House of Commons Hansard #193 of the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was appointments.

Topics

Indian ActGovernment Orders

10:10 p.m.

Liberal

David Graham Liberal Laurentides—Labelle, QC

Mr. Speaker, I would seek the consent of the House to see the clock at midnight.

Indian ActGovernment Orders

10:10 p.m.

Conservative

The Deputy Speaker Conservative Bruce Stanton

Is it agreed to see the clock as midnight?

Indian ActGovernment Orders

10:10 p.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

A motion to adjourn the House under Standing Order 38 deemed to have been moved.

Persons with DisabilitiesAdjournment Proceedings

10:10 p.m.

Conservative

Mike Lake Conservative Edmonton—Wetaskiwin, AB

Mr. Speaker, today I am going to be talking about the Canadian autism partnership. Again, as I did the last two times I talked about it, I am asking my question on Facebook Live.

For those watching on Facebook right now, it is interesting to note that just a few minutes ago something happened that really highlighted the ridiculousness of the Liberal position on this question. The parliamentary secretary who is supposed to answer my question in a few minutes actually rose before I asked my question, mistakenly, and started to read his answer to a question that I had not even yet asked.

I want people who are watching this on Facebook to understand that this is exactly what has been happening time and time again. Liberal parliamentary secretaries and ministers are reading talking points given to them by their leadership on the Canadian autism partnership in order to justify something that is completely unjustifiable.

To give a little bit of background on the Canadian autism partnership, in budget 2015 our former Conservative government put $2 million toward the establishment of a working group to work on the Canadian autism partnership and to bring a proposal to the government. This was a working group of 12 experts from across the country, experts from the research field, experts who are stakeholders, and experts who are family members. They worked with a self-advocates advisory group of seven incredible self-advocates. They went across the country and listened and talked to every single provincial and territorial government. They talked to almost 5,000 stakeholders who weighed in on the establishment of the Canadian autism partnership proposal.

That partnership proposal was brought before the Liberal government in the form of a budget request for $19 million over five years. It was just $3.8 million a year, a dime per Canadian per year for the establishment of a Canadian autism partnership, which would bring an evidence base, bring experts together to advise governments in their jurisdiction on the many challenges facing Canadian families living with autism and Canadians living with autism. They would provide advice on matters ranging from early intervention to education to housing to transition to the workforce, to answer that question, “What happens when, as parents, we pass away and our kids are left alone without the only parents they have known?”, and to answer these big questions using an evidence base from around the world on best practices.

It was turned down in the budget. Then we had a vote on the motion to establish the Canadian autism partnership in this House just a couple of weeks ago. Every Liberal member voted against that motion.

The Liberals brought up interesting points in their talking points. They brought up the fact that the government is consulting and continuing to have meetings on accessibility legislation, and I am sure we will hear more on that. I am going to quote the NDP member for Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke who said, very wisely—and this is the third time I have read it:

...we have heard yet another one of those speeches that talks about consulting people, thinking about it, working on it later, and finally coming to a conclusion sometime over the distant horizon.

I suspect we are going to hear the parliamentary secretary talk about the fact that the government is investing in “Ready, Willing and Able”, autism surveillance, and $39 million in research. Then he will probably list a bunch of organizations, most of whom are on the Canadian autism partnership working group, that are strongly in favour of the Canadian autism partnership.

I am wondering if maybe the parliamentary secretary could set aside his talking points this time and maybe explain how every single Liberal member of Parliament but one could possibly have voted against the Canadian autism partnership while every Conservative member, every New Democratic Party member, and every Green Party member in this House voted unanimously in favour of it.

Persons with DisabilitiesAdjournment Proceedings

10:15 p.m.

Argenteuil—La Petite-Nation Québec

Liberal

Stéphane Lauzon LiberalParliamentary Secretary for Sport and Persons with Disabilities

Mr. Speaker, I will start by thanking my colleague from Edmonton—Wetaskiwin for his hard work on this file.

I also want to thank him for raising this issue.

