Linda Lapointe

[Business of Supply, March 21st, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to take part in today's debate, which has been very lively.

I am pleased to have the opportunity to talk about our efforts to ensure that Canadian seniors enjoy a good quality of life. I am also pleased to note that my colleagues in the opposition do not want any burden to be placed on our seniors. I agree with them wholeheartedly.

During the last campaign and every time I go out and about in my riding, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, I speak with seniors about their ambitions and their vast knowledge, which they so enjoy passing on. I believe that including our seniors is crucial to the well-being of Quebec and Canadian society.

As everyone knows, our government is doing everything it can to allow all Canadians, including seniors, to participate fully in society and in the economy.

Currently one in seven Canadians is over the age of 65. In 2030, which is soon, it is estimated that there will be 9.5 million seniors in Canada and that they will make up nearly one-quarter of the Canadian population. In 2030, I will be one of those seniors.

Seniors are among the most important members of our society. As we all know, they are very much engaged in their families and contribute actively to their communities and our economy. That said, seniors, particularly those with low incomes, are also among the most vulnerable members of our society.

We are proud to say that Canada is one of the countries with the lowest low-income rate for seniors. Indeed, the most recent data indicate that in 2014, only 3.9% of them were considered low-income. However, Statistics Canada tells us that some 212,000 seniors are still living below the poverty line. These important Canadians are struggling to make ends meet at a point in their lives when most of them can no longer work. I think we all need to agree that no one should have to grow old in poverty or in isolation. I cannot emphasize strongly enough the importance of this issue for our government.

Our government believes that all Canadians deserve to retire with respect and dignity. They should also have some peace of mind knowing that the government will help them make ends meet. We are talking about Canadians who worked hard their entire lives and who contributed their fair share to the tax system. When they retire, it is up to us to give them the support they need in recognition of their contribution to Canadian society during their years of work. Budget 2016 included important measures that sought to do just that.

The previous government pushed back the age of eligibility for old age security and the guaranteed income supplement from 65 to 67. One of the first things we did was to correct that situation and bring the eligibility age back to 65 for old age security and the guaranteed income supplement.

We believe that someone who works their entire life and contributes to our economy and our society deserves a secure and dignified retirement. Seniors do not deserve to be told to keep working for two more years to qualify for their pension. Every Canadian should have the chance to live without worrying that they will not be able to make ends meet.

That is why we increased the guaranteed income supplement by 10% for low-income seniors living alone, which was very well received in Rivière-des-Mille-Îles. As we know, the guaranteed income supplement is an important tool for reducing poverty among seniors. It will give one million of our most vulnerable seniors almost $1,000 every year. We believe that this measure will lift 13,000 of the most vulnerable Canadians out of poverty.

I would like to remind the House that pensioners and seniors are also fathers, mothers, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, grandparents, friends, and neighbours. No one wants their friends or family members to suffer and clearly no one wants to find themselves in a difficult situation in the future.

That is why we are also going to ensure that the old age security program will continue to provide adequate support for the most vulnerable seniors by indexing it to the cost of living. This was raised by groups in my riding and several other Canada-wide associations.

We will index the old age security and the guaranteed income supplement benefits to reflect the increase in the cost of living that seniors face. With respect to income security, our government is currently working to strengthen the Canada pension plan. I would like to assure the House that we will work with our provincial and territorial counterparts and that we will also honour the close relationship between this plan and the Quebec pension plan.

I am proud to say that we have kept our promises to seniors. Other key initiatives, such as the Canadian poverty reduction strategy, will also have a big impact. Last year's budget also included an investment of more than $200 million over two years in support of the construction, repair, and adaptation of affordable housing for seniors.

However, financial security is not the only measure of a happy life. We all hope to continue to be active and to contribute to our family life and to our community as we age. One way to succeed is through the new horizons for seniors program, which supports projects led or inspired by seniors who make a difference in the lives of others in their communities.

Not only do these projects promote volunteerism, which seniors in Rivière-des-Mille-Îles are quite involved in by the way, and mentoring among seniors, but they also help many seniors stay active and engaged as well as keeping them from the dangers of social isolation. To date, 7,000 projects across the country have been approved, and six were approved in my riding since I took office.

