Jennifer O'Connell

[Committees of the House, November 27th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 20th report of the Standing Committee on Finance in relation to the supplementary estimates (B), 2017-18.

[Youth Employment, November 23rd, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, last weekend I visited the Family Worship Centre in Pickering to announce that our government will be supporting their efforts to assist at-risk youth in our community through the skills link program. Through the leadership of Bishop Joseph Fisher, the Family Worship Centre has spent over a decade supporting young people in my community.

The Family Worship Centre's programs in my riding will help 30 at-risk but ambitious young people successfully navigate the job market, including pursuing entrepreneurship. As a key part of our youth employment strategy, the skills link program is helping young Canadians overcome barriers to employment. Most importantly, it is helping to break the damaging cycle of no experience, no job, and no job because of no experience.

Together we can ensure that all young Canadians, no matter their ethnicity or family income, have the opportunity to succeed and reach their full potential.

[Remembrance Day, October 25th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, on October 10, I attended a poppy pinning ceremony at Pickering City Hall organized by the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 606, to officially kick off the 2017 poppy campaign. Beginning on October 27, I encourage all Canadians to purchase and wear a poppy with pride to honour our fallen heroes.

Throughout the next few weeks, there will be several events across my community honouring the sacrifices of the brave men and women who have served our country. Wearing a poppy is a powerful reminder of the bravery and valour that Canadian soldiers have displayed, and continue to display, in service to our country.

In the lead-up to Remembrance Day ceremonies, I want to recognize the legions in my community, Branch 606, Branch 483 in Claremont, and Branch 170 in Uxbridge, for all the work they do on Remembrance Day, and, indeed, every day to honour and remember the fallen and support the military families.

[Business of Supply, October 23rd, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I did not quite hear a question in that statement, but I find it a little offensive to suggest that the government has asked young members to speak on behalf of the Minister of Finance. I was duly elected by the voters of Pickering—Uxbridge. I will stand in the House to speak on issues that are important to them. I am not forced to go out by anyone in the government. I am here to represent my community.

I will continue to fight and speak up on the fact that the Minister of Finance followed the rules and recommendations by the Ethics Commissioner, went above and beyond that, and continues the good work to help people in Pickering—Uxbridge and across the country. We have seen the results, with the impressive economic numbers that have been released over the last number of months.

[Business of Supply, October 23rd, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, what I cannot ignore is the irony by the members opposite. I spoke at the onset about the fact that the Minister of Finance followed the rules by the Ethics Commissioner. On top of that, he is going above and beyond her recommendations to ensure Canadians can have trust in their Minister of Finance.

What is ironic, coming from the members opposite, is that the rules were put in place by the previous government and they were followed by the Minister of Finance.

Let me remind them that former employment minister Jason Kenney was fined by the Ethics Commissioner for breaking the rules and for not disclosing stocks that were traded. Former minister Peter MacKay was fined twice. In this instance, I have a lot of faith and trust in our government for not only following the rules, but for going above and beyond the recommendations and not acting like the previous government where members were fined on multiple occasions.

[Business of Supply, October 23rd, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, perhaps the hon. member missed the opening remarks of my speech when I spoke about the motion.

I will continue with the important work our government is doing in ensuring our system is fair and that personal income taxes are not being unfairly used to simply lower a family member's tax for people who do not work in the business.

The vast majority of private corporations will not be impacted by this proposed income sprinkling measure. Only an estimated 50,000 family-owned private businesses are sprinkling income. This represents only a small fraction, around 3%, of Canadian controlled private corporations.

In addition, the government announced it would not be moving forward with proposed measures to limit access to lifetime capital gains exemption or with measures relating to the conversion of income into capital gains.

During the consultation period, our government heard from business owners, including many farmers and fishers, that the measures could result in several unintended consequences, such as taxation upon death and potential challenges with intergenerational transfers of businesses.

In the coming year, our government will continue its outreach to farmers, fishers, and other business owners to develop proposals to better accommodate intergenerational transfers of businesses, while protecting the fairness of our tax system.

As we continue to make progress, we will also continue to carefully consider the submissions the government has received.

As I conclude my remarks, I want to reassure my hon. colleagues that our government's plan to grow and strengthen the middle class is working. Job creation has been robust since we came into power, with 400,000 jobs created. In fact, over the last 12 months, nearly 90% of the jobs created were full-time positions. In the second quarter of this year, the economy grew by an impressively strong 4.5%.

Over the last four quarters, our economy has had its fastest growth since early 2006. The fact is that the Canadian economy is the fastest growing economy in the G7. This is news of which Canadians can be proud.

