Madam Speaker, it is surprising to hear what our colleague opposite had to say. Dealing with transparency, with how our money is spent, is always complicated; it is always a long process. But when the process is to tax people, when the process is to introduce hidden taxes, the government is quick to act.
We have before us today in the House of Commons Bill C-205 introduced by the member for Medicine Hat. In this bill, the Reform member states that this law would provide for parliamentary scrutiny and approval of user fees set by a federal authority and require public disclosure of the amount collected as user fees.
The Bloc Quebecois, a party that promotes transparency, is also willing to promote this bill. This initiative by my Reform colleague is in keeping with a recommendation made by the auditor general in his 1993 report, and I would like to quote him. My colleague mentioned this earlier, but I would like to repeat it because sometimes the members opposite have difficulty understanding the facts.
Here is what the auditor general said “We are concerned that it is not easy for Parliament to scrutinize closely user fees as determined by the market and other non-regulatory instruments. There is no government-wide summary of fees charged, of revenues collected and of the authorities under which these fees are set.”
This Reform bill addresses this legitimate concern by the auditor general. These user fees are a type of hidden tax that the Minister of Finance approves. Federal agencies are charging fees in an attempt to overcome the cuts that the Liberal government imposed on them.
In fact, these federal agencies implemented these service charges when the Minister of Finance authorized them to do so in 1995. The minister stated at that time that it was appropriate to charge such new fees in order to finance part of the programs and services provided by the federal government.
Who is paying for this new approach? The taxpayer.
I would like to give you several examples of increases to service charges made by agencies under federal authority: a head tax of $975 for each new immigrant coming to Canada; administration fees for a passport increased from $35 to $60.
Another example affects directly families and people who love the outdoors: in 1995-1996, $35 million were collected in entrance fees paid by users of our lovely national camping sites, and these fees almost doubled in the year 1996-1997, totalling over $61 million. Today, national camping facilities cost more than private camping facilities.
How can these hidden taxes imposed with the finance minister's blessing be justified when the people of Quebec and Canada are overburdened with taxes as it is? Bill C-205 comes at the right moment to unmask the Liberals' game. Where is this money going? The Minister of Finance did not say anything about that either. Whenever this government has to account to the people, it shirks its responsibility. There is a long list of examples.
One issue of particular concern to Quebeckers is that of harmonising the GST, which costs our taxpayers $2 billion. In spite of repeated requests on our part, the Minister of Finance still will not agree to disclose his real motives for denying this legitimate request.
The Minister of Finance repeatedly said that his studies and analyses showed that Quebec was not entitled to this money. In a last-ditch effort to resolve this issue, the leader of our party made a fair and equitable proposal to the two parties involved in this controversy over numbers. The Bloc leader asked that a three-member expert panel look into this issue. The federal government will not agree to this totally democratic and legitimate approach. What is it trying to hide from the public?
The EI fund, with surpluses expected to exceed $15 billion, is another issue. In the report he tabled in October, the auditor general mentioned that the finance minister should administer the EI fund in a more transparent fashion. The minister's financial statements should show, under a separate account, the amounts paid in and out of the EI fund.
This too would help give credibility to this government. Yet, the finance minister still denies this request. Why? He is afraid of the public finding out how he is playing with the EI fund surpluses.
Who are the losers in this economic debate? The workers, who are heavily penalized by this Liberal government.
With this bill, democracy could make strides. The issue of transparency is front and centre, and that is the first step in stopping this marketing operation the Liberal government launched in this House with the Speech from the Throne. It should be pointed out to the hon. members of this House that, in 1996 alone, these new user fees generated $3.8 billion in revenue for the federal government, without any form of review being conducted.
The finance minister's game is obvious. This is another source of revenue that looks like a roundabout way of collecting more taxes from the taxpayers. The time has come to put a stop to these hidden taxes. The time has come for the public to be made aware of the use made of this money by the government.
The Bloc Quebecois fully supports the principle of Bill C-205, allowing members of Parliament to subject to scrutiny the source of revenue from user fees.
For the reasons stated the bill, namely transparency, responsibility and representation, our party is in favour of Bill C-205.