Debates of April 15th, 2016

Mental Health

[Majid Jowhari, Liberal, Richmond Hill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, once again I stand in the House with a heavy heart. Last Thursday, Karen Costa, aged 52, the mother of Western University student Jeffrey Costa, aged 22, was trying to protect her son when both of them died.

This comes at a time when the Richmond Hill community continues to be in deep mourning from the recent lives lost yet again due to mental illness. These families never wavered in their unconditional support for their loved ones who had been struggling with mental health issues.

Access to services is a critical issue, and Canadians need our help now. If we truly are committed to breaking the stigma, we must make mental health services more accessible and affordable for all Canadians.

On April 28, entertainers and activists will unite at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts for the High Notes Gala for mental health. I am proud to support events like this in my community that work to end the stigma, encourage people to get help, and save lives.

Taxation

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, according to Finance Canada, 622,000 businesses claimed a small business deduction in 2011, and those businesses paid almost $150 billion in wages that year. The Liberal budget proposes to change the Income Tax Act by raising the small business rate by a half point, a point, and a point and a half over the next three respective years. Why did the Liberals break their promise and raise taxes on small businesses that employ more than six million Canadians?

[Gudie Hutchings, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary for Small Business and Tourism]

Mr. Speaker, we need to look at the budget as a whole, because we understand and we know that the budget focuses on the middle class, which is the key for small business. We know that middle-class Canadians are those who own and work in small businesses. They are also customers and clients. We know a strong, vibrant middle class is great for business, and our government is making very important investments, which will directly help small business.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals have said they want to transfer wealth from the rich to everyone else, so they should celebrate when philanthropists give millions to food banks or aboriginal job training programs. It used to be that when generous Canadians sold an investment and gave the proceeds to a charity, the money would be taxed. That did not hurt the philanthropist, who planned to give it all away regardless; it hurt the charity, which lost a large chunk of the donation to the government. The Conservatives got rid of this tax on charities. Why did the Liberal budget bring it back?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, we have a budget that works for the middle class, that works for Canadian families. I would just like to remind my colleague opposite that this morning The Wall Street Journal called us the “poster child” of the IMF's global growth strategy. The Financial Times called Canada a “glimmer of light” in the world. The head of the IMF, Madame Lagarde, has praised Canada for an approach that is credible, targeted, and realistic. We will continue on a path of growth. That is what Canadians want, and that is what everyone in the world is celebrating about Canada.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal budget offers hundreds of millions of dollars in new corporate welfare programs to the wealthy and well connected. The same budget brings back a tax on charitable donations. A policy that gives handouts to the wealthy and taxes the very groups that feed the hungry and house the homeless is the very opposite of social justice. The Liberals promised during the election to be Robin Hood. Why are they acting so much like the Sheriff of Nottingham?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I would invite my hon. colleague to read the budget in its entirety, because actually this budget is a budget for middle-class Canadians and Canadian families. We are the government that reduced the taxes for the middle class. Nine million Canadians are paying less tax as of January 1 because of this government. We will continue to invest in Canadian families, continue to invest in the Canadian economy, and continue to invest in growth. That is what Canadians want, and that is what we will do.

Ethics

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lévis—Lotbinière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, this Liberal government has a serious problem with transparency.

Not only did it hide the tax hikes that Canadians will face to cover its out-of-control spending, but it is also refusing to release the list of people invited to a questionable fundraiser with the Minister of Justice.

The Prime Minister is now the one showing a lack of transparency, as he refuses to answer questions on his numbered companies.

Will this government finally be transparent on all of its files, or was transparency nothing more than a meaningless campaign slogan?

[John McCallum, Liberal, Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, this government has demonstrated a level of transparency and integrity that Canada has not seen in 10 years.

With respect to the event in question, the commissioner said before the event that there was no problem, and her opinion has not changed since the event. I do not understand why the opposition continues to ask questions about something that is not a problem.

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lévis—Lotbinière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, on September 8, 2015, someone said, “We have to know that a large percentage of small businesses are actually just ways for wealthier Canadians to save on their taxes.”

Who said that? It was our very own Prime Minister.

Small business owners are honest Canadians who work hard. Everyone on this side of the House knows that.

Can the Prime Minister tell us whether he was perhaps talking about his own finances on September 8? When will we get the truth?

[Gudie Hutchings, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary for Small Business and Tourism]

Mr. Speaker, we are in support of small business and we know small business needs a robust economy.

I would to remind my hon. colleague of some of the things that we are doing to make very important investments that are directly helping small business. We are investing over $11 billion in infrastructure spending; $500 million for broadband in rural and remote areas, which is definitely for small business; another $50 million for the industrial research program; $4 million for the Canadian technical accelerator initiative; and $800 million for innovation.

This government is definitely helping small business.

Indigenous Affairs

[Matthew Dubé, NDP, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, the crisis in Attawapiskat is not an isolated incident. Indigenous youth all across the country are living in conditions that nobody here would accept for their children. These young people need help and resources. However, there is nothing in the budget to address this crisis or the issue of indigenous mental health.

Will the minister commit to increasing the budget for mental health care services and finally help indigenous communities?