I apologize about being a little too fast, but it is always the same question.

The member opposite has asked us the same questions several times now and we have given him the same answers. In his question he even mentioned that he has repeated himself three times.

We have had a chance to discuss this together. He came over to this side of the House and asked us his question. I am therefore very much aware of the question the member is asking today.

Despite the tremendous progress achieved on the inclusion of people with disabilities, we know that a lot of work still needs to be done.

Let us face it, people with autism face enormous challenges every day, and one of the most important is certainly finding employment and building a better future for themselves. That is what matters. Over half of all adults with autism are unemployed.

A more inclusive Canada is good for employers and good for businesses. That is why our government strongly encourages employers to make the most of the remarkable talent of people with disabilities and people with autism.

Through the disability component of the social development partnerships program, our government supports projects intended to improve the participation and integration of people with disabilities in Canadian society.

For example, Meticulon Consulting created an innovative assessment model that is used to train and support people with autism spectrum disorder, help them get involved, meet their needs for social inclusion, and identify their potential.

My wife has dedicated much of her life to working with people with autism, and she continues to do so. I have been interacting with people with autism for 16 years and we sometimes meet young families that include a successful young adult with autism. It is by providing people with autism with the programming and support that they need that we can give them a better future. This also requires the assistance of people who are passionate about helping those with autism.

Tim Hortons is another good example. It hires young people with disabilities so that they can be successful in their everyday lives.

Through Ready Willing & Able, as my colleague on the other side said before, an initiative funded in part by the Government of Canada's opportunities fund for persons with disabilities, many organizations are raising awareness and bridging the employment gap for people with intellectual disabilities and those with autism.

Ready Willing & Able is a great success. As a matter of fact, it was recently recognized at the Zero Project Conference in Vienna, Austria, for its important work. Employers have to start looking beyond the disabilities and realize the potential of people's abilities.

The Government of Canada's enabling accessibility fund program is designed to do just that. Budget 2017 announced an additional $77 million over 10 years to expand the enabling accessibility fund's activities. This new funding will enable the program to support more small and mid-sized projects in communities and workplaces throughout Canada.

In conclusion, to help families that have to take on a heavier financial burden to care for a severely disabled child, we will continue to provide the child disability benefit, which represents nearly $2,730 per eligible child, for the disability tax credit.

Finally, we are developing legislation. We are currently working on a bill. My colleague opposite knows perfectly well that we are working on a new bill and that I am acting as a spokesperson for people with autism as part of the consultations.

Persons with DisabilitiesAdjournment Proceedings

10:20 p.m.

Conservative

Mike Lake Conservative Edmonton—Wetaskiwin, AB

Mr. Speaker, oftentimes accompanying the talking points are messages of thanks to me for the work I do on autism, and promises to work with me in moving the issue forward. I will gladly work with anyone who wants to improve the lives of people living with autism. However, I do not work alone. There are hundreds of autism organizations in the country. There are almost 5,000 people who were consulted on this. The work here has already been done. With over two years of work and $2 million of taxpayer dollars put toward the establishment of the business plan for the Canadian autism partnership, that work has already been done.

What I am asking directly of the member, and every other Liberal member I talk to on this, is how he could possibly have voted to reject the Canadian autism partnership and all of the work from the incredible people who put their time and energy into it.

Persons with DisabilitiesAdjournment Proceedings

10:20 p.m.

Liberal

Stéphane Lauzon Liberal Argenteuil—La Petite-Nation, QC

Mr. Speaker, I am proud of the programs and initiatives put in place by our government. I am proud that this side of the House has a member who cares so much about autism and is working hard on that issue. I invite everyone in the House to work with me and our departments to improve the lives of people with autism. We are also in the process of consulting people across Canada.

Coast to coast to coast, I met groups. I met associations, I met people with disabilities, and people with autism in my personal office. I am still working on this. I will be there. We are still working on it. We are doing the right thing for the future.

Canada Revenue AgencyAdjournment Proceedings

10:20 p.m.

