Debates of Nov. 8th, 2017

Taxation

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

Mr. Speaker, with great power comes great privilege for the Liberals.

It seems that the Minister of National Revenue likes to go over the record of the past two years. Let me join in: vacation on a private island, a villa in France, profits in numbered companies, and the chief Liberal fundraiser who hides millions of dollars in the Cayman Islands.

In the meantime, people with diabetes are being denied their tax credit for no reason and without warning. It is shameful. The Prime Minister is turning a blind eye to the tax avoidance in his own back yard and emptying the pockets of the most vulnerable.

When will he give back the tax credit these people are entitled to?

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, our government's record is far more solid than that of the previous Conservative government.

Canadian families in need are receiving the Canada child benefit, which is actually helping families. Low-income workers will get to keep more of their hard-earned money because we have increased the working income tax benefit by $500 million a year starting in 2019. We abolished the Harper employment insurance reform. We promised to lower the small business tax to 9% by 2019—

[The Speaker, Geoff Regan]

The hon. member for Calgary Rocky Ridge.

[Pat Kelly, Conservative, Calgary Rocky Ridge, AB]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the finance committee learned that the wait time for a decision on the disability tax credit has recently gone from about three weeks to over 40 weeks and that since October 26, all applications have been frozen. We also heard that refunds are being delayed and that the application form was changed based on the minister's belief that most type 1 diabetics do not qualify.

One simple question: When will the minister stop saying that nothing has changed?

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, our government is committed to ensuring that everyone receives the tax credits and benefits to which they are entitled. I repeat, the eligibility criteria for the tax credit have not changed.

It is important to recognize that far too many Canadians are struggling and need help. That is why our government has always taken a compassionate approach and helped those in need. We are supporting families in need through the Canada child benefit. That is what we are doing.

[Kevin Sorenson, Conservative, Battle River—Crowfoot, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I have constituents who are already receiving letters from the Canada Revenue Agency informing them that they no longer are eligible for the disability tax credit. That is bad, but it gets even worse. Now the minister is threatening to take money directly out of their bank accounts. She is clawing back $6,000 from one constituent already. We know that the minister knows this is happening and has okayed it.

Why are the Liberals going after disabled Canadians and the middle-class families that look after them? When is this foolishness going to stop?

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives need to stop saying things that are just not accurate. Our government is committed to ensuring that all Canadians receive the tax credits and benefits to which they are entitled.

We are moving forward with a national disability act that will remove barriers by focusing on accessibility for all Canadians living with a disability.

I would remind my colleagues opposite that I was a social worker for 25 years. I worked with people who had health problems and with the disadvantaged—

[The Speaker, Geoff Regan]

Order. The hon. member for Sarnia—Lambton.

[Marilyn Gladu, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, representatives of Diabetes Canada testified yesterday that they have been trying to get a meeting with the minister to discuss devastating changes to the disability tax credit that render 80% of applicants ineligible. The minister's own officials confirmed what we have been saying. The minister made a change to the process in May without consultation or notification of vulnerable Canadians.

With Diabetes Canada here today, can the minister commit to meeting and hearing about their concerns directly, or will she continue her heartless attack on diabetics?

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, our government is fully committed to ensuring that people receive the tax credits and benefits they are entitled to. I would like to assure my colleague opposite that we are working with our partners on an ongoing basis. We are meeting with them regularly, along with staff from my office.

I also want to emphasize that the eligibility criteria for the tax credit have not changed. The rules are the same and apply just as they always have. The law is the same. Nothing has changed.

Human Rights

[Anne Minh-Thu Quach, NDP, Salaberry—Suroît, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister is currently in Hanoi for the APEC summit.

There are more than 100 political prisoners in Vietnam, including human rights activists like Phan Kim Khanh, and the blogger known as Mother Mushroom, who is just 24 years old. She was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

The United States, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Canadian Youth for Human Rights in Vietnam, and Vietnamplify are all calling for immediate action.

Will the Prime Minister call on the Vietnamese government to release them?

[Matt DeCourcey, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, during the election campaign, this government committed to advocating for human rights in all of our international commitments.

Our Prime Minister and our Minister of Foreign Affairs are currently in Vietnam and had the opportunity to talk about human rights in the country. We talk about human rights every opportunity we get. This visit will certainly include conversations on this topic.

Fisheries and Oceans

[Fin Donnelly, NDP, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

Mr. Speaker, today marks day 76 of the occupation of two open-net salmon farms in the Broughton Archipelago. These coastal first nations never agreed to open-net salmon farms in their traditional territories. If the Liberals are serious about recognizing the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, this is the time to show it. Will the minister meet with B.C. and first nations governments to discuss moving these farms off wild salmon migration routes? It is a simple question: yes or no?

