Jennifer O'Connell

[Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 1, May 9th, 2016]

Madam Speaker, very clearly, I am proud of my government. In fact, we were elected in October to deliver legislation. If my hon. colleagues wish to hold up the government and make every effort to not work with us when it comes to the appropriate amount of time for debate, at the end of the day, we were elected to bring forward legislation, and that is exactly what we intend to do.

[Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 1, May 9th, 2016]

Madam Speaker, if members are interested in the answer I am providing it.

Our minister has been clear that she is working with the provinces to uphold the health accord and make improvements. Our government is committed to that. It is important to all Canadians.

Unlike the previous government, we do not impose our will on other jurisdictions. We work with people.

[Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 1, May 9th, 2016]

Madam Speaker, this government is doing things differently than the previous government in that we work with the provinces and we respect their jurisdiction.

Our minister has been clear—

[Budget Implementation Act, 2016, No. 1, May 9th, 2016]

Madam Speaker, let me also offer, as my colleagues have, my thoughts and prayers for the residents and community of Fort McMurray, Alberta.

It is an honour to rise in this House today to speak on our government's first budget bill, Bill C-15, on behalf of my community of Pickering Uxbridge.

I am very proud to support budget 2016, because this is a budget that is making investments in Canada and Canadians. The investments outlined in budget 2016 focus on growing the economy and ensuring that we are making decisions that not only help Canadians in the short and medium term, but with a focus on also securing long-term growth for future generations.

After 10 years of working on budgets at the municipal level, I can proudly say that, not only is this a budget for middle class and working Canadians, it is a budget that finally provides support for cities and towns across the country.

Our immediate infrastructure investment of $11.9 billion will build roads, improve waste water facilities, and ensure that municipalities are ready to withstand the new challenges that climate change present. These investments will create tens of thousands of jobs, boost the economy, and send a strong message to municipalities that after a decade of having their issues and priorities ignored, they have a strong partner in this federal government.

Budget 2016 delivers on so many areas that will help our communities and residents. As a community with a high number of young families, the new Canada child benefit will help thousands of my constituents back home, and millions of Canadians across the country, with the high and rising costs of raising a family. The CCB will provide more money. It is tax-free and income-based. This is important because it means more money for families that really need the help.

Budget 2016 will also invest in social infrastructure projects, which include child care centres that will improve access to high-quality child care spaces for Canadians. In my region, this investment is critical, as we have thousands of residents on waiting lists for child care. Investments in this type of infrastructure is long overdue.

Budget 2016 is also better at weaving rural Canada into our shared economy. Our government is making a $500-million investment to bring in high-speed Internet to rural communities like Uxbridge and north Pickering.

We know that in our ever globalized economy, reliable Internet service is critical to every business, and that includes farming. A broken piece of equipment, like an alternator or a propeller shaft, could shut down production and cause economic losses. However, with reliable, high-speed Internet access, those losses can be minimized, as acquiring that new part could be as easy as one click away.

A stable Internet connection is needed not only for businesses in our rural communities, but it is critical to our everyday lives, from paying bills online to students doing homework assignments, or someone applying for a new job. We often take for granted how much our daily lives rely on the Internet. For rural communities, this lack of a reliable connection can mean missed business opportunities or time away from family.

As a member of the Standing Committee on Finance, we heard testimony last week from representatives of KPMG, as well as Commissioner Treusch of the Canada Revenue Agency, in regard to the Isle of Man tax avoidance scheme. I am proud that budget 2016 is making a historic investment, of over $440 million, to the CRA to combat such tax evasion and avoidance schemes. Testimony last week in committee showed why that investment is so important.

During Mr. Treusch's testimony, while referring to the previous decade under the last government, he stated that “Obviously, we have come through a period of considerable fiscal restraint, but during that period, we redeployed as best we could”.

This period of considerable restraint is highlighted in a November 16, 2012 press release from the Treasury Board, which said that nearly 3,000 jobs were eliminated under the former government. In the 2013 budget, there was $259 million, over five years, of cuts from the CRA.

I am sure we have all heard the horror stories from constituents who needed some questions answered but had to wait months for a response. It is no wonder that the service levels suffered, with such massive cuts. This also affected the CRA's ability to go after tax avoidance schemes, like the Isle of Man program offered by KPMG.

In October 2010, an internal audit by Canada Revenue Agency expressed concerns that:

Cases that could potentially represent significant criminal non-compliance can be rejected by a specific TSO enforcement group because of limited resources.... ...offices are choosing smaller cases of a lower dollar value that do not necessarily represent the greatest risk.... This supports the observations by some program staff that offices are choosing smaller cases that represent “quick hits”.

I believe these budget pressures from the previous government led to an unfair enforcement system, where Canadians owing money who happened to be wealthy and could afford accountants and lawyers were less likely to be pursued than those Canadians who owed much smaller amounts but were viewed as easy to collect from because they could not hire lawyers or professionals to work on their behalf with CRA. I think we can all agree on both sides of this House that every Canadian needs to pay his or her fair share in taxes, and that the choices CRA makes in enforcing these collections should not be determined by who can pay the litigator. However, the CRA can only operate in a fair manner if it has the tools and resources to do so. This is why I fully support the investment in budget 2016 that would provide these tools and resources to the CRA.

Speaking about this investment, Commissioner Treusch stated:

The new budget gives us an enormous reinvestment that will be a return for the Crown and will...move us forward in addressing the concern that I know Canadians have...

After all, the unpaid taxes that are owed are a loss to all Canadians, as it means lost revenue to invest in things that would strengthen our economy, like infrastructure and transit improvements, as well as innovative health care research.

