Debates of April 17th, 2026

Canada Revenue Agency

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent—Akiawenhrahk, QC]

Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, they do not take the cases of honest Canadians seriously.

Let us look at an example that is happening right now in Quebec. A Canadian veteran who pays his taxes had to wait years before getting a proper ruling on the issues that he was having with the Canada Revenue Agency. The CRA owes him $20,000. When was that ruling given? It was handed down on July 17. Nine months later, this citizen has still not seen a penny of that money. It has been nine months, and the CRA has not been able to issue a cheque in all that time.

Is the government aware that it is mistreating honest Canadians while rolling out the red carpet for fraudsters?

[Ryan Turnbull, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance and National Revenue and to the Secretary of State (Canada Revenue Agency and Financial Institutions)]

Mr. Speaker, the CRA deals with millions of tax filings and does its very best to ensure a high quality of service. There have been improvements to that service over the last year, since the government has been in power.

Any abuse of the tax system is illegal. The CRA takes enforcement action whenever it can identify instances of abuse. We certainly cannot comment on cases that are before the courts. Obviously, opposition members will be able to refer to any information that becomes public, and the CRA is implementing more safeguards in its processes.

Firearms

[Jason Groleau, Conservative, Beauce, QC]

Mr. Speaker, over the past few weeks, I have travelled across Quebec, meeting with hunters, sport shooters, enthusiasts like myself. They are honest, law-abiding people. They are angry about Bill C-21, the Liberals' gun confiscation law, because they are being treated like criminals. The Liberals are wasting nearly $1 billion while real crime is skyrocketing across the country. With zero results and zero impact, this law is a total failure.

Will the Minister of Public Safety admit that his law is a boondoggle? Will he scrap it?

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for his question.

Let me just say that the enrolment period for the assault-style firearms compensation program was complete, with over 67,000 firearms that have been declared. This is a program that essentially will ensure that prohibited firearms are off our streets. We know that the Province of Quebec is an integral part of the program, and we are grateful for its support.

The business component of the program just opened up, and we will be able to complete the program in a timely manner.

[Jason Groleau, Conservative, Beauce, QC]

Mr. Speaker, that is pure disinformation.

The Liberals claim it is voluntary. Is that really the case? People are paid if they hand in their weapons before March 31. From April to October, they will not get a penny, and if they still have their gun on October 31, they are a criminal. This law is far from being voluntary. It is abusive; it is undemocratic. The problem is not the gun; it has always been the person holding the gun. That has always been the issue.

Will the minister scrap this abusive law, yes or no?

[Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Minister of Public Safety]

Mr. Speaker, I do not have to explain to my Quebec colleagues the impact of guns in their communities. We know that École Polytechnique had significant consequences. Many women were killed. We know that the program is important to ensure the safety and security of Canadians. We will move forward on a business buyback program that will open up, and we will complete the program as contemplated.

Taxation

[Gaétan Malette, Conservative, Kapuskasing—Timmins—Mushkegowuk, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the excise tax was removed for the people of northeastern Ontario, but they need more. The farmers of Matheson and Val Gagné need more help today. The gold miners of Kirkland Lake, Cochrane, Timmins and Chapleau need more help today. The loggers of every village in northeastern Ontario travelling hundreds, at times thousands, of kilometres per day need urgent help.

Will the government use the extra, unbudgeted revenues from royalties and taxes to further lower gas and diesel prices to help people today?

[Sophie Chatel, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food]

Mr. Speaker, it is very important to state first of all that our farmers across the country are doing great work for Canada's food security, food autonomy and food sovereignty.

Yes, reducing the price of gas will really help farmers, but we are not stopping there. We are there to support their innovation with a tax credit, a superdeduction that will help them modernize their facilities. We need to do a lot more here in Canada to process more and grow the sector, and we are there with farmers.

Housing

[Giovanna Mingarelli, Liberal, Prescott—Russell—Cumberland, ON]

Mr. Speaker, our government is focused on making housing more affordable and helping more Canadians find homes in communities across the country. We are working with partners at every level to strengthen housing supply and support the delivery of more affordable housing from coast to coast to coast.

Can the Minister of Housing share how the Build Canada Homes approach will help us continue to increase the supply of affordable housing across the country and deliver more results for Canadians?

[Gregor Robertson, Liberal, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada]

Mr. Speaker, we are tackling Canada's housing challenges with urgency and innovation. Build Canada Homes is already showing what is possible when we work in strong partnership with provinces, territories, local governments and community builders. We have agreements in place with many provinces. We have over 10,000 homes under way.

What we can do now is pass the Build Canada Homes act in the House. I would urge all members, in these busy four weeks ahead, to support its swift passage so we can scale up, build Canada homes and build more affordable housing.

Canada Revenue Agency

[Sandra Cobena, Conservative, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the CRA paid out a $5-million return to a fraudster who typically earns $50,000, despite its having identified clear red flags. Even more concerning is that this happened six months after the finance minister appeared before committee to testify on the CRA's history of issuing millions of dollars of payments to fraudsters. He assured Canadians that the safeguards would be in place.

Did the CRA, once again, issue a $5-million return on a clearly fraudulent claim under the Liberal government's watch, yes or no?

[Ryan Turnbull, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance and National Revenue and to the Secretary of State (Canada Revenue Agency and Financial Institutions)]

Mr. Speaker, we know that any abuse of the tax system is completely illegal and unfair to Canadians, and we take those matters seriously. The CRA has implemented additional safeguards to help ensure greater consistency and accuracy in refund processing. We also strengthened controls, intensified oversight and tightened authority levels. We will continue to strengthen the integrity of our tax system and protect taxpayer dollars.

