Debates of June 14th, 2017

Official Languages

[François Choquette, NDP, Drummond, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House, even though it is late, because it is never too late to do our jobs as MPs properly. We are here to represent the people of our ridings. My constituents in Drummond expect me to work hard to represent them. That is why I am here at almost midnight. I will continue to ask questions regarding the Liberal government's obligation to comply with the Official Languages Act.

Today, we had the opportunity to hear from the Minister of Immigration when he appeared before the Standing Committee on Official Languages for the first time. Unfortunately, I did not have time to ask him whether anything has been done to follow up on the matter of language testing, which is not as accessible in French as it is in English. Of course, I am talking about the language proficiency assessment associated with applications for permanent residency in Canada.

As part of their application for permanent residency, people need to submit an assessment of their language proficiency, which is fine. However, the French tests are not very accessible and sometimes cost up to twice as much as the English tests. Some people noticed that and asked about it. For example, people in Toronto hoping to pass a language test to become permanent residents noticed that they would have to wait a lot longer to get the results of the French test than the English one, and that taking the French test would cost twice as much, so they decided to take the test in English.

It is obvious that people do not have equal access to this test in both languages. Some people complained, and I brought those complaints to the attention of the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages, which found that they were justified and decided to accept them. An evaluation was then conducted and the commissioner asked that improvements be made.

The result is that, right now, people applying for permanent residency are getting no assistance. An evaluation has been conducted, but no real action has been taken to remedy the situation.

To summarize, I will read some excerpts from a letter that I wrote to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship. It reads:

My complaint was about how the French test costs more and is less accessible than the English test, which means that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is not complying with some of its obligations under parts IV and VII of the Official Languages Act.

Further on, I added:

The [Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages] wrote that “IRCC has not taken any measures to offset these obstacles, which could have negative consequences for the intake of francophone immigrants in [official language minority communities], and ultimately for the vitality of those communities.”

This is very serious. We are not currently meeting the francophone immigration target in official language minority communities, which is 4%. In fact, we are way off. The most reliable data put us at about 1.4%, whereas the target is 4%.

If we do not meet that target, the proportion of francophone minority communities will decline compared to anglophone communities. That will be bad for their vitality and their access to services. It is a vicious circle turning in the wrong direction. I would like some answers about this.

[Serge Cormier, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Drummond for his very important question today. I also thank him for his work on committee.

I can assure the hon. member that our government is firmly committed to meeting its obligations under the Official Languages Act. I am a francophone like he is. I am Acadian. This file is important to me so I thank him once again for the question.

I will talk about the tests that he mentioned at the beginning of his question and I will also address some points regarding francophone immigration.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada involves the Official Languages Secretariat, which is tasked with ensuring that every aspect of our work complies with the Official Languages Act. The directorate also includes a team from official languages that works with every unit in the department in order to support our efforts to meet our target for francophone immigration.

The language tests my colleague mentioned are used when individuals apply for certain permanent residence programs as economic immigrants.

We are aware of the discrepancy that exists in the average price of the tests in French compared to the English. Organizations that offer these tests set their own fees based on their business models, taking into account several factors, including demand. Those organizations offer the same language tests to a wide range of clients. As soon as they receive the results of their test, clients can use them for many purposes, such as to apply to immigrate to Canada or to another country, or to apply for jobs.

As I said earlier, the organizations themselves set their fees, which can vary from one location to the next. The Government of Canada ensures that these language tests provide consistent, accurate, and fair assessments. They also represent the only proof of language proficiency accepted by the department for our economic immigration programs. At present, there are two organizations that administer the English tests and one that administers the French tests.

With regard to francophone immigration, I know that the member talked about the target of 4.4% that we want to meet. I can assure the member that, since we took office, our government has worked hard to promote francophone immigration. The minister and I spearheaded this effort, and I have met with many francophone groups since I was appointed as the department's parliamentary secretary. In March, we had a productive meeting in Moncton with Canada's provincial and territorial immigration ministers and the ministers responsible for the francophonie.

We agreed to continue to hold these meetings every year rather than every second year. We are also going to set up a committee of representatives who will soon address the issue of how we can improve francophone immigration to Canada. We are determined to make francophone immigration a priority for our government.

We do not just want to meet the target of 4.4%; we want to exceed it. All of the groups that I have met with have the same goal, to increase francophone immigration to Canada.

In that regard, we made changes to the express entry program recently by giving more points to people who are fluent in French. This will give an added advantage to people who speak French and who want to immigrate to Canada. It is a very good program.

