Annick Papillon

[Petitions, November 24th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, I wish to present a petition today regarding the Quebec Port Authority entitled “For public consultation regarding the Port of Québec”.

The petitioners are calling on the federal government to compel the Quebec Port Authority to hold public consultations with any individuals and organizations in the Quebec City region that will be affected by any current or future development projects, pursuant to the Canada Marine Act. This is important. This is about a public health and public safety issue that is crucial to Quebec City. I am honoured to present this petition containing hundreds of signatures.

[JCI World Congress, November 24th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, today I am extremely pleased to rise in the House to express my staunch support for Quebec City's bid to host the biggest world congress of junior chambers of commerce, the famous JCI World Congress 2016.

This will be a huge gathering of young business people with over 3,500 delegates from over 100 countries and economic spinoffs amounting to over $15 million. In addition, it would be a fantastic opportunity for Quebec and Canada to raise their profile, as well as for our tourism industry and our passionate young entrepreneurs.

I would like to congratulate the event organizers on their amazing work: Jean-Simon Deschênes, François Bégin, Pierre-Yves Dubois, Louis-Philippe Sutton, Patrick Roberge, Alexandre Meca, Geneviève Doyle and the many volunteers and sponsors.

Femmes Alpha, an organization I belong to that promotes women in leadership roles, also supported Quebec City's bid.

I salute my youth chamber and, like them, I too have my puck.

[Small Business, November 5th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, that is completely false. Everyone knows that the NDP is the only party that believes consumers should get what they are entitled to. Banks rake in over $60 billion every year, and their profit margins can be 700% or even 800%. That is disgusting. We need legislation. It is our job as legislators to make that happen, but the government is not doing it. People know what is going on. They know that when they go to an ATM or use their credit card, credit card companies are taking a huge cut at their expense.

There is a simple solution: the code of conduct for the Canadian credit and debit card industry must be mandatory and not voluntary. We do not want to have to rehash this entire file once again a few years down the road, when Visa and MasterCard have completely abandoned their voluntary measures. The Small Business Matters Coalition, which is concerned with this file and to which the Association des marchands dépanneurs et épiciers du Québec belongs, is disappointed that the Minister of Finance did not take the time to conduct an in-depth study of the real costs of credit card rates. That is what we need to do. That is what we must do. We must make a more informed decision, one based on facts and figures. That is what matters.

[Small Business, November 5th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, it has now been over a year since the Competition Tribunal found that the credit card fees that Canadian businesses have to pay are excessive and unfair and that more coercive regulation is needed.

When I recently asked the minister what he intended to do to remedy this situation, he spoke about a voluntary code of conduct, since he is in favour of voluntary measures. Unfortunately, that is not enough.

We cannot let companies make their own rules. Clearly, the government needs to legislate in the public interest in order to lower prices for consumers and help our struggling SMEs.

The government's announcement once again shows that it is not prepared to introduce concrete measures to reduce these fees, which incidentally cost Canadian consumers and SMEs over $5 billion a year.

A 10% reduction is far too little to result in lower prices for consumers. In fact, the minister announced a 10% reduction. That is not enough to have an effect on the goods we buy. Consumers will not benefit, and I think it is important to say that. The reduction announced earlier this week is not a step in the right direction.

While the government is patting itself on the back for this 10% reduction, in the last two years alone, Visa and MasterCard have boosted credit card transaction fees by about 25%. Canada will also continue to have the highest interchange fees in the world, and that is no small matter. The government is not proposing any measures to address that.

The NDP agrees with the Competition Tribunal, which found that Visa and MasterCard engage in anti-competitive practices by charging excessive fees. The tribunal asked the government to take action. However, it chose instead to ask the credit card companies, which are already very greedy, to make voluntary changes. That is shameful and makes no sense. It is futile and will yield no results.

If you need further proof, you only have to look at the official statement issued by Visa. This very important statement stated the following:

If Visa or our clients are disadvantaged as a result of entering into this undertaking [these voluntary measures], Visa reserves the right at any time to terminate or amend it.