This matter is before the courts, and I cannot comment further on it.

[Sandra Cobena, Conservative, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

Mr. Speaker, every dollar that the Liberals hand out to fraudsters was first a dollar earned by and taken from a hard-working Canadian, but the Liberals do not want to answer questions on this matter. Shame on them, because in the past 10 years, $37 million has been paid out in the gold mine scandal, and there has been $40 million in bogus claims in 2023 and another $6 million in 2024. However, if a Canadian misses $100, the CRA comes down hard on them, and it takes months to correct.

How can anyone have any confidence in the Liberal government if this is how—

[The Deputy Speaker, Tom Kmiec]

The hon. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance.

[Ryan Turnbull, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance and National Revenue and to the Secretary of State (Canada Revenue Agency and Financial Institutions)]

Mr. Speaker, I have said numerous times that any abuse of our tax system is illegal and unfair. It is certainly something the CRA takes very seriously and our government takes seriously.

Enforcement action is under way here. There is an attempt to address the issue. The matter is before the courts, which we cannot comment on, of course. Additional safeguards have been put in place. I have already given the member details on that, and that is all I will say for today.

[Jacob Mantle, Conservative, York—Durham, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is just two weeks away from the tax deadline, and we had better cross our t's and dot our i's, because we all know that the CRA gives no quarter to ordinary Canadians, but there is a good chance a fraudster might walk away with a couple million dollars. In fact it was reported this week that the CRA once again paid out millions of dollars to a fraudulent claim. This is not new. It has been happening for years.

In fact in the last Parliament, the minister responsible said, “We have zero tolerance for fraud in all of its forms.” If that is really true, will the minister take responsibility and hold himself and the CRA accountable?

[Ryan Turnbull, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance and National Revenue and to the Secretary of State (Canada Revenue Agency and Financial Institutions)]

Mr. Speaker, I have already answered this question multiple times today, but I will just add that when debt is established to the CRA, the agency takes legal action if necessary, using all available measures to ensure compliance. To safeguard taxpayer information and prevent misuse, the CRA has strong controls in place to verify accounts and transactions. The agency also collaborates with law enforcement and financial institutions, uses advanced data analytics and deploys dedicated teams to detect and respond to suspicious activity.

Taxation

[Jacob Mantle, Conservative, York—Durham, ON]

Mr. Speaker, if anything that was said were true, this would not be happening, but it has been happening for six years and continues to happen.

This tax season will be particularly tough for young Canadians, because 20% of them, one in five, say they cannot pay a tax bill and would have to go into debt to do it. Liberal policies are unfairly burdening young Canadians, the next generation, driving a wedge between parents and children, boomers and millennials, and more.

One small measure that would help is our plan for a full tax cut on the gas, a full 25% for a full year. Why will the Liberals not do that?

[Ryan Turnbull, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance and National Revenue and to the Secretary of State (Canada Revenue Agency and Financial Institutions)]

Mr. Speaker, I have already said multiple times that abuse of our tax system is illegal. The CRA takes enforcement action when it can identify suspicious activity. Safeguards have been put in place.

The matter that the member is referring to is before the courts, and I cannot comment further, obviously.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, Kamloops—Shuswap—Central Rockies, BC]

Mr. Speaker, after more than a decade of Liberal policies, life is unaffordable. The latest MNP consumer debt index report states that 70% of British Columbians say rising food prices and gas prices are straining their finances. The Liberals voted against reducing taxes that increase the cost of gas by 25¢ a litre. They voted against removing taxes on food that drive up the cost of groceries.

Why will the Liberals not provide Canadians some relief by adopting our Conservative plan to cut taxes on gas and food, and make life more affordable for Canadians?

[Gregor Robertson, Liberal, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada]

Mr. Speaker, we are doing a lot of work right now in B.C. to lift up people, particularly young people, with the break on new home purchases for first-time homebuyers, a GST break of up to $50,000. There is also a housing supply bonus going out to the provinces and territories to help reduce the cost of housing, which is the number one driver with affordability.

When we look at the cost of housing, we see that we have more work to do with Build Canada Homes and many other initiatives on housing. We are delivering those in earnest.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, Kamloops—Shuswap—Central Rockies, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal plan is making life unaffordable. Of respondents to my recent survey to every household across Kamloops—Shuswap—Central Rockies, 94% say life has become less affordable over the past year. Rebeca replied that she works full-time at a good job but can barely afford groceries. She does not have any kids, because she cannot afford to.

Why will the Liberals not provide some relief by adopting our Conservative plan to cut taxes on gas and food, and make life more affordable?

[Randeep Sarai, Liberal, Secretary of State (International Development)]

Speaker, when I speak to British Columbians, including Rachel from my riding, they thank me for the Canada child benefit. Rachel also remembers that when the program was under the Conservatives, she had to pay taxes on it when it came to April. She also thanks me for the dental benefit that is helping her and her children get dental care. She is also looking forward to our affordability measure that is coming out for her groceries in June. In addition to that, the 10¢ tax relief at the gas pump is helpful.

We are listening to Canadians, and they are getting what they need. The Conservatives are not listening to Canadians and should—

[The Deputy Speaker, Tom Kmiec]

The hon. member for Richmond Centre—Marpole.

Indigenous Affairs

[Chak Au, Conservative, Richmond Centre—Marpole, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the City of Richmond has written to the federal government repeatedly, most recently just two weeks ago, asking for a clear commitment to defend private property rights in the Cowichan land claim. Homeowners are worried. Investors are pulling out. People are asking if their homes are still secure, yet the Liberals have offered no clear answer.

Why is the Liberal government ignoring Richmond city council and abandoning the people of Richmond?