As well, in recent weeks, I announced two grants under this program in Deux-Montagnes to support two projects created by and for seniors. I can tell the House that our seniors are motivated to help their neighbours and to make our communities better places to live.

All this clearly demonstrates our commitment to seniors. I am proud to say that the important work we are doing for Canadian seniors will continue after the budget is announced tomorrow. Our government is taking important and decisive action to provide seniors with the support they deserve. We will continue to do so in the coming year.

[Status of Women, March 8th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, on March 2, the Minister of International Development and La Francophonie said, “Sexual and reproductive health and rights are human rights. All women have the right to choose whether and when they want to have children, and how many.”

Since today is the 40th International Women's Day, can the minister tell the House about the commitment the government made today to promote gender equality and advance an international feminist agenda?

[International Women's Day, March 7th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, on this day before International Women's Day, words cannot reflect the immense gratitude I feel for the women who have come before me. It is thanks to the encouragement, open-mindedness and precious advice of my mother and grandmother that I can be who I am today.

I would also like to pay tribute to my father and thank him. I worked with him for several years. My parents have always wished for my success by teaching me the workings of life, without discrimination. Women's Day is certainly a day to appreciate the progress made towards gender equality, but it is also a day to reflect on the road that our society still has to travel.

Let us remain vigilant, and denounce intolerance, sexism and injustice. Together, we must allow all the talents of our society, regardless of gender, origin, culture and religion, to continue to build our great country.

[Business of Supply, March 7th, 2017]

Madam Speaker, you spoke of tax measures. In our budget 2016, income tax rates fell from 22% to 20.5%, while the rate for people with an annual income of $200,000 or more rose to 33%.

You spoke of supplementary expenditures in the ridings. As I mentioned in my speech, in my riding there are 10,300 families, including 18,870 children, who will benefit from this. That is equivalent to an average of $530.

For these reasons, I believe we are managing public finances very well, and I am sure that you are very eager to see our budget 2017.

[Business of Supply, March 7th, 2017]

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question.

At the international level, it is a very lengthy process. We have taken coordinated measures with some partners, such as implementing improved disclosure standards that are approved by the G20 leaders, standards they will help us put an end to the loopholes; signing tax treaties with other administrations, thereby helping to provide information to deal harshly with persons all over the world who commit tax fraud; and honouring our international obligations to implement common standards for disclosure and reporting on the erosion of the tax base and the transfer of profits.

[Business of Supply, March 7th, 2017]

Madam Speaker, I thank my dear colleague for his question.

I will leave it to the Minister of Finance to decide what he will do with the $200 million per year in the next budget. As for what the hon. member just asked me, I will say that we have taken some vigorous measures on tax avoidance, both in Canada and overseas.

[Business of Supply, March 7th, 2017]

Madam Speaker, I would first like to say that when the economy is working for the middle class, the country is working for all Canadians.

Since our government came to power, we have tried to restore the confidence and optimism of Canada’s middle class and help people seeking to join it. That is the case in Rivière-des-Mille-Îles and it is the case everywhere in Canada, and we continue to be determined to do even more.

One of the first things done by our government was to reduce taxes for the middle class. We have reduced the federal income tax rate to 20.5% from 22%, for 2016 and the years after that. This tax reduction is already benefiting nearly nine million Canadians. Individuals without spouses who benefit from this will see their tax burden lightened by an average of $330 each year, and couples who benefit will have their burden lightened by an average of $540 each year. That means that these people will have more money in their pockets, and that will result in a stronger middle class.

To help finance this tax reduction for the middle class, the government raised taxes for the wealthiest Canadians by introducing a new personal income tax rate of 33% for individuals with taxable income in excess of $200,000 per year.

Our government then implemented one of the most important social policy innovations in a generation: the new Canada child benefit, which is helping 10,300 families, with 18,870 children, in my riding. The benefit means that nine out of 10 families with children are receiving more money each month that they can spend on things ranging from school supplies to sports equipment

The families this measure helps have seen their child benefits rise by nearly $2,300 per year, for the 2016-2017 benefits. For myself, my constituents in Rivière-des-Mille-Îles receive about $530 per month. Some of the constituents I meet tell me how important the Canada child benefit is for them and for their children’s welfare.

