Gail Shea

[The Environment, May 7th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the measures announced in the budget would provide more education to charities to ensure they are operating within the law and more transparency for Canadians who donate so generously to those charities.

We understand that registered charities are an important part of Canadian society and we encourage Canadians to donate generously. In order to protect Canadian interests, we have a duty to ensure that these organizations are operating properly and in compliance with all federal laws. That is what we will be doing.

[Canada Revenue Agengy, May 3rd, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, I was recently made aware of some very troubling videos that have been made using CRA resources. I find these videos totally disrespectful to Canadian taxpayers. This is certainly not how CRA officials are trained.

I have asked CRA senior management to investigate and take appropriate disciplinary measures immediately. I have also asked the Taxpayers' Ombudsman to review all CRA training videos and to ensure that they respect taxpayers' rights.

We demand professionalism from CRA employees and this type of behaviour is completely unacceptable.

[Canada Revenue Agency, May 1st, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the issue goes back more than a decade. I can assure the House that the government does take all these allegations very seriously. CRA employees are in a position of public trust and we demand professional and ethical conduct. This is why our government has increased our budget for internal investigations by 127% and we have nearly doubled the number of internal investigators.

[Canada Revenue Agency, May 1st, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, we are responsible and that is why charges have been laid. This is a very serious issue and we will not tolerate this type of misconduct. This investigation, as the entire House knows, has been ongoing for some time and, yes, charges have now been laid.

As the member opposite should know, it would not be appropriate to comment on an RCMP investigation that is ongoing or on the court proceedings. However, I can assure the House that the integrity of our tax system will be upheld by this government.

[Canada Revenue Agency, April 30th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, as a matter of fact, we have strengthened oversight at CRA. As a matter of fact, as I just said, we have increased the budget by 127% and doubled the number of investigators. We have taken steps to ensure the integrity of the Canadian tax system and the professionalism of our workforce.

[Canada Revenue Agency, April 30th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, as I said before, employee wrongdoing will not be tolerated at CRA. We have increased our budget by 127%, and that has doubled the number of investigators. Employees are required to respect the obligations and laws of the system in which they are employed, and we will not take any less from them.

[Canada Revenue Agency, April 30th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the integrity of our tax system is important to all Canadians. I can assure the House that our government will take all steps necessary to ensure that it is protected.

Our government has increased CRA's budget for internal investigations by 127% and we have nearly doubled the number of its investigators because any misconduct is unacceptable. CRA employees are in positions of public trust and we demand professional and ethical conduct for all Canadian taxpayers.

[Canada Revenue Agency, April 4th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, since 2006, the CRA has audited thousands of cases of tax evasion, identified more than $4 billion in unpaid taxes through our efforts on aggressive tax planning. This is compared with just $174 million in the final years that the Liberals were in office.

Because of the measures taken by our government, the number of Canadians coming forward with previously undisclosed assets have soared every year since we have been in office. The number of voluntary disclosures in 2011 increased by an astounding 238%.

[Canada Revenue Agency, April 4th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General found that CRA has identified suitable methods to address filing and registration non-compliance and identified some areas for improvement. We agree with the recommendations contained in the report and we are taking steps to address the issues that have been identified.

I would also like to make the House aware that the Auditor General also stated, “The agency gets a good return on investment from this program”.

[Canada Revenue Agency, March 16th, 2012]

Mr. Speaker, the clear answer is that no final decisions have been made on any centres across the country.