Brigitte Sansoucy

[Employment Insurance, February 14th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, government after government, be it Liberal or Conservative, has left seasonal workers out in the cold.

The spring gap is when workers' benefits run out during the off-season because of bad employment insurance reforms. For some, the spring gap can last over four months. The Liberals broke their promise to scrap the Conservatives' reform, which penalizes seasonal workers and their families.

When will this government keep its promises and help seasonal workers? Maybe in the upcoming budget?

[Poverty, February 13th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, seniors deserve better than half-truths. What the government is not saying is that automatic enrolment for the guaranteed income supplement applies only to seniors who turned 65 on or after January 1.

The minister himself held a press conference to say that, according to the government's figures, 56,000 seniors were not automatically enrolled for the guaranteed income supplement. That is what his figures show. Even if we were talking about just one senior, that would be unacceptable. We are talking about 56,000 seniors who are not entitled because the measure applies only to those who turned 65 on or after January 1. We are talking about 56,000 seniors who are living on less than $10,000 a year. This is unacceptable. Income inequality is our society's most flagrant injustice—

[Poverty, February 13th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, last October, I rose to draw the government's attention to the fact that thousands of Canadians continue to live in precarious circumstances. The most recent data show that nearly one in seven Canadians are still living in poverty. That is unacceptable.

This is an alarming situation, since the most recent Campaign 2000 report indicates that nearly five million Canadians are living in poverty. My thoughts go out to those thousands of families who are struggling under the burden of debt. According to Statistics Canada, Canadian households carry an average debt of $162,400, the highest in the G7.

We cannot allow families to continue to fall a little further into debt each year. Today, the average family has $1.53 of debt for every dollar earned, which is unacceptable. The NDP believes that it is high time we made life more affordable for these families and reduced that burden. I am therefore asking the government to stop sitting on its hands and take immediate action to put an end to this situation.

I invite the Liberals to realize that the results we are seeing from the economic policies that they have put in place since 2015 are not as positive as they would have us believe. In fact, the gap between the rich and the poor in Canada has never been wider.

Just a few weeks ago, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives published a report showing that Canada's richest CEOs earn nearly 200 times as much as the average worker. That is unfair. It is unfair to workers. It is unfair to families. It is unfair to everyone. The NDP is focused on putting forward solutions to make our country more fair and equitable, a place where the privileged and friends of those in power contribute their fair share and the people get the services they need. This situation is worrisome and should alert the government to the harsh reality facing too many of our fellow citizens in all of our ridings.

Household debt and growing inequality are hardly the only things I am concerned about.

I am very worried about the fact that this government is doing nothing to help seniors who are still not receiving the guaranteed income supplement automatically and have trouble making ends meet. The FADOQ and its Richelieu-Yamaska regional branch are to be commended for drawing attention to this injustice and demanding that the government take action. Their demands mirror our own. They can count on my support and on the NDP caucus to represent them.

I remind members once again that this government promised to help hundreds of thousands of seniors out of poverty, but this government let these seniors down. This is completely unacceptable. There is, however, a simple solution: make the guaranteed income supplement automatic for everyone. This is why the NDP has long been calling for the guaranteed income supplement to be given to everyone eligible to receive it, since the NDP believes that it is impossible for these seniors to live on less than $10,000.

Can we finally guarantee them a decent income and give them the supplement they are entitled to? I do not think this is too much to ask.

[Infrastructure, February 12th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, an analysis by The Globe and Mail identified a very troubling trend under the Liberals when it comes to awarding infrastructure grants. We saw the same trend under the Conservatives. The grants are being awarded to Liberal ridings and Liberal ministers. Rural ridings are once again getting the short end of the stick, and no, public transit does not explain everything.

Will this government assure us that its phase 2 selection grid will be based on need and not on the political affiliation of the riding?

[Hermel Giard, February 12th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, as we celebrate Canada's Agriculture Day, I am very moved to rise today to pay tribute to the late Hermel Giard, who passed away a few days ago. Mr. Giard was a well-known farmer who raised Holsteins, a breed he really loved.

His family has been involved in organizing the Saint-Hyacinthe agricultural fair from the beginning, or for 180 consecutive years! Mr. Giard was a man who loved farming and his region. He was devoted to his community and served as the mayor of Saint-Simon for almost 15 years.

Mr. Giard and his wife, Ms. Huguette, earned dozens of honours, including being inducted into the Quebec Agriculture Hall of Fame, which is indicative of their passion for agriculture and the greater Saint-Hyacinthe region. He was a role model for new and future farmers because of his leadership, wisdom, and honesty. His descendants will be farming for many generations to come.