This is a concrete example of the limits of a voluntary measure. We can be happy that Visa and MasterCard are moving forward and seem prepared to make some concessions, be accommodating and truly give consumers and small businesses more breathing room. However, at any time, for whatever reason, they can decide to terminate this arrangement.

We will end up right back where we started, debating this topic and wondering what should be done. We need legislation, which is what we are calling for today.

The Association des marchands dépanneurs et épiciers du Québec, or AMDEQ, had a very interesting response. This association of convenience and grocery store owners is somewhat satisfied with the federal government's decision to bring MasterCard and Visa credit card user fees to an average rate of 1.5%, but much remains to be done to bring our rates in line with those in Australia and Europe, which are around 0.5%.

AMDEQ has some concerns about the fact that this agreement is voluntary. It now wants an oversight mechanism to be put in place and an annual audit to be conducted so as to ensure that the two major credit card companies abide by the agreement announced today.

It is also important to point out that AMDEQ would have liked to see a much more substantial drop in the rate, and it is calling on the Minister of Finance to form a special parliamentary committee to ensure that all parties involved in this issue can have a say.

I think that is indeed worthwhile. It can be discussed in committee.

What does my colleague opposite think of that proposal?

[Canadian Heritage, November 5th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, as part of the celebration of the 150th anniversary of Confederation, Quebec City would like to host about 40 tall ships. This is a wonderful opportunity to promote tourism and highlight the beauty of the St. Lawrence.

Quebec City submitted its proposal to the government in May 2013. If the Conservatives do not commit funding by February 2015, the event may not go ahead. When will the government get on board with this major tourism proposal and provide financial support to the Quebec City tall ships? We want a date.

[National Defence, October 31st, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, Quebeckers have been waiting over six years for the government to refurbish the Quebec City Armoury. They have been waiting six years for an answer that would enable them to go ahead with other tourism and cultural projects.

Having waited over six years, can they finally believe the minister when she says that the work really will begin in 2015 and will be completed for the 150th anniversary celebration in 2017? When will we see a backhoe on the armoury grounds?

[Canada Revenue Agency, October 29th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, we all know that the NDP government of 2015 will defend both consumers and SMEs, of course.

The Canada Revenue Agency recognizes that its letters are so complicated and so poorly written, that often taxpayers do not know whether to write a cheque or wait for a refund. It is a mystery. Ultimately, this mismanagement leaves Canadians confused and paying penalties.

Will the government move quickly to correct the situation, reassure Canadians, and finally provide adequate service?

[Consumer Protection, October 29th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, after promising to curb the greed of credit card companies that impose abusive fees on merchants and therefore consumers, the Conservatives have now reversed that decision and are proposing a voluntary code. Once again, the Conservatives are favouring the credit card companies instead of defending small business owners and consumers. Does the minister really believe that credit card companies will suddenly stop abusing their monopoly voluntarily?

[The Budget, October 28th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, there is nothing more frustrating than paying $2, $3, $4 or $7 to receive an invoice or bank statement. It is an abuse by financial institutions, which make huge profits.

If the government is acknowledging that this is an unfair practice on the part of telecommunications companies, it should also acknowledge that it is unfair on the part of banks. That would make sense to me.

Why does the government let banks charge unreasonable fees to Canadians who want a paper statement?

[The Environment, October 27th, 2014]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague across the way is confirming what I am saying.

The Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012, that he keeps quoting was amended because of the changes made to its provisions when this government's mammoth bills passed.

Now, it is just an empty shell that no longer contains any coercive measures. It now contains voluntary measures that are supposed to be encouraging. The port can do whatever it wants. The government does not care. The federal government does not have jurisdiction.

It is sad because in Quebec City, everyone is worried about this situation: the general public, community boards, and Quebec City council. The Government of Quebec had also indicated that it was concerned. The federal government is there. We know that the port is located on federal territory. However, the government is doing nothing. It is truly shameful. We could build a wall of China in the Port of Québec and that would not bother the federal government. It does not care.

I find that shameful because we are talking about public health and safety here, and with that I am calling on the government to respond and do something about this.