House of Commons photoWon his last election, in 2011, with 56% of the vote.
Points of Order December 5th, 2007
Mr. Speaker, with respect, I do not have the faintest idea what my colleague is talking about. Members in the House who have known me as a member of the House since 2000 know I treat the House with respect. With respect to what she is alleging, I do not have the faintest idea what she is talking about.
Mr. Speaker, I just said so during my first response.
We respected all the laws in the past and we do so today.
And we will continue to do so in the future. We respect our laws governing election campaigns and we will continue to do so moving forward. The Liberals are trying to invent a fictitious scandal here in this House. This really is their imagination running wild. Our government respects our laws and will continue to respect them in the future.
Mr. Speaker, quite simply, we have complied and obeyed with all the campaign finance laws in the past. We do so today. We will continue to do so in the future.
My hon. colleague knows this very well. We did not engage in any campaign finance practices in which the Liberal Party itself did not engage in the past. They are entirely legal, entirely above board today and have been in the past. We will continue to obey the rules, regulations and laws in the future, and my hon. colleague knows this.
This question stems from a few weeks ago in the House. My hon. colleague and the Liberals were on a pretty aggressive streak of coming after the government on this alleged, non-existent wrongdoing on our government, which was entirely fabricated. The fact that the Liberals have entirely dropped it from their question period lineup is evidence that, frankly, there is no evidence of any wrongdoing.
We obey the law, always have, do today and we always will.
Mr. Speaker, I believe my colleague said he is referring to 16 problems in his riding. I would simply say to him that if he wants to talk about these individual cases and if he has specific concerns, he can talk about them with our government. He can come here and meet with the minister responsible and work on these individual problems in order to come up with solutions. If there are problems that should be looked at by our government, he can come talk to us about it in order to stop this from being a problem for other Canadians.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou for his question and the concerns he is presenting here in the House on behalf of his constituents.
Canada's income tax laws are based on the principle that each individual will calculate and remit the tax as they owe based on the income they received during the taxation year.
The Income Tax Act is very clear. It states that tips and gratuities are in fact income. If the employer does not record and report tip income on the taxpayer's T4 slip, the individual is responsible for keeping track of his or her income and remitting the taxes that are owed.
The Canada Revenue Agency provides information assistance through various channels such as the Internet, publication and by telephone to assist individuals in calculating their income for tax purposes.
Let me quote directly from the agency's publication on the topic of tips. It says:
If you do not get a T4 slip to show your income from tips, you are required to report all tips received in the course of your work and report the amount on line 104 of your return. It is your responsibility to keep track of all amounts received in the course of your employment.
When the taxpayer reports tips, gratuities or other occasional income, or should have reported tips but did not, the agency may ask for records or other reporting materials to determine whether the correct amounts have been reported. The CRA raises assessments on tips income based on the particulars of individual cases, the available information and in accordance with the provisions of the Income Tax Act.
As with any assessment, the taxpayer has a right to object and to have the assessment reviewed. They can present their case to the Tax Court of Canada and this can be done informally, without incurring any costs associated with acquiring legal counsel.
Agency officials administer tax laws for us and for the provincial and territorial legislatures. The government has confidence in the Canada Revenue Agency and its ability to effectively and efficiently serve Canadians.
There is not time now to even mention many complex programs and processes that the agency uses to administer our tax laws. I can assure all Canadians that the government continues to examine other ways to promote and encourage compliance with our existing tax laws.
Public Opinion Polls December 4th, 2007
As I said, Mr. Speaker, the information is already public. We tabled the report on Friday. The information is out there. That is how the member for Timmins—James Bay was allowed to ask this very question himself.
We were surprised by the amount of money that was spent on polling and focus groups, and our government is correcting the situation to look out for the best interests of taxpayers. This is something that I know is foreign to the New Democrats, but it is the raison d'être of the Conservative Party of Canada.
Public Opinion Polls December 4th, 2007
Mr. Speaker, my colleague can ask the question because our government has been upfront and accountable. We tabled the report last Friday, from which he is getting his information to ask this very question.
As I said on three occasions today alone, and I will answer the NDP as well, we were surprised by the amount of polling and focus groups that were commissioned by the departments, away from the political arms of the government. We are taking all the necessary steps to correct this in the future to safeguard taxpayer money. We are taking action.
Public opinion polls December 4th, 2007
Mr. Speaker, the report my colleague mentioned will be tabled very soon. I have already said twice—and I will say again—that it will be tabled before the House rises. I have already said that we will correct the existing problems and that we will do so in a way that respects all Canadian taxpayers.
Public opinion polls December 4th, 2007
Mr. Speaker, I have already answered that question. Perhaps my friend was not here in the House. We tabled that report last week, and I would like to clarify the facts. The polls and focus groups were requested by the departments, not by political staff. We are surprised at how much was spent on polling in the past. We are taking steps to correct this situation.
Public Opinion Polls December 4th, 2007
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the question from my colleague. The table that he references was tabled in the House last week.
I would like to be clear that the polls and focus groups that are referenced therein were requested by departments, not by political staff, but we are surprised by the amount of spending that took place and our government is taking all the necessary steps to correct the situation.