That is what the groups asked us to do, and the associations that these people deal with told us very clearly that this is a program they can count and that it will certainly help boost francophone immigration.

New data recently revealed that the rate of francophone immigration has indeed increased. We are very proud of the progress we are making on this, and we intend to stay the course.

[François Choquette, NDP, Drummond, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague, the parliamentary secretary, for his comments.

We welcome the Liberal government's decision to bring back the francophone significant benefit program. I congratulate it on doing what all communities were hoping it would do.

However, the parliamentary secretary was in committee today when we heard from the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, who refused to budge on something everyone is asking for. All members of the Standing Committee on Official Languages, including the Liberals, and people in official language communities want a person responsible for francophone immigration for official language communities.

Unfortunately, the minister refused, saying that he would be the one taking care of it. Someone joked that he would be taking on a lot of work. It is a lot of work to take care of francophone immigration as a whole, and the minister already has a lot of work.

Why is the parliamentary secretary refusing to grant this request that was made by all members of the Standing Committee on Official Languages, not just me and the NDP?

[Serge Cormier, Liberal, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite.

I can assure the member once again that francophone immigration is a very important issue within the department, as it is for the minister, myself, and all members of the House, I hope.

As we know, Canada's francophonie is vibrant, which is why we need to ensure that the rights of francophones are respected. I can assure the member that we are currently working on many options thanks to the meetings I have had with all the groups I have managed to consult. We are working in partnership with those groups, and they are helping us come up with many possible solutions. I can assure the member opposite that we are working to that end. I would be pleased to work with him on this matter, because I know how much he cares about it, just as I do. I would be very pleased to sit down with him and with other groups in order to come up with ways to increase our targets for francophone immigration.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I rise in debate tonight to follow up with a question that I raised some months ago with regard to ongoing and sustained support around refugees coming to Canada, and the government's plan to be transparent about that.

Today, given that it is Pride Month, I think it is very timely that we talk about the fact that the government has yet to commit to extending or making a program regular that was implemented under our former Conservative government and would see ongoing and sustained support for groups that are seeking to protect some of the world's most vulnerable people, and that is LGBTQ refugees, or people who are persecuted from that community from different parts around the world.

We certainly know that there are countries in which state-sanctioned violence and persecution of members of this community occur. Iran, for example, is a regime where there is actually state-sponsored and state-sanctioned persecution of members of these communities.

Right now in Chechnya we understand that there are gay men who have been rounded up and put in concentration camps simply because of who they choose to love. This is wrong. This is abhorrent. While we certainly have a lot of work to do at home here in Canada when we talk about protecting the rights of members of this community in our country, we also have a moral obligation, an imperative to use Canada's position as a human rights leader to protect those in situations such as this.

I would like to see the report on the study we had in the parliamentary committee become accelerated and hopefully tabled in this place before we rise. To date that has not yet happened. There is no report tabled in the House and that is of great concern to me, given specifically the situation that has unfolded in Chechnya and the fact that we are seeing escalations of violence against members of these communities in countries such as Iran.

It is one thing for the Prime Minister, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, or any member of the government committee to stand for a photo op with the pride flag, as was done today. It is a very different thing to move forward an agenda that would protect members of these communities who are some of the most vulnerable in the world, and we have not seen that.

Prior to the House rising for the summer, government members on the Standing Committee on Citizenship, Immigration and Refugees have the opportunity to table a report, which hopefully has cross-party support, with recommendations which would see regular and sustained funding for the pilot program that assisted members of this community coming to Canada. We heard from civil society groups that this is something that is very much supported. This program has been absolutely successful, yet we have not heard anything from the government and I think it is shameful.

Therefore, when will the government commit to ensuring that there is regular, ongoing funding for the pilot program started under our former Conservative government to accelerate and protect the needs of LGBTQ refugees from around the world?

[Serge Cormier, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration]

Mr. Speaker, yet again this evening, during adjournment proceedings, the member for Calgary Nose Hill raises a question that has nothing to do with the matter she was supposed to address. I think this is the second or third time she has done this. The question was supposed to be about settlement and integration services for refugees, and that is the question she will get an answer to, as that is what I will be talking about.

When refugees come to Canada from a country ravaged by a devastating civil war, especially those who have limited language skills or education, it is important to give them some time to become fully contributing members of our society and the labour market and a chance to succeed.

In addition to adapting to their new life in Canada, resettled refugees must frequently deal with significant trauma. It is important to remember that our resettlement program is first and foremost about saving lives and bringing people to safety. It is not expected that all refugees will be able to fully support themselves after just one year in Canada. As I have said before, we need to give them a bit of time to adapt to their new life.

