Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the hon. member for Mississauga South.
It is with great pleasure that I rise to discuss Bill C-43, an act to establish the Canada customs and revenue agency. As we conduct this final House of Commons debate on Bill C-43, I would like to talk about the people who work at Revenue Canada. I would like to talk about the fellow citizens they serve, the fellow citizens we serve.
It is the minister's firm conviction and it is my firm conviction that the new Canada customs and revenue agency will be good for our current employees and the Canadian public. We need to show leadership. We need to create the conditions that will make it possible to streamline the tax system. That is what the agency will accomplish.
When I sit down with the department's employees, be it in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Hamilton, Niagara Falls, or Windsor, I am struck by their dedication and their determination to make the system better. They more than anyone understand the frustration of taxpayers when they are confronted with different auditors from different levels of government. They more than anyone see the need for new technology to permit most Canadians to cross the border with a simple Canpass so that time can be spent on higher risk areas. They more than anyone see the need for faster hiring practices and more flexible management of human resources.
The employees of Revenue Canada see better than anyone how taxpayers could benefit from a single window for taxes and one-stop shopping for tax information.
Those are the reasons why we are proposing the new agency. If we want a simpler system for taxpayers, we need to bring the provinces and territories on side. If we want faster hiring and more flexible human resources management, we need to create a separate body with the authority for such issues as classifications, training and development and terms and conditions of employment.
The new agency would have such authority. At the same time, it is critical to show that we value the Canadians who work at Revenue Canada and who will work at the new agency. That is why any personnel rules of the agency will be premised on fairness and equity.
Under Bill C-43, permanent employees of Revenue Canada are guaranteed two years of employment at the new agency. This guarantee is more than any employees of the federal public service now have. Collective agreements will remain in force. Pension and leave credits will remain intact. Employees will have the right to compete for jobs in the federal government departments.
Believe me, the minister is determined that all employees will be treated with fairness and decency. He will strengthen the legislation to do just that.
The Public Service Commission will have the power to review and report on the agency's staffing procedures. There will be a mandatory review of recourse mechanisms by an independent party after three years. And of course, there will be a five year legislative review by parliament.
Perhaps more importantly, the Minister of National Revenue will remain answerable for the actions of the agency on the floor of this House of Commons.
I am convinced that the new agency will offer meaningful new opportunities for employees. A reduction in the number of occupational groups and levels will make it easier for employees to move between jobs. There will be more career mobility. Vacancies will be filled in a few weeks rather than many months. A flexible agency will be able to adopt more extensive use of flexible hours or work at home arrangements.
There are untold numbers of new possibilities to expand programs and services for the provinces and territories. There are untold possibilities for new ways of performing work, especially with the growth of technology.
The critics say this is a downsizing exercise. I say with great respect that they are 100% wrong. This is an upsizing measure providing more opportunities for employees, more opportunities for growth and more opportunities to serve Canadians more effectively.
That brings me to the second half of the people equation: service to the people of Canada. The employees of the Canada customs and revenue agency will be better placed to serve the needs of Canadians.
The small business owners in my riding of Hamilton Mountain are, like millions of other Canadians, honest, hardworking people who are willing to pay taxes. What has frustrated them over the years is the paperwork from the federal government, from the provincial government, from the regional government, from the municipal government.
The new agency offers a genuine chance to bring an end to much of that overlap and duplication. It offers a genuine opportunity for all kinds of programs to be administered from a single source.
By simplifying the process, we can save millions upon millions of dollars for taxpayers. That too is a clear example of better service to Canadians.
In its presentation before the Standing Committee on Finance, the Public Policy Forum made a vital point. For big business the cost of filing tax or customs forms is relatively small in proportion to sales or profit. For small businesses however, that is not the case at all. The filing of forms and the costs of dealing with multiple audits is often a make or break situation for a smaller company. This new agency can be the first step on the road to righting that situation.
There is another way in which a new agency can help business flourish in our country. With the phenomenal growth of electronic commerce comes real concern about security and privacy. If governments work together through the new agency, we can make Canada the global leader in the development of the most secure software and hardware.
The agency can be on the cutting edge in developing the programs that will give Canadians the confidence to engage fully in electronic commerce.
That is what this bill is all about. Better service through savings in time. Better service through savings in money. Better service through wise use of technology. Better service through new opportunities for partnerships. Better service through more employee flexibility and autonomy. Better service through streamlining and simplifying. The people who work at Revenue Canada will be the better for the agency. The people of Canada will be better for the new agency.
Bill C-43 is a positive move for public servants and a positive move for the public. We have put people first in establishing the agency. We have put people first in the mandate of the agency. We have put people first in the operation of the agency.
I congratulate the Minister of National Revenue for this bill. I say to every member of parliament, let us pass this bill as quickly as possible. In the end, this bill is in the public interest. In the end, this bill serves the people of Canada.