NDP

Pierre-Luc Dusseault NDP Sherbrooke, QC

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to pick up on a question that I asked during question period. This is an opportunity for me to push a little harder for some answers. We always hope for answers during question period, but adjournment debates give us a little more time to dig a little deeper.

I am hoping for some answers that are a little more detailed and less repetitive than what we have been getting from the Minister of National Revenue. Maybe I will have better luck with the parliamentary secretary. I hope she will not do what her colleague did, which was read his prepared response before he even heard the question.

Having said that, I would like to talk about the KPMG affair, which I asked the Minister of National Revenue about in the House of Commons. I asked her a specific question about whether new criminal charges would be laid, and we hope they will, against those who clearly tried to hide money from the Canada Revenue Agency. These people deposited large sums of money on the Isle of Man, a notorious tax haven with very low corporate tax rates. They hid that money on purpose to avoid paying their fair share of taxes here in Canada. The strategy was set up in the early 2000s and was used by wealthy Canadian families. Fortunately, the scheme was discovered and, thanks to a number of media outlets, some of those taxpayers were even identified.

The problem in all this is that although we know the identity of some of these taxpayers, the Canada Revenue Agency may know of others that the public is not aware of. We hope to get more names from KPMG, the firm that set up the scheme and provided assistance. We hope that once the CRA has these names it will hand out real penalties and be tough on these people who were caught red-handed evading taxes and defrauding the agency.

People who commit this type of fraud defraud all Canadians. When some people decide not to pay their fair share, then all the other taxpayers have to pay a bit more to get the services that they expect from their government.

These people have still not been punished. Worse yet, there were secret deals between the Canada Revenue Agency and these taxpayers, which let them off the hook. They were asked to pay a certain sum of money to bring down the penalty. They were then told that the matter would be dropped and they would be as free as a bird. These are the secret deals that the media reported on. We saw documents signed by Ms. Henderson, a manager at CRA.

During the question period I am referring to, I asked the minister to tell me when there would be criminal charges and when the matter would be handed over to the director of public prosecutions so that he could lay charges for fraud and tax evasion against the taxpayers who used the KPMG scheme.

I not only asked what would be done, but I also asked whether the minister would commit to truly seeing this through. Unfortunately she made no such commitment. She did not make any promises. This is an opportunity for the parliamentary secretary to make a clear commitment regarding criminal charges against KPMG clients.

Canada Revenue AgencyAdjournment Proceedings

June 13th, 2017 / 10:25 p.m.

Brampton West Ontario

Liberal

Kamal Khera LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Revenue

Mr. Speaker, before I begin, I would like to remind the member that if he asks the same question, he will get the same response.

I welcome the opportunity to speak to my colleague about the actions that our government and the Canada Revenue Agency have taken to crack down on offshore tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance. Most Canadians pay their taxes on time and the taxes that they owe, but some wealthy individuals try to buy their way out of paying taxes by using abusive offshore schemes. This is not fair and it will not be tolerated.

The government and the CRA have taken action to identify tax cheats by focusing resources in the areas of highest risk, both domestically and internationally. With increased information gathering capabilities and better tools at its disposal, the CRA now has access to more information than ever before.

In fact, it is through the efforts of the CRA that the KPMG offshore tax avoidance scheme was discovered in the first place. The CRA is pursuing various offshore tax evasion related cases in court and intends to pursue them to the fullest extent possible.

In fact, the CRA has uncovered a number of additional tax schemes and it is analyzing these additional structures to identify any similarities with the current schemes under review. The CRA is analyzing these to identify any similarities with the Isle of Man structures and where appropriate, will take actions to recover revenues. Make no mistake, whether it is a complex corporate structure using offshore jurisdictions of concern or profit shifting schemes that are used to evade or avoid tax, the CRA is committed to identifying and addressing non-compliance.