The Government of Canada continues to work to create a healthy and growing economy in which businesses generate well-paying jobs and where the middle class and those working hard to join it have confidence that they can succeed.

[Business of Supply, October 23rd, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak to the motion and to update this House on our work and the progress we have made in delivering on our promise to build a stronger middle class. As with all members of Parliament, the Minister of Finance worked closely with the Ethics Commissioner when taking office. As we all know, the Ethics Commissioner is tasked with preventing conflicts between private interests and the public duties of all 338 members of the House of Commons.

Last week, the Minister of Finance announced that he was going above and beyond the Ethics Commissioner's recommendations by establishing a blind trust for all assets held by him and his family. These steps are being taken by the minister so he can maintain the public's trust and so there are no distractions from his important work to strengthen and grow the middle class.

From the moment we took office, we have implemented changes that will benefit middle-class Canadians. One of the government's first actions was to cut taxes for the middle class and to raise taxes on the wealthiest 1% of Canadians. This middle-class tax cut has benefitted and will continue to benefit nine million Canadians.

We also brought in the new Canada child benefit, which has lifted hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty. As a result of the CCB, nine out of 10 Canadian families are receiving more in benefits than they did under the previous system. With the CCB, we have ensured that child benefits are more generous and that those benefits are better targeted to those who need them most. According to economists and the Governor of the Bank of Canada, the CCB has directly contributed to increased household consumption and effectively stimulated our economy.

Our government also expanded the Canada pension plan to ensure that Canadians have security after a lifetime of hard work. The strengthened CPP will provide more money to Canadians when they retire so they can worry less about their savings and focus more on enjoying time with their families.

As everyone can see from our actions, the principle of fairness is embedded in our efforts to strengthen and maintain Canada's middle class. It is clear to us that when we have an economy that works for the middle class we have a country that works for everyone.

Now, let us talk about small business. We all know that small businesses are the backbone of our economy. Small businesses are a key driver of Canada's economy, accounting for 98% of all businesses and more than 70% of all private sector jobs. In recognition of how critical small businesses are to Canada's economy, the government is taking action to help them grow, invest, and create well-paying jobs. Our recent announcements regarding small businesses will continue that work.

Last week, the Prime Minister announced the government's intention to lower the small business tax rate to 10% in 2018 and then to 9% in 2019. As a result, the combined federal, provincial, and territorial average tax rate on small businesses would go from 12.9% from 14.4%, by far the lowest in the G7, and fourth lowest among OECD countries. This lower rate will mean small businesses can retain more of their earnings to reinvest in and grow their businesses while supporting the creation of jobs.

The Prime Minister also announced the government's intention to move forward on proposals to fix a tax system that is inherently unfair to the middle class. Right now, the fact remains that we have a tax system that encourages wealthy individuals to incorporate. It leads to a situation wherein someone making $300,000 can save as much in tax as the average Canadian earns in a year. That is not fair and our government is determined to fix it.

We have listened to small business owners, professionals, farmers, and fishers during the consultation and are acting on what we have heard to avoid unintended consequences. That is precisely why we are moving forward with a simplified proposal to limit the ability of a small number of high-income owners of private corporations to lower their personal income taxes by sprinkling their income among their family—

[Status of Women, September 28th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, this year we celebrate the 150th anniversary of Confederation and we can reflect on our legacy for the future. Despite the important milestones witnessed in these 150 years, women, girls, and gender-non-confirming people still face hardships. There is more work remaining for gender equality to become a reality in Canada.

Can the Minister of Status of Women update this House on how our government is contributing to the overall goal of building a strong and independent women's movement?

[Canada 150, June 20th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, as Canada Day approaches, this historic year has been an opportunity for us all to reflect on the treasures at home.

To gain an even deeper understanding of Canada, the member for Malpeque and I have decided to do a riding-exchange visit. First we thought we would name it “city dreamer meets country mouse”, but we settled on “like an islander in the city.” We will host each other in our respective urban and rural ridings, visit local treasures, sample local fare, and learn more about our respective regions' specific, unique contribution to Canada. I have been told I will learn all about “aggiculture” from my favourite Malpequer. As a new member and as a long-serving member, we each look forward to showcasing what makes our communities so special.

This historic year, let us appreciate the treasures at home and the role diversity has played in strengthening and enriching our Canadian identity.

Here is to Canada 150.

[Amendments to Standing Orders, June 20th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, in the last election, when knocking on doors, I heard a lot from residents concerned with the previous Harper government's use of omnibus legislation and the abuse by the government previously in ramming through legislation.

This was one of the election commitments in my riding and those of all members on this side of the House. This is in direct response to that commitment that we made.

Does the hon. member feel that the abuse of omnibus legislation that the Harper government used should just continue?