Evidence of meeting #36 for International Trade in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was chair.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:35 p.m.
NDP
Peter Julian NDP Burnaby—New Westminster, BC
Mr. Chair, we are definitely being called to vote. There is no doubt about that.
4:35 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit
That is not a vote. We'll see what happens. You know how this works, Mr. Julian. I believe it has stopped now.
4:35 p.m.
NDP
Peter Julian NDP Burnaby—New Westminster, BC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Moving back to clause 48, this is replacing line 1, on page 34.
The French version of the bill now reads as follows “peut autoriser par écrit toute personne à se départir des registres qu'il doit conserver”. We would like to amend this to say:
(9) Le ministre peut autoriser par écrit toute personne à
This jibes more with...
4:35 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit
Thank you, Mr. Julian; your time is up.
Is there anyone else on amendment NDP-33?
We'll go to the vote.
(Amendment negatived: nays 9; yeas 1)
4:35 p.m.
NDP
Peter Julian NDP Burnaby—New Westminster, BC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I'm granted 60 seconds on clause 48--60 seconds.
What this refers to, the records and information required by clause 48, I note for the Canadians who will be reading this transcript, is a variety of impositions on softwood companies and a variety of penalties as well that are being provided for, including a penalty of providing six years of records to softwood companies.
It's important to note, Mr. Chair, that we are having all of 60 seconds to examine this clause, which comes in nine sections, nine paragraphs, each of which is a disposition that softwood companies have to follow. And there are severe penalties if they do not follow them. It is I think a betrayal of Canadians' interests that we are giving 60 seconds for a nine-paragraph clause of this bill that has enormous implications for softwood companies across the country, in terms of their records, in terms of the information they will be required to keep.
4:35 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit
Thank you, Mr. Julian. Your time is up.
Shall clause 48 carry?
(Clause 48 agreed to: yeas 8; nays 2)
(On clause 49--Requirement to provide records or information)
4:40 p.m.
NDP
Peter Julian NDP Burnaby—New Westminster, BC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
It takes us a few seconds even to get our amendment books up to the page we're specifically referring to. Moving at this breakneck pace, certainly there will be many errors made today; there's no doubt about that.
I'm moving amendment NDP-34. What that does is amend the issue of records to ensure there are the prescribed alternative formats or prescribed equipment to ensure people with disabilities are able to comply with any such requirement. What we have here is very onerous burdens on softwood companies. Some of those softwood companies are operated with people with disabilities, Mr. Chair. Since we've been running rampant through this bill, not providing any sort of due diligence to what the actual impacts are, what this clause does for the five million Canadians with disabilities is it allows persons with disabilities the ability to comply with the onerous information requirements that are put in place for this bill.
4:40 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit
Thank you, Mr. Julian.
Does anybody else wish to speak on amendment NDP-34?
Mr. Cannan.
4:40 p.m.
Conservative
Ron Cannan Conservative Kelowna—Lake Country, BC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I just want to clarify an issue with our panel of guests, specifically from the CRA. Do we not already have provisions or accommodations to assist people with disabilities through telephone and alternative format publications?
4:40 p.m.
Manager, Legislative Policy Directorate, Canada Revenue Agency
Yes, that's correct.
4:40 p.m.
Conservative
4:40 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit
Thank you.
We'll go to the vote on amendment NDP-34.
(Amendment negatived: nays 9; yeas 2) [See Minutes of Proceedings]
4:40 p.m.
Conservative
4:40 p.m.
NDP
Peter Julian NDP Burnaby—New Westminster, BC
Thank you.
We do not have any provisions in this bill for alternative formats, not a single one. So to say that somehow legislation in other areas is going to have an impact on this draconian legislation would quite simply be wrong.
What this committee is saying to the five million Canadians with disabilities is that it doesn't matter—the alternative format, running a softwood company. We're going to impose the kind of format that you have to follow. This is extremely unfair, Mr. Chair.
I think any reasonable Canadian would see the possibility of providing alternative format as an essential right in society. But we don't seem to be very concerned with rights, such as parliamentary privilege or the responsibility to do due diligence on this bill. There are no provisions in this act for alternative formats.
That is the decision the committee is making, and it's wrong.
4:40 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit
Thank you, Mr. Julian.
Would anyone else like to speak on clause 49?
We'll go to the vote on clause 49.
(Clause 49 agreed to: yeas 8; nays 3)
(On clause 50--Assessment)
4:45 p.m.
NDP
Peter Julian NDP Burnaby—New Westminster, BC
I' d like to ask our committee of guests—despite the fact that there is no time for them to respond with these ridiculous Kafkaesque rules of procedure that have been invented—about the impact of the two amendments proposed to clause 50.
4:45 p.m.
Manager, Legislative Policy Directorate, Canada Revenue Agency
Thank you.
From CRA's point of view, we apologize, but we didn't understand the intent of this particular amendment, so we're not able to speak to it.
4:45 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit
Okay.
Mr. Julian, you still have some time. I don't want to encourage you.
4:45 p.m.
NDP
Peter Julian NDP Burnaby—New Westminster, BC
No, that's fine, Mr. Chair. I didn't realize that the CRA had not done the clause-by-clause analysis.
Essentially what you're suggesting is that you haven't gone through all of the clauses that are being proposed today?
4:45 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Leon Benoit
Is there anybody else on NDP-35?
Then we'll go to the vote on NDP-35.
(Amendment negatived: nays 9; yeas 1) [See Minutes of Proceedings]