Our government is also taking important steps to ensure that young Canadians today will be able to enjoy a more secure and dignified retirement in the future. Only last week, we completed the final stage in the implementation of improvements to the Canada pension plan. This set of measures will help to strengthen the middle class and move middle-class Canadians forward.

I would now like to address the issue raised by today's motion, which is ensuring the fairness of Canada's tax system. The underground economy, tax evasion, and aggressive tax planning stand in the way of tax fairness, and too often it is hard-working middle-class Canadians who foot the bill for the selfishness of individuals and businesses looking to gain an unfair advantage.

Let us be clear: that is totally unacceptable. That is why our government continues to take action to tackle tax evasion and combat aggressive tax avoidance. As part of its strategy to counter these practices, the government provides the Canada Revenue Agency with sufficient resources to implement and enforce tax laws.

For example, the 2016 budget included a commitment of $444.4 million to allow the Canada Revenue Agency to do even more to crack down on tax evasion and combat tax avoidance using various measures. These measures include hiring additional auditors and specialists, developing solid business intelligence infrastructure, intensifying audit activities, and improving the quality of investigative activities that target cases of criminal tax evasion.

The 2016 budget also allocated $351 million over five years to the Canada Revenue Agency to help increase its ability to recover outstanding tax debts, which will facilitate the collection of $7.4 billion in taxes payable to the government and to Canadians.

Furthermore, Canada's tax system requires constant adjustments in order to function as intended and help us achieve an economy that serves all of the people. That is why Canada is actively involved in coordinated multilateral activities at the international level to combat base erosion and profit shifting, namely international tax planning mechanisms used by multinationals to inappropriately reduce their taxes to a minimum.

In Canada, we are working to block the ability of wealthy individuals to use private companies to inappropriately reduce or defer their taxes. To address this concern, the 2016 budget contained measures to prevent business owners from taking advantage of the $500,000 small business deduction more than once by using complex corporate and partnership structures, and to eliminate loopholes that allow private companies to use a life insurance policy to distribute amounts tax-free which would otherwise be taxable.

The measures that I have mentioned today are by no means exhaustive. Nevertheless, they do provide a good indication of the attention the government is giving to combatting tax evasion and avoidance. Measures targeting people who engage in tax evasion are about fairness. By working to prevent tax evasion and eliminate tax loopholes, we will improve the integrity of the tax system and contribute to the sustainability of public finances at home and abroad.

I am firmly convinced that our plan is the one needed to enhance the integrity of the Canadian tax system.

[Tourism, February 23rd, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian tourism industry had its best year in 2016. In the past 10 years, almost 20 million international tourists have visited different regions of our country, including my beautiful riding of Rivière-des-Mille-Îles.

Our government realizes that tourism is an important economic engine. It supports more than 637,000 jobs, which represents almost 2% of Canada's GDP. It is the biggest employer of youth and also the sector with the most SMEs.

Through Destination Canada, our government has invested $50 million in the tourism industry in order to more strategically target international markets where we can improve our tourism performance.

Our connecting America program has been very successful. Last year it increased the number of U.S. visitors to Canada by 17%.

Given that we will be celebrating Canada's 150th, we hope that 2017 will be a record year.

[Regional Economic Development, February 9th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, Bell Helicopter Textron is a major employer in my riding and the Lower Laurentians region. Many of my constituents work for that company or are associated with Bell Helicopter suppliers.

I was especially happy to learn that last year Bell Helicopter renewed its commitment to remain in and continue contributing to Quebec and Canada.

Can the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development provide the House with an update on this important subject?

[Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement Implementation Act, February 3rd, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for sharing her constituents' concerns with me.

She talked about dairy products and feta cheeses. As a representative from Quebec on the Standing Committee on International Trade, I can tell her that Quebec is the largest producer of fine cheese in Canada and that we are very large consumers of it.

It is true that Europeans produce a lot of cheese and dairy products. However, Canadian companies are very competitive in terms of the quality and variety of their products. Of course an agreement as progressive as the one we are signing will raise some concerns. However, I maintain that this will help create jobs.

I have a hard time with the protectionist talk around the issue. Considering what is happening right now in Europe and the United States, we understand all the problems protectionism can cause. It is my sincere belief that opening the job market and signing the Canada-European Union comprehensive economic and trade agreement is the right thing to do. Of course this is something we consider when we sign a free trade agreement.