That being said, this government is committed to ensuring that these new permanent residents are provided with the tools they need to set themselves up for success.

This fiscal year, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada will invest more than $690 million to support the settlement needs of newcomers outside of Quebec, including over $93 million in supplementary funding for the Syrian refugee effort.

Preliminary findings from a survey indicate that more than half of privately-sponsored Syrian refugees are currently employed. There have been many challenges in fully addressing language training needs, but we have added classes and, where waitlists exist, our service providers establish an order of priority among the clients.

Over the past year, the department added almost 7,000 new spots in language courses across Canada, or outside Quebec, to meet the needs of a growing number of Syrian refugees.

When federal income support ends, it is normal for some refugees in need to transition to provincial or territorial social assistance support. As this support falls under provincial or territorial jurisdiction, it would inappropriate for me to comment on the exact cost.

Generally speaking, the amount of income support provided by the federal government under the resettlement assistance program is aligned with provincial and territorial social assistance rates. Each case varies depending on individual circumstances.

Eligible refugee families also receive the new and enhanced tax-free Canada child benefit, which has been available since July 2016.

The federal government is working closely with IRCC-funded service provider organizations to ensure that refugees who may require financial support beyond their first year are connected with appropriate provincial resources and are informed of the process to apply for social assistance.

We encourage all refugees to access as many resettlement support services as they need to help them succeed. These services are available at no cost to refugees, and indeed to all permanent residents, until they become Canadian citizens.

We are determined to help these people, and we will continue to do so. Our government will ensure that these people can adapt to our society.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Mr. Speaker, for those listening, I would like to remind people that my colleague opposite holds a government appointment. He is the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship. He should be able to answer this very simple question, which I put to him earlier: after the government spent the day raising the Pride flag on Parliament Hill, will it commit to either tabling the report on LGBTQ refugees and what the government is going to do to support it or, very simply, tonight commit to extending and regularizing the pilot program funding that was introduced under our government to support the most vulnerable people in the world, LGBTQ refugees, in coming to Canada?

[Serge Cormier, Liberal, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Mr. Speaker, for the benefit of Canadians tuning in at home, I will read the exact question the member submitted to the House for this evening's adjournment debate.

Mr. Speaker, we know that the resettlement funds many Syrian refugees have been receiving run out this month. We also know that fewer than half of them have found jobs.

Does the government know how much the provinces will have to pay out in social assistance because the Liberals did not come up with a plan to help these refugees fully integrate into the Canadian economy?

I answered the question the member asked me.

Canada Revenue Agency

[Brigitte Sansoucy, NDP, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

Mr. Speaker, here we are moments from midnight on June 14, and I am moved to rise in the House because, on March 8, I questioned the Prime Minister about penalty-free amnesty deals and tax treaties with countries that are known tax havens. The purpose of my question was to find out when the government would take action to end these unacceptable practices.

I applaud the fact that the Liberal government invested about $500 million in the Canada Revenue Agency to fight tax evasion, but it is going about this all wrong by failing to tackle the root of the problem. What is the point of fighting these tricky tax manoeuvres when our own laws make them possible?

We must take action on the legislative front. We need to tighten our tax laws and punish the immoral act of tax avoidance to ensure that everyone pays their fair share of taxes. We could use those revenues to invest in infrastructure, tackle poverty, and create good jobs. We need to restore tax fairness, tighten the rules on shell companies, and revise the treaties that allow large multinationals to repatriate profits from tax havens to Canada tax-free. It is unfair that it is often the wealthiest in our society who get out of paying their fair share, when they also use roads, hospitals, and schools paid for by everyone.

Every year we are losing billions of dollars that could be invested in our communities, whether in education, health, or our social programs. Organizations in my riding and across the country need those large sums of money for our communities. This situation is unacceptable. The government needs to reform the tax laws and regulations in order to crack down on those who use tax avoidance schemes that, although not fully illegal, are definitely immoral.

In 2015, wealthy Canadians invested $185.5 billion in tax havens, or 25% of all foreign investments for that year. That is more than was invested in China or Europe, but these tax havens are very small, sparsely populated states. We suspect that these investments are in no means meant to finance any real activities, but instead seek to free a handful of people from paying their taxes, people who think they are above the law. That money must stay in Canada so that it can be invested in our infrastructure and our public services. Unfortunately, because of the government's inaction, billions of dollars continue to disappear in the sun.

This past January and February, I held public consultations that drew hundreds of people. The people of my riding are concerned about tax evasion; it is an issue they raise with me often.

