House of Commons Hansard #78 of the 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was tax.
Tony Van Bynen Liberal Newmarket—Aurora, ON
Mr. Speaker, one of the most vulnerable populations impacted by COVID-19 was seniors. The Minister of Seniors recently announced funding to support seniors as we continue to face this pandemic.
Can the minister please tell this House how this funding is helping seniors across Canada?
Deb Schulte LiberalMinister of Seniors
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member for Newmarket—Aurora for his advocacy on behalf of seniors and for letting me share this exciting news for his riding and communities across Canada.
This year, through the new horizons for seniors program, we are funding more than 3,000 community-based projects to support seniors. These projects will help seniors stay active, informed and socially connected during the pandemic. Our improvements and funding increase to the program resulted in almost double the number of projects serving rural seniors and a greater share of funded projects serving vulnerable seniors. This is great news for seniors all across Canada.
Jagmeet Singh NDP Burnaby South, BC
Mr. Speaker, Canada is on fire. People are worried. They are afraid and frustrated. To my question about the fact Ontario now had to set up field hospitals, the Minister of Health made it sound like a point of pride that the Liberal government sent the materials required for it. However, it is a mark of failure that we are at this point.
We are calling for immediate action. It is not good enough to respond to the crisis by saying the government has sent tents for hospitals. We need to immediately make it easier to get paid sick leave and ensure everyone in the country is vaccinated. Will the government do that?
Patty Hajdu LiberalMinister of Health
Mr. Speaker, I think the member opposite is missing the point, and the point is that we have been there for the provinces and territories every step of the way, including with billions of dollars, expertise, personal protective equipment, vaccines, rapid tests and PCR tests. The point is that we will not stop. We will be there for the provinces, territories and all Canadians within them. No matter what this virus throws at us, we are there for Canadians, including the financial supports he referenced.
Paul Manly Green Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC
Mr. Speaker, from 1938 to 1974, the Bank of Canada provided very low-interest loans to the federal and provincial governments for public infrastructure projects. Since 1974, the federal government has been borrowing from private banks and foreign lenders instead. The interest paid on those loans is $1.3 trillion. That is $1.3 trillion taxpayer dollars paid to private banks and foreign lenders.
Will the government start using the Bank of Canada again for public infrastructure funding?
Sean Fraser LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and to the Minister of Middle Class Prosperity and Associate Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the hon. member's question. There are a couple of key points I would like to offer in response.
First, the activities of the Bank of Canada, including to whom it lends, are made completely independently of the bank. I will note that the bank has put forward a number of measures over the course of the pandemic to ensure there is sufficient liquidity in the financial system in Canada to allow the government to offer its suite of programs for both the federal government and the various provinces.
In addition, I would point out for the hon. member that we are currently benefiting from the lowest interest rates on government financing that we have had access to in over a century.
As we launch forward into additional programs to fund public infrastructure, which will create good jobs in the short term and set the stage for long-term growth, we will do it in a fiscally responsible way.
Mark Gerretsen Liberal Kingston and the Islands, ON
Mr. Speaker, as you know, our Standing Orders prevent us from engaging in dialogue and discourse that would be considered dishonourable. In particular, one states, “Remarks directed specifically at another Member which question that Member’s integrity, honesty or character are not in order.”
Today during question period, the member for Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman referred to other members on the Standing Committee on National Defence as “minions”. I am wondering if he would like to apologize for making that comment to the House and for violating that standing order.
The Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota
The hon. member for Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman is not responding, but I will take that under advisement and return to the House should we find it necessary.
The Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota
Pursuant to section 536 of the Canada Elections Act, it is my duty to lay upon the table a report on the 2020 by-elections.
Pursuant to Standing Order 32(5), this report is deemed to have been permanently referred to the Standing Committee on Procedures and House Affairs.
Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8)(a), I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to 104 petitions. These returns will be tabled in an electronic format.
Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International DevelopmentCommittees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings
Liberal
Sven Spengemann Liberal Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present to the House, in both official languages, the fifth report of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development in relation to the motion adopted on Wednesday, March 31, 2021, regarding sanctions imposed by the People's Republic of China.
John Williamson Conservative New Brunswick Southwest, NB
Mr. Speaker, mainland China is tightening its grip on Hong Kong and its people. Recently, the territorial government signalled that Hong Kong residents who held dual citizenship had to choose between their Hong Kong identity and other national citizenships. It is a decision with severe consequences, including the loss of representation by the Government of Canada.
For many generations, Hong Kong has accepted migrants and refugees from mainland China and elsewhere in Asia who were seeking freedoms and a better life. Today, the Hong Kong people are seeking assistance from other democracies and Canada should stand with them.
Therefore, I table a petition signed by citizens and residents of Canada. The petitioners call on the Government of Canada to protect the rights of our citizens by informing Beijing the mobility rights of Hong Kong Canadians are non-negotiable and to be upheld; quickly open a path to Canadian citizenship for family members of Canadian citizens in Hong Kong; offer a three-year working visa with a path to citizenship for Hong Kong students completing an accredited study program in Canada; expedite asylum claims made by Hong Kong people involved in the pro-democracy movement; and work with the United Kingdom, United States, France, Australia, New Zealand and other democracies to protect the fundamental rights of all dual-national citizens living in Hong Kong.
Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I did not want to interrupt the member in his presentation of the petition, but I would ask if you could provide more information periodically, indicating that when presenting a petition, it should be somewhat concise and to the matter at hand.
The Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota
I should and the member just did it for me. I will remind hon. members to be concise and to the point. We only have a limited amount of time for petitions. It is a reminder more than anything else. I know sometimes we get involved and we get carried away.
John Williamson Conservative New Brunswick Southwest, NB
Mr. Speaker, I would like to respond to that. I generally agree and I do my best to keep presentation of petitions very brief. This is the first time I have presented a petition on this matter or, I believe, that any member has. Hence, it was a little longer than normal. I appreciate the Speaker's understanding in allowing me to complete the presentation. Should I come back on this, it will be brief like my other petitions.
The Speaker Liberal Anthony Rota
Again, I am not pointing fingers at anyone or blaming; it is just a reminder. I know how we all get carried away and sometimes we say more. We would like to keep it concise.
The hon. member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan.
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Mr. Speaker, I have four petitions to present to the House today.
The first petition is with respect to Bill C-6, which proposes to ban conversion therapy.
The petitioners are supportive of the general direction of the government with respect to banning conversion therapy, but they have concerns about the drafting of the bill, in particular the definition used of conversion therapy. The definition used in the bill is not consistent with most definitions of conversion therapy that have been used or understood at other levels and in other circumstances. They are concerned about how the flaws in the definition create unintended consequences.
The petitioners call on the government to fix the definition so we have a bill that in fact can command the full support of all members.
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Mr. Speaker, the second petition is with respect to the situation in the Tigray region in Ethiopia. Many Canadians are concerned about the human rights situation and the humanitarian dynamics as well.
The petitioners call on the Government of Canada to take a more active role in responding to that conflict; to engage directly with Ethiopia and Eritrean governments on the issue; to promote long, short and medium-term election monitoring in the upcoming elections in Ethiopia; and to immediately call for independent monitoring as well as humanitarian access to the region.
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Mr. Speaker, the third petition is in support of Bill S-204, which recently passed second reading and has gone to committee study in the Senate. It would make it a criminal offence for a person to go abroad and receive an organ that was taken without the consent of the person it came from. This is in response to organ harvesting and trafficking in China, but also in other countries around the world.
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Mr. Speaker, the fourth and final petition calls on the House of Commons as well as the Government of Canada to recognize that Uighurs and other Turkic Muslims in China have been and are being subjected to genocide. It also calls for the government, in line with its obligations under the Responsibility to Protect doctrine, to do all it can to protect vulnerable people in this region, to use Magnitsky sanctions and to make reforms to supply chain legislation.