[Employment Insurance, February 8th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, the Social Security Tribunal of Canada is a real disaster. Some unemployed workers have had to wait more than a year for a hearing. The KPMG report shows that the tribunal is much more expensive and takes on average five times longer than the old system.

Groups that advocate for the unemployed are calling for a return to the three member panel. The Liberals promised to take action, but unemployed workers are still waiting.

When will the government keep its promise and reform the EI appeal process?

[Business of Supply, February 8th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his efforts.

We simply do not understand. We hear from our constituents about this, and they are the source of my indignation, but there are many other sources.

On April 9, 2016, at the NDP national convention in Edmonton, I had the opportunity to facilitate a round table discussion called “Tax Havens: The Price We Pay”. It was truly inspiring. Alain Deneault, a distinguished author who wrote Canada: A New Tax Haven, was there. I read his book on the plane. We were also joined by Harold Crooks, a filmmaker who made an excellent documentary entitled The Price We Pay. We also heard from Angella MacEwen, senior economist with the Canadian Labour Congress, who clearly demonstrated that if we could recover all the tax revenue we are missing out on, we could eliminate poverty in Canada. In a country as rich as ours, it is just wrong that there are children going to school without breakfast.

I attended a luncheon with these three individuals and they inspired me immensely. They fuelled my indignation at tax havens, and since then people have been talking to me about it at every event I have attended. We are still indignant. Today we are moving this motion on behalf of the people we represent, and I am sure that many of my Liberal colleagues also represent people who are upset about tax havens.

[Business of Supply, February 8th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I am very happy to hear that he agrees with everything I said. The problem is that it is not enough to agree, we must take action.

Societies work well when everyone, individuals and companies alike, pay their fair share of tax. There is still work to be done. Yes, some things have been done. The Liberals tell us that they are doing things, but we see that in Europe some countries are doing much more. If we put all our money together, individuals and companies, in a fair manner, we can pay for quality public services such as education, health, infrastructure, and support for the elderly and people with disabilities. Unfortunately, tax evasion and the use of tax havens prevent us from investing large amounts in these essential services because the wealthiest of the wealthy have access to tax havens and strategies that cost us billions and billions of dollars. We must do more. Statistics Canada has shown that tax havens are costing us $8 billion. That means that the Minister of National Revenue must redouble her efforts to get that money back.

[Business of Supply, February 8th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, I would first like to inform you that I will be sharing my time with my colleague, the esteemed member for Victoria.

Tax evasion deprives families of hundreds of millions of dollars that could be invested in good social programs. It is time to put an end to this strategy that benefits only the wealthiest Canadians. The Liberals promised to tackle this problem. On November 6, the Prime Minister himself even said that the government is working every day to make sure that all Canadians pay their income tax. I have my doubts.

When we talk about tax avoidance, we are talking about several billion dollars out of our coffers. Statistics Canada, an extremely credible source, estimates that tax avoidance costs Canada $8 billion a year. That is $8 billion a year lost in uncollected taxes because we have agreements with the Cayman Islands, Barbados, the Cook Islands, and so on. The list is a long one.

Imagine all the problems we could solve with an additional $8 billion a year. Here are a few examples. We could help 10,000 families upgrade their homes to improve energy efficiency. Those 10,000 families would see their energy bills drop, and there would be a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. We could help the most vulnerable members of our society by maintaining 800,000 social housing buildings for 25 years. We could take stronger measures to lower the price of prescription drugs for Canadians and increase health transfers to the provinces. We could implement a guaranteed minimum income. These are concrete measures that would help reduce inequalities. We would be helping the middle class and all those who are working so hard to join it. That is progressive.

I just cannot get over it: $8 billion. That is $8 billion in 2015, $8 billion in 2016, $8 billion in 2017, $8 billion in 2018, and $8 billion in 2019. That is $40 billion lost this term alone. That is $40 billion out of the public purse, and, most importantly, massive amounts that we cannot invest in health transfers, social housing, the fight against homelessness, infrastructure, and more.

I was recently appointed infrastructure and communities critic. I am proud of this role and the trust placed in me. As a former municipal councillor, I am intimately familiar with infrastructure needs, which are huge. During the election campaign, the Liberals built up great expectations in the 25 municipalities I represent. They informed us that there was an infrastructure deficit, as if we did not already know, and said we have to invest in our water and sewer infrastructure, our bridges, and our roads. When I was a municipal councillor, some of the sewers in the ward I represented were 100 years old and were made of brick.