Like my NDP colleagues, I receive hundreds of email on the subject. The NDP moved a motion in the House calling on the government to immediately address the issue of tax havens and end the practice of offering penalty-free amnesty deals for tax cheats.

Today, I want to focus on the treaties that our country has signed with tax havens. Some taxpayers are using our lenient tax laws and morally questionable schemes to avoid paying their fair share of taxes in Canada. The wealthiest members of our society are able to use some of these tax treaties to fund tax schemes and pay accounting experts to help them get away with paying as little tax as possible. They are playing with fire and when they get a little too close to the flame and get caught, they have the means to pay tax lawyers to defend them. In the end, they always win. Meanwhile, middle-class Canadians are penalized for the slightest error on their income tax return. We have a two-tiered tax system, which is unfair. It is truly appalling.

Will the Canadian government continue to bestow favours on the very wealthy?

[Kamal Khera, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Revenue]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my hon. colleague for raising this extremely important question, and I welcome the opportunity to speak about the actions that the government and the Canada Revenue Agency have taken to crack down on offshore tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance.

Court records show that it is through the efforts of the agency that the KPMG offshore tax avoidance scheme was discovered and that many of its participants have already been identified. On November 29, 2016, the Federal Court dismissed with cost a KPMG motion challenging the judicial order allowing theMinister of National Revenue to request client information from KPMG. It remains the government's position that all participants in this tax avoidance scheme must be identified and brought into full compliance with their tax obligations.

The confidentiality provisions of the Income Tax Act prevent the CRA from discussing the details of specific cases related to a particular individual or group of individuals beyond what is already on public record, but what I can tell the member is that the litigation uses significant financial and judicial resources with no guarantee of achieving a desired outcome. The CRA takes all steps available to meet its obligations to recover all taxes owed to the crown and to resolve issues before the court in a timely manner. In addition, it is well known that audits and investigations can take months or years to complete, depending on factors such as the complexity of the cases, the number of taxpayers involved, the availability of information and evidence, co-operation from taxpayers, and the various legal tools necessary to establish a case.

Make no mistake: our government continues to ramp up its actions to crack down on offshore tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance. Our government has committed close to $1 billion to cracking down on tax evasion and combatting tax avoidance. By focusing resources in the areas of highest risk both domestically and internationally, and with increased information-gathering capabilities, the CRA now has access to more information than ever before.

Using intelligence gathered through these tools and using experienced audit and investigation teams, the CRA has a robust system in place to tackle tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance on many fronts.

That is what Canadians expect of their government, and that is exactly what we will continue to deliver for them.

[Brigitte Sansoucy, NDP, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the parliamentary secretary said that they are going to continue.

Unfortunately, last week, we learned that the Liberals are continuing to sign new treaties. They signed a new treaty with another tax haven, Cook Islands. It will now be possible to bring tax-free profits back to Canada. This new tax treaty is much too flexible and mostly favours the wealthy. It will create more tax evasion than we have already. The government is not cracking down on existing tax evasion. It is creating more. Even if the government recovers money by investing in the fight against tax evasion, it is losing even more by signing a new tax treaty. It makes no sense at all. How can the government claim to be taking action against tax evasion while doing the opposite? Why is it using all its resources to track tax criminals while giving them the tools they need to carry out their schemes by signing this sort of treaty? I am thinking of the poor employees at the CRA who have more work to do and whose jobs become even more complicated every time a new agreement is signed.

When will the government actually get to the root of the problem and revise the tax treaties signed with tax havens?

[Kamal Khera, Liberal, Brampton West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, as I said, the CRA is currently reviewing its policies around making a voluntary disclosure. People applying to use the program who have used it before may find that the door is now permanently closed to them. Tax cheats are running out of options, and it will only become harder for them going forward.

I want to close by informing this House that settlement agreements are not the soft landing that many believe them to be, and they are in no way an amnesty. When the CRA enters a settlement agreement, it will assess tax retroactively, going back as many years as possible, which is often a decade or more. Taxpayers who have reached a settlement agreement must accept CRA's calculation of the tax and compounded interest on all taxes owed, and they waive their right to appeal or object to this calculation.

Our government continues to go after every dollar that is owed by high-wealth individuals, and it has more resources now than ever before. Once again, I believe that this is what Canadians expect of their government, and that is exactly what we will continue to deliver for them.

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

The motion to adjourn the House is now deemed to have been adopted. Accordingly, this House stands adjourned until later this day at 10 a.m., pursuant to Standing Order 24(1).

(The House adjourned at 12:04 a.m.)