Debates of April 15th, 2013

Canada Revenue Agency

[Murray Rankin, NDP, Victoria, BC]

Mr. Speaker, while families are being squeezed, the Conservatives are making life more expensive for Canadians and are simply refusing to admit it.

The Conservatives, for example, are relying on billionaires to report their income in tax shelters and are pretending that this is a serious policy. Self-policing by tax cheats is no way to run a G8 economy.

The minister should be investing in enforcement, not cutting it, as she is. When will the minister agree to act and accept the practical measures the NDP has been proposing so we can crack down on tax cheats?

[Gail Shea, Conservative, Minister of National Revenue and Minister for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency]

Mr. Speaker, we have long recognized this issue and we have consistently taken measures to address it.

Since we came to government, we have increased the size of the international audit program by roughly 40%, and we have identified over $4.5 billion in unpaid taxes. Closing tax loopholes and keeping the tax system fair keeps our tax rates low.

Not only does the NDP vote against all of our attempts to close tax loopholes, but it proposes to increase taxes on Canadians by $56 billion.

[Guy Caron, NDP, Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of National Revenue has not done her homework on tax evasion. She cannot tell us how much money Canada loses to tax evasion every year.

This is a serious problem, but the Conservatives are refusing to take a serious approach. They are relying on investigative services in tax havens and the goodwill of the guilty parties. At the same time, they are cutting the resources of the Canada Revenue Agency.

The question is simple. Why are the Conservatives refusing to come up with effective means of fighting tax evasion?

[Gail Shea, Conservative, Minister of National Revenue and Minister for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency]

Mr. Speaker, we believe that anyone with information related to aggressive tax planning has an obligation to provide that information to the CRA for review.

If the NDP is really serious about this issue, then we look forward to its support for the 2013 economic action plan. That is where CRA will get the tools it needs to fight tax evasion.

Taxation

[Annick Papillon, NDP, Québec, QC]

Mr. Speaker, in addition to losing billions of dollars to tax evasion, the Conservatives have hiked import tariffs on almost everything.

Moreover, Sony executives confirmed last week that they were already paying the new MP3 tax. Electronic devices will not be the only goods affected. Coffee will also cost more and, just in time for the cycling season, so will bicycles.

The Conservatives promised that they would not increase taxes, but that is what they are doing. They can still correct their mistake. Will they support our motion to condemn these new tax hikes?

[Ted Menzies, Conservative, Minister of State (Finance)]

Mr. Speaker, the answer is a definite no, just so they know.

We have actually reduced tariffs. We have eliminated 1,900 tariffs. Who helped us do that? It was not the opposition, which votes against it every time.

Over half a billion dollars is what the opposition voted against in reduced tariffs to Canadians. Those lower costs get passed on to consumers. I would like the NDP members to go back and explain to their constituents why they want to raise taxes and why they vote against it when we want to lower taxes.

[Annick Papillon, NDP, Québec, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are fooling themselves.

Economists have said that the Conservative budget contains tax hikes on a number of goods. Corporate executives have candidly said that their products will cost more and that they will have no choice but to pass the cost on to the consumer.

Only the Conservatives are in denial. Canadians will have to tighten their belts another notch to pay the Conservatives' taxes. That is a fact.

Why are the Conservatives refusing to support our motion to take these taxes out of the budget? It is simple.

[Ted Menzies, Conservative, Minister of State (Finance)]

Mr. Speaker, once again we will not be supporting that motion. It very much shows a lack of understanding of what we are dealing with.

General preferential tariffs are foreign aid, a foreign aid program that was put in 40 years ago. I would suggest that Brazil, Russia, China and India have actually graduated, so we do not need to be providing foreign aid to them.

[Scott Brison, Liberal, Kings—Hants, NS]

Mr. Speaker, Mike P. Moffatt is a business professor at the University of Western Ontario. He says that the Conservative tax hikes on imports will make it more expensive to raise a child in Canada.

The Conservatives are hiking taxes on everything from kids' bikes and shoes to school supplies, and even home furnishings.

At a time when Canadian middle-class families are already struggling to make ends meet, why are the Conservatives punishing these young families with tax hikes?

[Ted Menzies, Conservative, Minister of State (Finance)]

Mr. Speaker, once again that gentleman obviously does not understand the issue at hand.

We have continually reduced taxes for Canadians. As I referred to earlier, we have reduced 150 different taxes to Canadians. We make sure that what they are going to buy is available. Through this measure, we will be able to make sure that continues. We just wish that the opposition would actually get on board and support this, because it provides fairer competition to Canadian manufacturers.

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Beauséjour, NB]

Mr. Speaker, although the income of average Canadian families is just not increasing, the Conservatives have decided to increase the price of more than 1,200 products used by these families.

For example, a new child's bicycle will cost 5% more, and a wig for a cancer patient will cost 15% more.

Why are the Conservatives increasing the cost of living for average Canadian families, which are already paying their fair share?

[Ted Menzies, Conservative, Minister of State (Finance)]

Mr. Speaker, I tend to trust some of our unbiased advisers. Let me read what the Montreal Board of Trade said:

We're happy the government was able to stick to its plan to eliminate the deficit without raising taxes.

That came in economic action plan 2012.

The Edmonton Sun referred to:

The fact that there are no new taxes in [economic action plan 2013]..., and that the Conservatives still plan to balance the books....

That is who we should be listening to.

