Thank you, Bill. I appreciate it.
I don't know if you recall, but a couple of years ago I was at this committee and I couldn't even speak because I had lost my voice. I'm getting there again, so it's bad timing, but I hope I can get through this.
Colleagues, it is my absolute pleasure to be here today to speak on my private member's bill, Bill C-316. Before I begin, I want to thank you all immensely for your unwavering support of this initiative. There is no question that we all share the common goal of improving our organ and tissue donation system here in Canada, so that Canadians no longer have to die awaiting a life-saving transplant.
As I have said before, this is not a political issue; this is a human issue, and our work on this issue is proof that when it really counts, we're able to leave our partisan stripes at the door. I also want to thank those who rose in the House to speak to this bill. I was moved by your kind words and your personal stories, and I think it's fair to say that many people had no idea how passionate we could all be about this issue.
Finally, I want to thank the analysts and the clerk for the work they have done on this issue. Your work on the committee report was excellent. You perfectly captured what we heard and what we want to see done, so I sincerely thank you.
As I mentioned in greater detail in my comments in the House during second reading, this bill would sensibly utilize the annual tax return process to allow Canadians to indicate their intention to consent to be organ donors. I have been afforded the opportunity to discuss my bill in greater detail with the Canada Revenue Agency, and I very much appreciate that collaborative gesture. I thank them for allowing time for me to meet with them.
This bill would enable the CRA to facilitate the registration of individuals with their respective provincial and territorial registries, but it will be the provinces and territories that will ultimately finalize the consent with those who wish to register.
This bill does not specify, at least at this point, the exact nature of the data collection process or the actual content that is to appear on the tax return. This bill is very narrowly focused on giving the CRA the legal exemption it requires to set up agreements with provincial and territorial partners, because existing legislation prohibits the use of tax returns for any purpose other than the collection of taxes, and of course allowing Elections Canada to pass on their information to them.
While I wanted to provide the CRA with a lot of working space and flexibility to implement the will of Parliament, I do have some concerns and I hope that we can put those to rest today when the CRA is up here and we're questioning them. I want to ensure that the CRA hears loud and clear that the expectation of Parliament is to have this addition made on the front page of the T1 tax returns in all provinces and territories. I also want it made clear that we expect people to have the option to tick a box on that front page—a call to action, if you will. We've all filled out forms before, and we know that unless there's a box to tick or a space to fill, we tend not to stop and read the fine print. We need to make sure that we have a front page that calls on tax filers to take a specific action to demonstrate their willingness to register.
I realize that the front page has very limited space, but it does have enough space to do what we all envision. In fact, the options I've offered would take less space than that afforded to Elections Canada on the front page. I think we can all agree that unless this initiative appears on the front page, we will lose a tremendous opportunity and dramatically reduce the impact of our work.
When it comes to the electronic filers, the e-filers, things should be quite simple, and of course the majority of Canadians, probably 90%, e-file. The CRA should make it a requirement of all tax software, which they certify annually, that the offer to consent appear prominently in the filing process. Based on residency, a tax filer should be afforded a secure connection to their own provincial or territorial registry to consent. A tax preparer should also have the option of requesting a consent package for those who are not physically filing their own return. We need to seize every opportunity to register as many as possible.
I should also mention here that I will be moving two minor amendments to my bill. These amendments are friendly amendments. They will simply change “organ donors” to “organ and tissue donors”. I believe, from my earlier discussions with colleagues and the chair, that this is not going to be an issue. We will ensure that we are not limiting ourselves from a legal perspective. I'll bring those motions forward during clause-by-clause.
I don't believe that we are intending any other amendments to the legislation, but I do welcome any that will help ensure we reach our goal to have more registered donors.
Of course, we will be hearing from the CRA officials, and I encourage my colleagues to implore a continued sense of urgency for implementation. It's always been my experience that a deadline focuses everyone and helps get the job done.
I believe that we could have this in place for the 2019 tax returns, but that would require everyone to continue pushing all involved in the process. This committee has shown its willingness to move quickly on the legislation, and I hope that those after us, meaning the CRA and of course the minister, are just as motivated to make this happen quickly, because once it leaves here, it's out of our hands.
We know that a Canadian dies almost every day awaiting a life-saving transplant. Every day sooner that we get this done means that we literally could save a life.
A while ago, the elections commissioner indicated to Parliament that if Parliament wanted to implement changes in time for the 2019 election, then legislation would have to be passed by a certain date. That was for changes to the elections laws. I would like to see the CRA provide a similar breakdown on their timelines to give us a sense of what needs to be done, and by when, for this to happen in 2019. This would be helpful for everyone in the process to have. It gives us a target to focus on.
Finally, I would like to thank the government. That doesn't happen too often. I would like to thank the government for committing the funding to this initiative in the fall economic update just last week. Governments don't often commit funding ahead of legislation passing, especially when it's from a private member's bill and, for that matter, an opposition private member's bill. The fact that this funding has been committed is very much appreciated by me, and it signifies an impressive willingness from the government to see this happen.
I have referred to this bill several times as “my bill”, as it stands in my name, but I do want to say that this is really our bill. This is our committee's bill, because we all worked together as a single team to make this a reality. We found a shared goal and a sensible solution, and we all worked together to make this happen.
I'm very proud of all of you who were here along this process with me. We are getting closer every day, but there still remains a lot of work ahead. I must be honest in saying that I am a bit concerned that we don't yet have a clear, unambiguous commitment on some important implementation aspects. Hopefully, we will deal with that today with the CRA. Nonetheless, we've gone a long way in a short amount of time, and I'm very proud of all you guys. I have to thank you all for the work you've done on this.
Thank you.
