Elinor Caplan

[Canada Customs and Revenue Agency, March 26th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, the member is completely wrong. We commissioned an independent report. Nowhere in the working documents was it ever suggested that customs inspectors should have guns. Further, in the working document it did say that giving guns to customs officers would be like giving 3,000 accidents an opportunity to happen. That was not in the final report that was issued.

It is important for the member opposite to know that RCMP Commissioner Zaccardelli has said that customs officers should not have guns. The independent report--

[Canada-U.S. Border, March 20th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, the only hostility that is trying to be created is by the member and his party opposite. In fact they have been part of the blame Canada crowd trying to tell everyone that our borders do not function, while we have been working with the Americans to ensure that they do, because that is in the interests of both American business and Canadian business. We are working together to keep our borders open and functioning during these stressful times.

[Canada-U.S. Border, March 20th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, the member opposite should be aware that we have been working very closely and cooperatively with the Americans for many months to develop contingency plans and have been planning in case of alerts such as we have now.

We have regular and ongoing reports which tell us that non-commercial traffic is moving smoothly and that there are some delays for commercial traffic. But let me quote someone who the member might be familiar with, someone from the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, “It is a problem, but it is manageable at this point”. That is from Perrin Beatty who is the head of the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters association.

[Goods and Services Tax, March 19th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, members of the House are supposed to be accurate in what they say. The member opposite cannot on one occasion show where I have not said that I would be happy to appear before a committee of the House. I have always been forthcoming in answering questions from the member opposite, and frankly, I think it is unbecoming of him on this day when I am appearing before committee happily to answer his questions for him to ask a question which frankly is insulting.

[Goods and Services Tax, March 19th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, the case that the member opposite refers to dates back to between 1992 and 1994. By the way, that was at the time when his friends in the fifth party had actually just brought in the regime, which we have since that time significantly improved, I would say.

I can tell the member opposite that even if a person has left the country we are able to use extradition laws to pursue them, and we continually improve, and try to regain any of the funds that anyone defrauds from the Canadian government.

[Border Security, March 19th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I have some information that I would like to share with the member regarding the situation at the border.

Ambassador Bridge is one of our busiest and very important commercial border crossings. He might want to know, and the members of the House might want to know, that at the Ambassador Bridge there were 15-minute delays yesterday and there was a consistent 120-minute delay all day today. At the Windsor-Detroit tunnel there was a 5-minute delay yesterday evening, 45-minute delays at 8 a.m., and 30-minute delays since then.

We have been working very closely with the Americans to ensure that commerce keeps moving as best it can during this stressful and difficult time.

[Goods and Services Tax, February 28th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, let me be really clear. I said to the members opposite that it is fraud when the courts say it is fraud. That is the number that I provided for the House. I went all the way back to 1991. I say to them, prove some evidence, bring forward some evidence to suggest it is a billion dollar number. There is nothing to suggest that is correct.

There has been $550 billion collected and to this point in time the courts have determined that the total GST fraud in Canada, which I agree is a lot of money, is $60 million.

[Goods and Services Tax, February 28th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I would say to the member opposite that everything that I have said in the House has been completely accurate. I look forward to appearing at committee toward the end of March so that I can explain more fully, in a way that perhaps he will understand, the situation which has existed since the Conservative Party brought in the GST.

We have received in revenues over $500 billion. As I told him, confirmed by the courts to this point in time there have been $60 million attributed to fraud.

[Drugs and Pharmaceuticals, February 28th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, while I cannot comment on individual cases, I can tell the member that we work very closely with the provinces and that whenever evidence is brought forward of non-compliance or inappropriate activity, action is taken.

[Taxation, February 27th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, while I cannot speak to any individual case, I can tell the member opposite that when any individual goes to HRDC and asks for benefits and they look at the case and they say “we do not know if you are entitled to these benefits because you may not be an employee”, then CCRA does a ruling. We do thousands of those rulings every year. If the individual is deemed to be an employee then they are entitled to the benefits of employment insurance, Canada pension and so forth. This relates not only to hockey but to all--