[Joyce Murray, Liberal, Vancouver Quadra, BC]

Mr. Speaker, no new taxes is a joke. Last year the Minister of Finance announced his budget from a bicycle shop here in Ottawa, and this year his budget attacks those very same small business owners.

His increases in import tariffs will leave Canadians paying hundreds of millions of dollars more in over 1,200 items, including coffee makers; USB keys; yes, iPods; and, of course, bicycles.

Why is the Minister of Finance hurting small businesses with a hidden tax on their goods and driving their customers to shop in the United States?

[Ted Menzies, Conservative, Minister of State (Finance)]

Mr. Speaker, I understand that the Liberals continue to support higher taxes. In fact, that hon. member, I believe, introduced a carbon tax in British Columbia that it actually has not quite got over.

As I said before, we have eliminated 1,900 tariffs on products coming into Canada. We continue to do that to make sure that Canadian companies and Canadian consumers have fair pricing.

Ethics

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Mr. Speaker, where to begin on the last two weeks of incompetence, corruption and scandal under this Conservative government?

We have the temporary foreign workers program out of control. We have ministers denying climate change. We have criminal charges now against Conservative campaign operatives. The Conservatives even imposed an iPod tax.

Then there is Peter Penashue, who took over $40,000 in illegal donations in unclaimed flights and got the thumbs-up from the Prime Minister.

What happened to the government that promised ethical accountability to Canadians? Where did it go? Where is that promise?

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, the reality is that in the case of Mr. Peter Penashue, he has delivered for the people of Labrador. He is delivering jobs through the Muskrat Falls project, delivering for hunters by helping scrap the wasteful long gun registry and defending the seal hunt—something the opposition parties have failed to do—and he has kept his word to his constituents.

That is why we hope to invite him back here after they have had a chance to vote.

[Jack Harris, NDP, St. John's East, NL]

Mr. Speaker, the fact is that Mr. Penashue has failed to come clean for his last campaign, and Conservatives just do not care, just as they do not care when Mr. Penashue pits region against region.

The Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador said if it were her minister, she would have given him the boot.

Will the Conservatives now admit it was wrong for Mr. Penashue to brag about withholding project funding for Newfoundland to favour his own riding, or will they continue to defend this unacceptable behaviour by their former and now disgraced minister?

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Penashue is delivering for Labrador. He has delivered jobs through the Muskrat Falls project. He has delivered for hunters who have demanded for years to have the long gun registry scrapped, something that the NDP, including its rural members, failed to join us in doing.

Mr. Penashue has worked to expand funding for the Trans-Labrador Highway. That is the work that he has done to deliver on behalf of his constituents, and now they will have an opportunity to vote.

Democratic Reform

[Alexandrine Latendresse, NDP, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the people of Labrador deserve better. As Todd Russell said, they deserve a member like Harry Borlase, who understands the situation in Labrador.

Charges have finally been laid in the 2011 robocalls case. It comes as no surprise that a former Conservative employee has been singled out. This is a first step in finding out who among the Conservatives is the brain behind the electoral fraud.

This investigation would go much faster if the government finally kept its promise and granted Elections Canada additional powers. They have been dragging their feet for over a year.

When will they amend the Canada Elections Act?

[Tim Uppal, Conservative, Minister of State (Democratic Reform)]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians' confidence in the integrity of their election system has been challenged. Our government will introduce a comprehensive elections reform proposal to increase accountability, accessibility and integrity in our elections system. We will put forward our proposal in the very near future.

[Craig Scott, NDP, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

Mr. Speaker, now it is “in the very near future” and no longer “in due course”.

Charges have finally been laid against Conservative operative Michael Sona under the “Prohibitions” section of the Canada Elections Act. We are now one step closer to finding out who is ultimately responsible for this scheme. He is charged with wilfully preventing and endeavouring to prevent an elector from voting at an election—in everyday language, illegal vote suppression.

Why are Conservatives not serious about preventing this in the future, and why are they delaying new legislation?

[Tim Uppal, Conservative, Minister of State (Democratic Reform)]

Mr. Speaker, let us talk about following the law. It was the Liberals who were investigated, fined and found guilty of making illegal robocalls, and then again, the member for Westmount—Ville-Marie said that he did make illegal robocalls. The NDP accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal donations from the big union bosses and were then forced to pay it back.

As we have said before, a comprehensive proposal will be put forward in the near future.

Infrastructure

[Jeff Watson, Conservative, Essex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, last Friday, a presidential permit was issued by the U.S. Secretary of State which clears the way for the construction of a new bridge across the Detroit River. This is good news for travellers, workers and industry on both sides of the border. Everyone supports this project—everyone, that is, but the NDP.

Could the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities update the House on this latest step forward for the new bridge over the Detroit River?

[Denis Lebel, Conservative, Minister of Transport]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for his hard work on this important file.

The presidential permit is a crucial step forward in advancing the new bridge between Detroit and Windsor. It is unfortunate that the members opposite do not support this vital economic project that also stimulates job creation. The fact is that this project is very important for the economies for both of our countries. This project remains a top priority for our government, and we will continue to work together with our partners across the border to see that it is completed as soon as possible.

International Co-operation

[Hélène Laverdière, NDP, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, Canada is the only country in the world to withdraw from the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. Half of the world's population lives in threatened areas, including here in Canada, in the Prairies. Significant scientific work is being conducted in connection with the convention with a view to offsetting the impact of climate change. The impact is real, despite what the Minister of Natural Resources thinks.

Why are the Conservatives turning their backs on international co-operation once again? Is it because they are afraid of science?