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, Minister of Fisheries]

Mr. Speaker, the simple answer is yes. Every time I am in British Columbia, and often in Ottawa, I meet with representatives of the provincial government and indigenous leaders together. We often talk about the importance of aquaculture, science, and investment in wild pacific salmon, and what we can do to implement the recommendations of the Cohen commission. Along with my colleagues in the Liberal caucus from British Columbia, we also talk about those important issues all the time. I want to tell the member that we understand and accept the concerns and are working with the British Columbia government.

Ethics

[John Brassard, Conservative, Barrie—Innisfil, ON]

Mr. Speaker, meanwhile, to come back to the finance minister's illegal and unethical activity, for two years, he hid behind an ethical screen controlled by his political staff. For two years, he hid tens of millions of dollars in Morneau Shepell stock in Alberta, profiting from decisions he was making. For two years, he hid his French corporation from the Ethics Commissioner, who found him guilty of non-disclosure. The minister still owns numbered companies, and what those assets are remains a mystery.

Since apparently sunlight is the best disinfectant, will the finance minister pull the curtain back and let the sun shine in so Canadians can look inside what is in his other numbered companies?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to say that, as all members of this House do, I have disclosed all of my assets to the Ethics Commissioner and will continue to do so. That allows us to get on with the work we are doing. I am particularly pleased to tell this House that we have passed the 500,000 jobs created mark since we have come to office. I am also pleased to say that the growth we have experienced over the last year is the best growth in a decade and is making a real difference for Canadian families. They are doing better and putting more money into the economy, and we are all better.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Mr. Speaker, after defending himself for weeks by claiming he had supposedly followed the rules of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, the Minister of Finance was found guilty of having hidden his French company. For two years, he also hid his assets in numbered companies, which allowed him to make millions in profit off industries that he, as a minister, is supposed to regulate in an entirely neutral fashion. These actions fall well short of meeting the highest standards of honesty and impartiality required of him in his mandate letter from the Prime Minister.

Why do all the Liberals feel they are above the law?

[Bill Morneau, Liberal, Minister of Finance]

Mr. Speaker, I am working with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, and I will continue to work with her. That is very important. This way, we will be clear. That is the way to work for Canadians, which is our goal.

We have very good news for Canadians. In the past two years, 500,000 new jobs have been created in our country. That is very important for our economy and for Canadian families. Our economy is humming along. This is all very good news.

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Durham, ON]

Mr. Speaker, what is it with Liberals and exotic islands? We remember Bell Island, where the Prime Minister took the Liberal Party president and insiders. The Ethics Commissioner is looking into that. There are the Cayman Islands, where the Liberal Party's bagman has an offshore trust. The CRA is looking into that. There are the Bahamas and Barbados, where the finance minister has family companies. The Ethics Commissioner is looking into that. So many characters are having island adventures that the Prime Minister's nickname should be Gilligan.

When will this Prime Minister and his Skipper stop working for Liberal insiders and start working for Canadians?

[Diane Lebouthillier, Liberal, Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, that is what we promised Canadians during the campaign, and we keep our promises. That is exactly what we are doing. Over the past two years, historic amounts have been allocated to the Canada Revenue Agency to combat tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance because that was a priority for Canadians. This money has made it possible for the CRA to target four jurisdictions per year and for charges to be laid. It has made it possible for us to hire auditors, transfer cases to criminal investigation, tighten the rules governing the programs for—

[The Speaker, Geoff Regan]

Order. The hon. member for Brampton Centre.

Housing

[Ramesh Sangha, Liberal, Brampton Centre, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the past two budgets saw the government make unprecedented investments in housing. We know this is of the utmost importance and has a great impact on the lives of many Canadians.

Would the minister responsible for housing provide us with an update as to what those investments have achieved so far?

[Jean-Yves Duclos, Liberal, Minister of Families]

Mr. Speaker, let me warmly thank our colleague from Brampton Centre for his great work on behalf of his constituents.

Our government believes that thousands of Canadians have not had access to affordable and adequate housing, and because of this we have invested historic amounts in the last two budgets. We will be launching, in a few weeks from now, the first-ever national housing strategy. That will set the stage for the most ambitious demonstration of federal housing leadership in over half a century. It will also set the stage for working with partners, many of whom have been waiting for us for a long time. We are back. We are here to stay.

Veterans Affairs

[Phil McColeman, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals talk about not breaking promises. Well, they broke their promise to veterans and took them back to court.

Yesterday we learned that veterans are being forced to wait longer and longer to get the benefits they earned. The number of homeless veterans has risen by 62% since the Liberals took power.

The Prime Minister is in Asia delivering on his priority, $500 million in infrastructure handouts to the world's wealthy.

Can the Minister of Veterans Affairs tell us why are veterans are getting less while the Prime Minister gives half a billion dollars to wealthy bankers in Asia?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities]

Mr. Speaker, we have a sacred obligation to our veterans that when they come back broken, we will see to it that they mend.

We demonstrate our belief in this every day through the services and support we deliver to veterans and their families. We remain committed to a pension for life option, and will announce further details later this year.

We will remember.