Guy Caron

[Taxation, November 9th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, that is odd because in June the minister was quoting $13 billion, not $25 billion. The amount has almost doubled in six months.

The Minister of National Revenue keeps boasting about the CRA's investigation into tax evasion, but she sets a double standard. Remember when the CRA offered a secret amnesty to KPMG clients who stashed $130 million in the Isle of Man? A quick visit to the Canada Revenue Agency's website shows the names of hairdressers, farmers, and realtors who were caught, but nothing on KPMG clients.

The Liberals keep bragging about how they had a carpenter pay a fine, but when will the government take on the real tax evaders?

[Taxation, November 9th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of National Revenue has been saying since the beginning of the week that her government has managed to recoup $25 billion by cracking down on tax evasion. However, the Canada Revenue Agency still refuses to confirm whether the money has actually been recovered by the crown.

This minister and her government cannot keep their stories straight from one day to the next. The minister must show some backbone and end the culture of secrecy at the agency.

What is the truth? Did the agency actually recover the $25 billion or just identify the money?

[Taxation, November 8th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, what she is not saying is that only $40 million of that $1 billion has been invested so far.

If I had any advice for the hon. member for Montarville and the hon. member for Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, it would be to ask their constituents whether they are happy about paying more taxes than Liberal insiders like Mr. Bronfman and Mr. Kolber.

It might be legal, but it does not mean it is moral. It is legal only because generations of Liberal and Conservative governments have made the laws that have made it legal.

We are the House of Commons and we can change laws. Will the government do it or will it block any initiative like it has done in the last two years?

[Taxation, November 8th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, tomorrow, the NDP will ask the finance committee to investigate the paradise papers and to call on Stephen Bronfman and former Liberal Senator Leo Kolber to explain to Canadians why their names, their firms, and their trusts are linked to tax havens. We hope the Liberal majority will support us, because the Prime Minister might be satisfied with explanations but Canadians are not.

The Prime Minister likes to say that sunshine is the best disinfectant. The Liberals will have a chance to show it. Will they support an investigation or will they block it like they have done for the last two years?

[Ethics, November 7th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, instead of relying on meaningless stats, she should understand one thing. We are lawmakers. Instead of hiding behind the bogus excuse that it felt legal anyway, we can roll up our sleeves and do something about it. We can change the laws. We can especially change laws that allow the wealthy and the well connected to pay less tax than middle-class Canadians. The question is this. Will the government do that or will it block these efforts, as it has done for the past two years?

[Ethics, November 7th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Prime Minister told us that the CRA would be looking into allegations of tax evasion, but he stopped short of confirming that this would be the case for Stephen Bronfman. This is the same CRA that is constantly under fire by tax experts for going hard against everyday Canadians, but for throwing back the big fish. This is the same CRA that forgave the clients who made millions from the KPMG scheme, and this is the same CRA that failed to act on the Panama papers.

When will the minister stop defending the CRA and start standing up for Canadians?

[150th Anniversary of the First Meeting of Parliament, November 6th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise in the House today to join my colleagues in marking the 150th anniversary of the first sitting of Parliament. Canadians can be truly proud of having built, shaped, and preserved one of the longest uninterrupted parliaments in the world. Every day we demonstrate to the world how ideas can be debated in a peaceful, civil, and productive manner, with the possible exception of question period.

We show how we can come together to make life better for the people who sent us here to represent them. In a country as geographically, linguistically, and ethnically diverse as ours, this is no small achievement.

The NDP can be proud of the major firsts they have contributed to Parliament. Among those, our party was the first to have an openly gay man elected to the House and the first to have a woman lead a federal political party in the House, just to name a few milestones. There is no doubt that we have made a lot of progress since the days when Parliament was made up of only white men. We are pleased to see that the members sitting in the House look a lot more like the people who voted for them than they used to a long time ago.

However, we have to be honest that we are nowhere close to where we need to be. We have yet to achieve even near gender balance in the House. The 2015 election sent a record number of women to this chamber and yet they still only make up a little more than one quarter of the MPs in the House. All parties should use this important anniversary to commit to reaching gender parity in the House as soon as possible.

New Democrats and Canadians across the country also believe our Parliament can be made even better by reflecting Canadians' actual voting preferences.

Let us be honest, the House does not reflect the proportion of support each party received in the last election.

If we move toward a proportional system of elections, we could not only make room for new voices, but re-inspire Canadians with the knowledge that their votes truly do matter and their Parliament is truly a reflection of their will. Surely there is no better way to mark the 150th anniversary of Parliament than by working to make it more representative. All Canadians will benefit from it.

No celebration of our Parliament would be complete if we did not mention the hard work of the devoted staff and public servants who, by the thousands, over many decades, have kept this institution on a steady course by handling everything that goes on behind the scenes.

We thank the Clerk, the committee staff, the legislative support staff, our financial officers, our cafeteria workers, the janitorial staff, the security guards, and every other member of the personnel who I will not be able to mention specifically today. This Parliament literally cannot function without them.

Last, on behalf of the New Democratic Party, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to all Canadians on the 150th anniversary of their Parliament and recommit to making this place a source of pride for our country, but, more important, a source of the support, solutions, and leadership that will make life better for everyone, from coast to coast to coast.

Thank you and congratulations.

[Ethics, November 6th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, the government is going after the small taxpayer, but not the big fish. The Prime Minister was elected on the promise to work hard for the middle class and those working hard to join it. The middle class cannot afford accounts on the Cayman Islands, but the Liberals' rich and wealthy friends can.

The Prime Minister said shortly after his election “Tax avoidance, tax evasion is something we take very seriously”, and promised swift action. Canadians are still waiting. What is the Prime Minister waiting for?

[Ethics, November 6th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, the stats that Prime Minister is quoting actually shows his government is doing a good job going after the small taxpayer, going after ordinary Canadians, but it always lets the big fish go.

We know about Stephen Bronfman through the paradise papers, but let us not forget that the government, through committee, stalled the study on KPMG and the Isle of Man. Let us not forget that the government has done nothing about the Panama papers.

The government has not taken seriously the issue of tax havens and offshore accounts. When will it?

[Ethics, November 2nd, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, are these ethical standards if the Liberals cannot even enforce the bare minimum they should be following?

The Prime Minister is showing his contempt for the House, which is calling for explanations for his ethical lapses and those of his government.

However, the facts are clear. This Prime Minister is still under investigation for his trip to the Aga Khan's private island. The Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner has identified one, two, three, four ministers who are using the loophole in the Conflict of Interest Act.

The commissioner is also concerned about the role the minister played in Bill C-27. This government said that it would live up to the highest ethical standards.

Why then can the government not even enforce the bare minimum?