Our government is increasing its efforts and we are seeing early signs of success. This year, the CRA's audit activities are on pace to raise assessments of over $13 billion. Two-thirds of these recoveries are the result of audit efforts related to large businesses and multinational companies.

Furthermore, through federal budget funding in 2016 and 2017, the government has committed close to $1 billion to cracking down on tax evasion and combatting tax avoidance. With this funding, the CRA is adding to its audit activities by enhancing its efforts on a number of other fronts, including expanded systems for information sharing, legal expertise, and targeted compliance activities aimed at high-risk taxpayers, including those with high wealth.

Budget 2016 investments are expected to uncover an additional $2.6 billion in revenue for the crown over the next five years, and for budget 2017, an additional $2.5 billion over the next five years.

Tax cheats can no longer hide. We take these matters extremely seriously. Those who choose to participate in such aggressive schemes must face the consequences of their actions. This is what Canadians expect from their government and that is exactly what we will continue to deliver for Canadians.

Canada Revenue AgencyAdjournment Proceedings

10:30 p.m.

NDP

Pierre-Luc Dusseault NDP Sherbrooke, QC

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her response.

In any event, I would like to come back to another matter. We learned recently that a tax information exchange agreement has been reached with the Cook Islands, and this has been roundly criticized by several experts in the field. Experts agree that these tax information exchange agreements do not achieve the lofty aims they are said to achieve, namely, facilitating the exchange of information and strengthening the fight against tax evasion. On the contrary, experts are saying that these agreements facilitate tax avoidance and tax evasion and that they merely make something that is illegal today legal tomorrow. That is exactly how the experts described them.

Can my colleague respond to those criticisms regarding tax information exchange agreements, and specifically the one reached with the Cook Islands, which will be signed shortly?

Canada Revenue AgencyAdjournment Proceedings

10:30 p.m.

Liberal

Kamal Khera Liberal Brampton West, ON

Mr. Speaker, as I said, the Canada Revenue Agency is getting concrete results by cracking down on tax cheats on many fronts. For example, just today, investigators from the Canada Revenue Agency and the U.K.'s tax authority executed search warrants both in Canada and in U.K. as part of an ongoing international investigation into an alleged tax-fraud scheme.

This year CRA is focused on collecting taxes owed in the interests of all Canadians. As my hon. colleague is fully aware, CRA has been tracking international electronic fund transfers of over $10,000. So far, because of these efforts, a total of 41,000 transactions have been analyzed, equalling over $12 billion in funds being transferred worldwide. These transactions are being analyzed to detect any tax avoidance. These efforts are making our tax system fairer and more responsive to all Canadians. Our government is delivering on its commitment, and we will continue to do that.

The EnvironmentAdjournment Proceedings

10:35 p.m.

NDP

Linda Duncan NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB

Mr. Speaker, I am hoping that I get a more direct answer to the questions that I put here tonight, which we are not getting to the other questions.

On March 6, 2017, I posed a question to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change regarding concerns raised by three first nations and four Métis communities about the proposed use of untested solvents for extraction of bitumen through in situ processes, solvents including benzene and other toxins. Parallel concerns are being raised by the Pembina Institute.

The concerns relate to potential contamination of ground water and surface water, sources that these communities rely on. The minister has refused to intervene despite her discretionary power under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act to call for such a review where she deems an activity may, one, adversely affect the environment; or two, cause public concerns. The minister has chosen not to exercise this power, despite yet unknown and untested effects of injection of these solvents into ground water, and despite broad public concerns voiced, including by the communities potentially directly impacted.

The minister also holds broad powers under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act to take actions to assess and control the use of harmful toxic substances, potentially posing harm to health or the environment. It is worth noting here that during the recently completed review of this act, testimony was heard recommending strengthened measures and action to deliver the duties under this law to prevent harm from toxins, including expanded measures regarding the oil and gas sector. It should be noted that another authority, the Minister of Health has a mandatory duty to initiate investigations and action where she is made aware that a substance may pose harm to health

The refusal to address the concerns raised by these particular indigenous communities is just one more example of the failures of the current and past federal governments to respond to ongoing calls for a baseline health study of communities impacted by oil sands operations, requests made almost a decade back during parliamentary committee studies on the impacts of oil sands on water.