People were hoping to see billions in infrastructure investments in Quebec, Ontario, or British Columbia. The revenue we are missing out on year after year because of aggressive tax avoidance and tax havens would cover the cost of two Champlain bridges or thousands of community centres in communities that really need them, such as Saint-Pie, which has been waiting for many years, and other places in my riding.

Public concern about tax evasion and tax havens is growing. My colleague from Sherbrooke and I got together on this. I invited my constituents in Saint-Hyacinthe and Acton Vale to come talk about tax havens and tax evasion. My invitation was very clear. I invited them to come watch a documentary called The Price We Pay. Those who looked it up learned that it was a one-and-a-half-hour documentary set mostly in London and elsewhere around the world, and our presentation was mainly in English with French subtitles.

I represent a largely francophone riding, and yet nearly 100 people showed up on a wintry Thursday evening to watch this documentary. We had quite a long discussion about it. I thought they would never leave my office because they were so concerned. They are outraged that the government is not doing anything about this situation.

I quite often hear from constituents about tax havens, inequalities, and tax evasion. People tell me how unfair it is that companies manage to avoid paying taxes, while these people work so hard and pay their fair share. They are so right.

I want to share a quote from an email I received from one of my constituents a few weeks ago:

We need to get rid of tax havens and make companies pay their fair share. These companies earn billions of dollars and pay less tax than ordinary taxpayers. They send their profits to tax havens, when this money could be put towards major projects in our country.

So many sectors are in need of reform, and the government will not do it. The past 28 months have shown that the Prime Minister has forgotten his election promises.

My constituent took the time to write that, and it is so true.

In a few months, it will be time for us to do our taxes. Many will have to tighten their belts, while the wealthiest Canadians can afford tax accountants and big law firms to avoid paying taxes. I quote Brigitte Alepin, a leading Quebec tax expert:

When ordinary citizens pay on average 60% of their income in income and consumption taxes while the wealthiest have a full range of tax shelters at their disposal to get around, if not cancel out, billions of dollars in income tax, we have every reason to call this a scandal of society.

It really is a scandal.

I invite everyone in Saint-Hyacinthe to my third annual tax credit information session, which this year will be at the Centre communautaire Rosalie-Papineau, 5250 Rue Gérard Côté in Saint-Hyacinthe.

Year after year, this event is a big hit and is attended by over 200 people, often close to 300. Last year, after attending this session, one of my constituents got back a $15,000 tax refund. I therefore invite all of my constituents to come out to this event so they can hear what tax credits they are entitled to.

In March 2017, the New Democrats moved a motion to eliminate tax havens, loopholes, and favourable treatment for the wealthiest Canadians, and it passed. Instead of taking action, the Liberals signed new agreements with other tax havens such as the Cook Islands, Antigua and Barbuda, and Grenada.

Now that we are approaching budget time, it is time for the Liberals to keep their promises. Almost one year later, we are realizing that the people in our ridings, the middle class, are the biggest losers when it comes to tax havens. The Liberals keep saying that they are working for the middle class and those who are working hard to join it. The reality is that the middle class is paying more income tax, while the wealthiest Canadians are laughing all the way to the bank thanks to loopholes and tax havens, compliments of the government.

All of this is increasing inequality in our society. Our leader, Jagmeet Singh, recently said that, even though the government keeps repeating that it is working hard for the middle class and those working hard to join it, the truth is that it is building an economy that works for the privileged and leaves everyone else behind. Because multinationals and the wealthiest individuals are finding ways of avoiding paying income tax, the middle class must shoulder most of the burden to compensate for the shortfall caused by the government.

Once again the wealthiest Canadians are getting richer more and more quickly to the detriment of the middle class, who must suffer the consequences. Instead of taking real action against this social scourge, the government is not doing anything about tax havens. That is the problem. Our tax system allows the wealthiest Canadians to legally send their money to tax havens.

It is urgent that we change the laws to remedy the situation. The government must present concrete strategies in the next budget to eliminate tax havens.

[Business of Supply, February 8th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, at my constituency office, I receive letters, emails, and calls from Canadians who tell me how offended they are that Canada still has agreements with so many tax havens.

Despite everything my colleague said, it has been shown that, as a country, we are letting $8 billion slip through our fingers because we are not taking the strong measures that other countries are taking. That is $8 billion that never makes it into our coffers.

My colleague mentioned how proud she was of the agreements we have with other countries. I would like her to explain how she can be proud of the fact that, in the past year, we signed agreements with the Cook Islands, Antigua and Barbuda, and Grenada. What is there to be proud of in signing agreements with new tax havens, adding still more to the already long list? Canada even created some of the tax havens. Lawyers here made sure that those countries became tax havens.

How can my colleague justify that we are not doing everything possible to do away with the system?