House of Commons photoLost his last election, in 2011, with 24% of the vote.
Cinar February 6th, 2001
Mr. Speaker, I have said this several times in the House.
First, it is obvious that the Income Tax Act prevents the Minister of National Revenue from commenting on any individual file.
Second, there are many more ways of resolving files than those mentioned by the opposition member.
Third, the Minister of National Revenue must not get involved in any of the investigations being conducted by the department.
Cinar October 19th, 2000
Mr. Speaker, under the Income Tax Act, all matters relating to taxpayers are, by nature, confidential.
Taxation October 18th, 2000
Mr. Speaker, I can say first that there is no obstruction at all from the agency. Second, it is a very important matter. It implies some question of confidentiality, so it concerns each and every taxpayer.
I would like to say as well that the case is pending in court. We are in the process of proceeding within the timeframe we have as per the legislation.
Questions On The Order Paper September 18th, 2000
The following is a list of government departments, agencies and organizations that are authorized under section 108 of the Customs Act to have access to E311 travellers' information:
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency, which administers the Plant Protection Act and the Health of Animals Act; Health Canada which administers the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act; Citizenship and Immigration Canada, which administers the Citizenship Act and the Immigration Act; Environment Canada, which administers the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora; and Statistics Canada, which administers the Statistics Act and is the only department that receives information on an ongoing basis due to its statistics collection mandate.
Human Resource Development Canada, HRDC, which administers the Employment Insurance Act. It is important to note that the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency previously had a memorandum of understanding, MOU, with HRDC to share form E311 information. However, since the privacy commissioner's challenge began before the federal court, this information sharing agreement has been suspended. The matter is currently before the courts.
Should a request be made for personal information by a source not mentioned previously, authorization must be received from the traveller specifically stating approval to release the information, as is required under the Privacy Act.
Taxation June 6th, 2000
Mr. Speaker, the hon. member should know that we are talking about a case pending in court.
The decision was rendered not long ago. The department will have a look at it and then we will take the normal course of action.
Taxation June 6th, 2000
Mr. Speaker, the decision was tabled not long ago. It has been received by the department. The department is going through the decision. It is analyzing the decision and then a course of action will be taken.
Privacy May 31st, 2000
Mr. Speaker, first, the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency is being questioned, so I would like to respond.
I have already explained it a number of times in the House. A keystone of the Income Tax Act is confidentiality, which is highly protected.
Within the department, when information is shared with other departments, other agencies, I am told, it is done very strictly according to the law. It is also shared when the person involved gives his or her consent.
I would also point out that, when people fail to honour a commitment, namely the law, penalties are provided under the Income Tax Act.
Canada Customs And Revenue Agency May 29th, 2000
Mr. Speaker, basically the information with which we will be provided by the airline company is information that we are asking of the people when they show up at the border.
In conclusion, if the hon. member would have dinner more often with the Minister of National Revenue he would know that actually his question is premature.
Canada Customs And Revenue Agency May 29th, 2000
Mr. Speaker, again the hon. member is wrong and I guess that the assertion in his question is part of his dream.
I thank the member for his question because I am pleased to report that the government has decided to move ahead with a huge modernization plan for Canada customs over the next five years.
We will invest something like $100 million in order to make sure that our community will be safer and to facilitate travel for business across the border and in other countries. This will make it easier within the global marketplace. I am pleased to report that at the end of the process we will have a much better risk assessment and increased security for all Canadians.
Human Resources Development May 29th, 2000
Mr. Speaker, the opposition question strikes me as rather odd right now.
On the one hand, there has been an exchange of information concerning the element of confidentiality when the Income Tax Act allows it, more specifically section 241.
I said that this government is going to protect the principle of confidentiality as long as the Liberal Party forms the government.
It strikes me as odd that, while my colleague is providing the public with excellent service and increasing confidentiality, the opposition wants us to share information and make it available publicly. There is no question of doing any such thing. We will protect the confidentiality of taxpayers for a good long while.