I commend these four petitions for the consideration of hon. members.
Laurel Collins NDP Victoria, BC
Mr. Speaker, today I am presenting a petition focused on the government's subsidy programs to support commercial businesses.
The petitioners are concerned about the rules that exclude non-arm's-length holders who conduct their business in a 100% arm's-length manner. These businesses are in the tourism industry and they have been particularly hard hit by COVID-19.
The petitioners call on the government to listen to their concerns and consider reviewing the rules around the commercial rent subsidy program.
Paul Manly Green Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC
Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to table this petition initiated and signed by my constituents in Nanaimo—Ladysmith.
The petitioners call on the government to take the following actions: to recognize housing unaffordability and homelessness as twin national crises; to redefine affordable housing to better reflect the economic realities of Canadians; to remove tax exemptions for real estate investment trusts; to increase regulation of foreign investment in residential real estate; to create an empty home tax for a residential property; to prioritize funding for non-profit and co-operative housing; to require covenants on taxpayer subsidized affordable housing units to ensure they remain affordable; and to create national standards to establish rent and vacancy controls.
Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, the following questions will be answered today: Nos. 394, 396, 397, 398, 402, 405, 406, 411, 412, 414, 416, 418, 423, 428, 430, 437, 438, 440, 441, 443 and 450.
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
With regard to Canadian International Trade Tribunal (CITT) hearings since January 1, 2016: (a) how many times has the government hired external legal representation for CITT hearings, broken down by case (or by department represented if there's an issue of confidentiality) and date of hire; (b) what is the cost associated with the hiring of external legal representation, broken down by case (or by department represented if there's an issue of confidentiality) and date of hire; and (c) what is the cost associated with internal legal representation, broken down by case (or by department represented if there's an issue of confidentiality)?
Question No.394Questions on the Order PaperRoutine Proceedings
LaSalle—Émard—Verdun Québec
Liberal
David Lametti LiberalMinister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, with respect to the amount spent on legal matters brought before the Canadian International Trade Tribunal, CITT, since January 1, 2016, to the extent that the information that has been requested is or may be protected by any legal privileges, including solicitor-client privilege, the federal Crown asserts those privileges. In this case, it has waived only solicitor-client privilege, and only to the extent of revealing the total legal costs, as defined below.
The total legal costs, actual and notional costs, associated with matters brought before the CITT since January 1, 2016, amount to approximatively $8,105,000. These cases raise a variety of issues falling within the mandate of the CITT, including customs or excise tax matters, complaints by potential suppliers concerning procurement by the federal government, as well as issues arising under the Special Import Measures Act. In most of these files, the Crown did not initiate the proceedings but rather acted as a defendant or respondent. The services concerned are litigation services and litigation support services provided throughout the life of the file, not solely hearings, at the CITT level. They do not include services provided at other stages, for example at the Federal Court of Appeal, if the CITT decision is challenged. Most of these files are handled by Department of Justice, JUS, lawyers. JUS lawyers, notaries and paralegals are salaried public servants, and therefore no legal fees are incurred for their services. A “notional amount” can, however, be provided to account for the legal services they provide. The notional amount is calculated by multiplying the total hours recorded in the responsive files for the relevant period by the applicable approved legal services hourly rates. Actual costs represent the file-related disbursements paid by JUS and then cost-recovered from the client departments or agencies. The total legal costs, actual and notional costs, associated with files handled by JUS lawyers amount to approximatively $7,004,000. The balance, of approximatively $1,101,000, represents the costs associated with files handled by external legal agents. The Government of Canada has hired external legal agents for CITT matters 17 times since January 1, 2016.
The total legal costs, actual and notional costs, associated with files handled by JUS lawyers are based on information currently contained in JUS systems as of February 11, 2021. The costs associated with files handled by external legal agents are based on invoices received from them and taxed by JUS as of February 25, 2021. It was not possible, given the scale of the request and the applicable deadlines, to consult all the departments and agencies responsible for these cases. The amounts provided in this response should therefore be read as approximate.