Will the minister now finally consider revising the terms of reference for the strategic assessment on impacts by Site C and oil sands on the Peace, Athabasca, and Slave watersheds to at least examine potential risks posed by the proposed use of solvents on waters that indigenous peoples rely upon?

The EnvironmentAdjournment Proceedings

10:35 p.m.

Northumberland—Peterborough South Ontario

Liberal

Kim Rudd LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to address the question by the hon. member for Edmonton Strathcona regarding Imperial Oil Resources Ventures Limited's Aspen solvent-assisted steam-assisted gravity drainage project.

Our government is ensuring environmental risks linked to development are addressed before projects proceed. After an analysis of the facts and science, the advice provided by expert federal departments, as well as consideration of existing regulatory mechanisms in place to deal with the potential environmental effects of the project, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change decided not to designate the project under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act.

This act applies to projects described in the regulations designating physical activities. In situ projects, such as the Imperial Oil project, are not designated under those regulations.

In considering her decision, the minister noted the sufficiency of other regulatory measures in place, notably that that the project is subject to a comprehensive regulatory regime in Alberta. This project has undergone a provincial environmental assessment under Alberta's Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act, which assessed the proposed solvent-assisted steam-assisted gravity technology.

Federal departments such as Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Transport Canada, and Environment and Climate Change provided input on potential environmental issues related to their expertise and responsibilities. Should the project proceed, it would also be required to satisfy any relevant federal regulatory requirements under the Fisheries Act, the Migratory Birds Convention Act, and the Species at Risk Act.

Our government is committed to renewing its relationship with indigenous peoples based on trust, respect, and co-operation. This is why our government launched a review of environmental assessment processes in Canada to ensure that the process includes meaningful consultation with indigenous peoples and that government decisions are based on science, facts, and evidence.

Our government will continue to work with indigenous peoples as we consider options for legislative, regulatory, and policy changes. Consulting with indigenous peoples and benefiting from their traditional knowledge is of the utmost importance to this process. Together, we will continue to demonstrate every step of the way that building a strong economy goes hand in hand with protecting the environment.

The EnvironmentAdjournment Proceedings

10:40 p.m.

NDP

Linda Duncan NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB

Mr. Speaker, I am stunned. I will give the hon. member an opportunity to correct the record. Misinformation was given by the minister in this place and by her officials at committee yesterday as to whether they have consulted the Mikisew Cree on these concerns that they have raised.

It is important to note that the UNESCO investigation found that in fact the government has abjectly failed to deliver the responsibilities under legislation to look into these kinds of impacts of the oil sands on this area.

I am giving an opportunity to the hon. member to correct the record and perhaps today to finally reach out and deliver the promised consultation to the Mikisew Cree, the other first nations, and the Métis peoples on these concerns.

The EnvironmentAdjournment Proceedings

10:40 p.m.

Liberal

Kim Rudd Liberal Northumberland—Peterborough South, ON

Mr. Speaker, our government believes that it is important and essential to rebuild Canadians' trust in our environmental assessment processes in order for Canada to attract the investments we need to sustainably develop our energy resources. This means we need to engage with Canadians, conduct meaningful consultations with indigenous peoples, and base our decisions on science, facts, and evidence.

Our government recognizes the importance of creating jobs and economic growth. We have been very clear that the focus is on moving the environment and the economy forward hand in hand. We know that sustainable and responsible development is achievable, and that in the 21st century, it is the only way to get our resources to market.

The EnvironmentAdjournment Proceedings

10:40 p.m.

Conservative

The Deputy Speaker Conservative Bruce Stanton

The motion to adjourn the House is now deemed to have been adopted. Accordingly, the House stands adjourned until tomorrow at 2 p.m., pursuant to Standing Order 24(1).

(The House adjourned at 10:42 p.m.)