Budget 2016 would also ensure that seniors are able to retire with financial security. This includes providing increased benefits that would allow more seniors in Pickering and Uxbridge to have a dignified, comfortable, and secure retirement. This budget would follow through on a number of commitments we made to seniors during the last election. We promised to roll back the age at which seniors can access their OAS and GIS from 67 to 65, and we have delivered on that pledge. Our government also recognized the importance of ensuring seniors have access to high-quality affordable housing. That is why we would boost funds for construction, repair, and adaptation of affordable housing for seniors across the country. Canadians work hard their entire lives with the expectation that they will retire in comfort and security. I am proud to say that budget 2016 would make that goal a reality for thousands more seniors.

Although my riding of Pickering—Uxbridge does not have a large indigenous population, the investments in budget 2016 regarding this issue are important to all communities. We are all aware of the living conditions some of our indigenous populations face, and it is outrageous that some communities do not have access to clean drinking water. I am proud that this budget would invest $2.2 billion in clean-water infrastructure to finally end on-reserve boil-water advisories. This is on top of other investments, including $2.6 billion that would boost first nations K-12 education, and $40 million to ensure that an inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women and children is as comprehensive and thorough as possible.

I recognize that this budget would not fix all the wrongs of the past, but as a parliamentarian and as a Canadian, I am proud that we have a Prime Minister who is deeply committed to ensuring a better future for indigenous peoples and fostering better relationships, nation to nation. To be part of a government focused on bettering the lives of our indigenous populations is extremely meaningful to me. Budget 2016 and, by extension, Bill C-15 would fulfill the commitments we made to Canadians. This is why I am so proud to rise today in this House on behalf of my constituents to lend it my support.

[The Budget, April 12th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague mentioned that the budget is producing tax increases. Perhaps the hon. member has not actually seen the budget or reviewed it. There are actually $3.4 billion in tax reductions for nine million Canadians in the budget.

The Conservative Party does not support our reduction of the TFSA limits. There were only approximately two million Canadians who actually maximized those contributions, yet that program would cost over $210 million, and those who maximized their TFSAs were actually the highest-earning income earners in this country.

Is that prudent governance? Is it prudent governance to provide a costly program to a comparatively small number of Canadians, a program that actually does not help the majority of Canadians, the middle class, specifically?

[Petitions, March 21st, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to table a petition in this House from Land Over Landings, an organization in my constituency. For decades, Land Over Landings has advocated that the federal lands in Pickering be used for natural and agricultural purposes. The lands, which encompass class 1 greenbelt farmland, has the potential to become a major food source for the GTA and the province of Ontario.

I am proud to support Land Over Landings in these efforts, and I look forward to continuing to bring forward these issues in this House.

[Heart Disease and Stroke, March 11th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, as many of my hon. colleagues know, the Heart and Stroke Foundation was on the Hill Tuesday to talk to MPs about how we can better protect ourselves and our loved ones from heart disease and stroke. These conditions can be devastating not only to individuals but to their families.

Heart disease and stroke is the number one killer of women globally. In Canada, stroke kills 26% more women than men. There continues to be a troubling lack of awareness among Canadian women of the symptoms and risk factors that can differ from men. Furthermore, nine in ten Canadian women have at least one significant risk factor for heart disease and stroke.

We all must commit to discussing the importance of healthy living so that we can make a real difference for all Canadians.

[Dunbarton High School, February 25th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, this week we learned of a stabbing incident in Pickering at Dunbarton High School. As a graduate of Dunbarton, I extended my heartfelt concern for the students, teachers, and community. A 14-year-old girl came to school with knives and injured students and teachers. Thankfully, no one was fatally injured.

The incident could have been far worse if not for the bravery and quick action of the students and teachers. I would like to thank these brave individuals for their quick thinking during what must have been a very terrifying event. I also want to thank the first responders, who were there very quickly and acted professionally. I am extremely proud of the way everyone involved has reacted to such an unnerving event.

My thoughts are with the victims. I know I speak for everyone in this House when I wish them a full and speedy recovery.

[Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply, January 26th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, I began my career in politics by volunteering for the hon. member one day. I had no idea it would lead to this.

I appreciate very much the question and the member's guidance and mentorship throughout the years. I hope I can do it justice as I now represent a piece of the riding he used to represent, which was then Ajax—Pickering.

The question of funding for municipalities and priorities is something that is critically important to me, and was a major factor in my stepping forward during the last election. It is not up to the federal government to determine the best of local priorities for municipalities. It is for us as a government to support municipalities to put forward the projects that will best suit them.

I know that in the region of Durham, transit, for example, is a major priority. How can the federal government honestly start creating transit lines from the national level? It should be supporting local priorities. That is the best way to do it. The most cost-effective way to do it is to provide stable funding so that we can ensure that municipalities have the money they need when the projects are ready—something similar to the federal gas tax funding and how it flows. That has been a successful program, something I heard through budget consultations with my municipalities, which would welcome and support it.

[Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply, January 26th, 2016]

Mr. Speaker, in fact, we certainly agree that the way applications for projects were done and the way funding was distributed by the previous government to municipalities have to change.

Applications themselves do not work. They cost municipalities more money, because they create an influx of tender processes and timing differences. Each province across this country deals with its budget at a different time. In fact, this makes it very hard for municipalities to borrow money for projects when they need to.

I am proud to come from a region where we had a AAA credit rating because of our long-term planning, but this is not always the case.

I am looking forward to, and hope we have support from across the aisle, stable funding and getting away from the application-based projects so that municipalities can plan and budget, like the rest of us do in our own homes.