Mr. Chair, is the member asking about the BCAP, the LEEFF or the wage subsidy program?
House of Commons Hansard #27 of the 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was ndp.
House of Commons Hansard #27 of the 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was ndp.
Chrystia Freeland Liberal University—Rosedale, ON
Mr. Chair, is the member asking about the BCAP, the LEEFF or the wage subsidy program?
The Chair Conservative Bruce Stanton
I will ask the hon. member just to clarify the question back to the hon. minister and we will proceed accordingly.
Chrystia Freeland Liberal University—Rosedale, ON
Mr. Chair, I would like to really apologize to the NDP finance critic. I just did not hear, maybe because of the transmission, exactly the first part of the question. It is business owners turned down for which program?
Peter Julian NDP New Westminster—Burnaby, BC
Mr. Chair, I referred to the wage subsidy or LEEFF or any other program, and I hope I will not be penalized on the time.
Chrystia Freeland Liberal University—Rosedale, ON
Mr. Chair, as the hon. member for the NDP knows, so far for the LEEFF program we only have two businesses we have qualified. Other businesses are currently being reviewed and the LEEFF program absolutely has very tough criteria around environmental performance, around executive compensation, around being sure that these are companies that are paying their taxes in Canada and around foreign ownership assets, so we are being very, very careful in that program. The LEEFF program is one which is very bespoke and there is a tiger team that goes through the financials of each company very carefully.
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
Mr. Chair, in her speech last week, the minister said that she would “impose” limits on the debt. What limits?
Chrystia Freeland LiberalDeputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance
Mr. Chair, I think in my answer around the retroactivity of the rent subsidy, I have been pointing to some limits that our government is imposing. We are thoughtful about targeting our support where—
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
Mr. Chair, is there a dollar figure to which she would limit the debt?
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
Mr. Chair, is there a dollar figure she would impose on the debt, yes or no?
Chrystia Freeland Liberal University—Rosedale, ON
Mr. Chair, I said last week that we are mindful that limits exist.
Chrystia Freeland Liberal University—Rosedale, ON
Mr. Chair, unlike the member opposite, I am the finance minister and I need to be very careful with my words.
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
Mr. Chair, I wish she were as careful with numbers. What is the number?
Chrystia Freeland Liberal University—Rosedale, ON
Mr. Chair, I am absolutely as careful and that is why I carefully said last week—
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
Mr. Chair, it is a very direct question. What is the dollar-value limit that she claimed and she promised she would impose on our debt?
Chrystia Freeland Liberal University—Rosedale, ON
Mr. Chair, the member opposite should be careful with words. I did not claim in my speech last week anything of the sort that he is suggesting. What I said was that there are—
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
Mr. Chair, actually she did. She said that she would “impose” limits on the debt. I am just asking her to tell us. What are her limits?
Chrystia Freeland Liberal University—Rosedale, ON
Mr. Chair, I use my words very carefully and I said that I would have more to say about the restraints we would impose on ourselves in the fiscal update we will offer later this year.