.