[Jane Philpott, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, this House has talked before about the fact that there are numerous factors that address mental health in all Canadian communities, including indigenous communities.

Our government is investing deeply in those matters to bring better education to these communities, to address the public health needs of these communities, and to make sure that the infrastructure is there.

In addition to that, I will be working with my department to find new ways that we can continue to support these communities in mental health care.

[Sheri Benson, NDP, Saskatoon West, SK]

Mr. Speaker, too many indigenous youth are growing up feeling hopeless instead of hopeful, desperate instead of empowered. Unfortunately, the current government offered no new money in the budget for mental health, no new suicide prevention strategy, no new youth programming. We all know that words alone are not enough to solve this crisis, but there is still time to do the right thing.

Will the Liberals add targeted new investments for mental health services in this year's budget?

[Jane Philpott, Liberal, Minister of Health]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for the question. I agree with her that indeed it is important to empower young people, to give them reason for hope.

We are working hard, along with our colleagues in provincial government and leaders in first nations communities. I have been speaking to the community in Attawapiskat, for instance. I spoke to some of the mental health workers there last evening.

We will continue to work to find ways to work with our teams to address the mental health needs in these communities.

Ethics

[Sheri Benson, NDP, Saskatoon West, SK]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance is meeting with his G20 counterparts today.

In the wake of the Panama papers, the world is demanding action. France has called for a tax haven blacklist, and the European leaders are calling for an international registry to track owners of shell companies.

Will the Minister of Finance support these specific measures to tackle tax havens, or is he worried it might affect his company's holdings in the Bahamas?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague for her question.

This is the government that is tackling tax evasion. We are investing $444.4 million to tackle tax evasion, which will do three things: provide technology to the Canada Revenue Agency, provide teams to the Canada Revenue Agency, and provide the tools they need to detect, investigate, and prosecute those who are doing tax evasion.

This is the government that is going after tax evasion once and for all.

[Matthew Dubé, NDP, Beloeil—Chambly, QC]

Mr. Speaker, here is the situation. We have a Prime Minister who is using numbered companies to pay less taxes and a Minister of Finance who runs a company bearing his name that uses the Bahamas to make bigger profits. Meanwhile, ordinary Canadians are paying their fair share of taxes. There is no problem for the wealthy. It is like an all-you-can-eat buffet. It is absolute hypocrisy.

Does the Prime Minister realize that people are fed up with always seeing the same well-connected people benefiting from this system that does not work?

[François-Philippe Champagne, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague for his question.

As I said, this is the government that is tackling tax evasion. We talked about it in the recent budget and even during the election campaign. Well before the Panama papers, the Liberal team was saying that tax evasion was a problem that needed to be solved. In the budget, we allocated $444 million to give the Canada Revenue Agency the tools, technology, and teams it needs to do three things: detect and investigate fraud and prosecute the guilty parties. This is the government that is going after tax evasion.

Infrastructure

[Dianne Lynn Watts, Conservative, South Surrey—White Rock, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal budget indicates that all public transportation money given to communities will be based on ridership numbers. This means that communities with underdeveloped public transit will receive less funds than those communities with robust, developed public infrastructure. It is precisely those communities that do not have adequate public transit that need those funds the most.

Will the minister amend the statement in the budget to reflect this reality and support small and rapidly growing communities across Canada?

[Amarjeet Sohi, Liberal, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities]

Mr. Speaker, we are proud to make historic investments in public transit, including $3.4 billion in the first phase. The money will go where the money is needed to repair, to rehabilitate, and to modernize existing infrastructure across 100 communities in Canada.

Money is also available under the new gas tax to restart and rebuild new systems.

[Dianne Lynn Watts, Conservative, South Surrey—White Rock, BC]

Mr. Speaker, public transit is one of the most important infrastructure needs for Canadian communities.

Last fall the Liberals made numerous promises in order to get elected. We heard those promises, and they have delivered on none.

The minister talks about fast-tracking public transit projects, but all we are seeing is road repair and data collection. Could the minister tell Canadians when they can expect to see the funding for new transit projects?

[Amarjeet Sohi, Liberal, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities]

Mr. Speaker, never in my recent memory have we seen the kind of support our budget has received from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, from mayors across this country, from provinces and territories. They understand that we work in partnership and collaboration with them. Our investments in transit, social infrastructure, and green infrastructure are going to make a real difference in building the kinds of communities they want.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Mr. Speaker, day after day, Liberal ministers follow the recommendations of their communications people, but nothing happens on the ground. Announcements are all well and good, but the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, a former municipal councillor, should know that for job sites to be up and running this summer, municipalities need to get the ball rolling now. Our municipalities have received nothing from the Liberal government but press releases. The clock is ticking.

At what point will the minister take action and create jobs?

[Amarjeet Sohi, Liberal, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities]

Mr. Speaker, my staff and I are in touch with the provinces, territories, and municipalities on a weekly basis to update them on the way we are proceeding in the delivery of infrastructure.

Our goal is to invest in this construction season, and we are doing that by fast-tracking the existing Building Canada fund as well as making sure that new money gets into the communities in a speedy and timely fashion. We are working closely to deliver on that commitment.