Good morning, everybody. I call this meeting to order.
Welcome to meeting number 27 of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance.
Before we begin, I would like to ask all in-person participants to please read the guidelines written on the updated cards on the table. We have quite a few witnesses today, so I think it's important to remind ourselves of these measures that are in place to help prevent audio and feedback incidents and to protect the health and safety of all participants, including the interpreters. You will also notice a QR code on the card, which links to a short awareness video.
Today's meeting is taking place in a hybrid format.
I would like to remind participants of the following points. Before speaking, they must wait until I recognize them by name. For those participating by video conference, they must click on the microphone icon to activate their mike, and mute themselves when they are not speaking.
We have a number of witnesses joining us today.
If you are asked a question by a member and you are in the room, please come forward to the table and we will hear from you then, or raise your hand on Zoom. If the question is generally addressed and is not to someone specific, and if as an official you are able to respond to that question, again, please come forward and we will recognize you, or raise your hand if you are on Zoom.
For those on Zoom, at the bottom of your screen you can select the appropriate channel for interpretation: floor, English or French. For those in the room, you can use the earpiece and select the desired channel.
For members participating in person or via Zoom, they must raise their hand if they wish to speak. The clerks and I will do the best we can to maintain the speaking order.
I remind you that all comments should be addressed through the chair.
Pursuant to the order of reference of Wednesday, December 10, 2025, and the motion adopted by the House on Friday, February 13, 2026, the committee shall resume consideration of Bill C-15, an act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on November 4, 2025.
I would like to provide members of the committee with a few comments on how committees proceed with the clause-by-clause consideration of a bill.
As the name indicates, this is an examination of all the clauses in the order in which they appear in the bill. I will call each clause successively, and each clause is subject to debate and a vote. If there are amendments to the clause in question, I will recognize the member proposing it, who may explain it. Amendments will be considered in the order in which they appear in the package each member received from the clerks.
In addition to having to be properly drafted in a legal sense, amendments must also be procedurally admissible. The chair may be called upon to rule amendments inadmissible if they go against the principle of the bill or beyond the scope of the bill—both of which were adopted by the House when it agreed to the bill at second reading—or if they offend the financial prerogative of the Crown.
During debate on amendments, members are permitted to move subamendments until 5 p.m. today.
Pursuant to the House order adopted on Friday, February 13, 2026, if the committee has not completed clause-by-clause consideration of the bill by 5 p.m. on Monday, February 23, 2026, all remaining amendments submitted to the committee shall be deemed moved, and the chair shall put the question, forthwith and successively, without further debate on all remaining clauses and proposed amendments.
Once every clause has been voted on, the committee will vote on the title and the bill itself. An order to reprint the bill may be required, if amendments are adopted, so that the House has a proper copy for use at report stage.
I thank the members for their attention and wish everyone a productive clause-by-clause consideration of Bill C‑15.
As per the House order adopted on Friday, February 13, 2026, all amendments ought to have been submitted no later than noon on Thursday, February 19, 2026. Amendments that are submitted past the deadline cannot be moved.
I would like to welcome the witnesses, who are ready to answer technical questions related to the bill.
There are a lot of witnesses, so I am not going to name them all. Committee members have a list, so I hope you reference that, and you can address your questions accordingly, as I mentioned at the outset.
Let's get started now on clause-by-clause.
Pursuant to Standing Order 75(1), consideration of clause 1, the short title, is postponed.
For part 1, “Amendments to the Income Tax Act and Other Legislation”, there are no amendments proposed from clauses 2 to 4.
Go ahead, Mr. Hallan.
