House of Commons photoWon her last election, in 2021, with 37% of the vote.
Grocery Industry December 7th, 2023
Mr. Speaker, we are monitoring the measures the grocers are taking to provide relief, including commitments to harmonize prices, freeze them, and give discounts on basic necessities.
We are also working on long-term solutions to improve competition in the grocery sector. Bill C‑56 will allow the Competition Bureau to hold grocers responsible and give priority to consumers' interests.
We are closely monitoring what the CEOs are doing.
Grocery Industry December 7th, 2023
Mr. Speaker, Bill C‑56 will enable us to further strengthen the Competition Bureau and put consumers' interests first. I hope our colleagues will support this bill, because it is important. It will help harmonize and freeze prices and bring down the prices of basic goods.
Questions on the Order Paper December 5th, 2023
Mr. Speaker, with respect to the above noted question, what follows is the response from the Canada Revenue Agency, CRA, as of October 16, 2023, the date of the question.
It is important to note that while the CRA strives to provide as fulsome a response as possible, the confidentiality provisions of the acts it administers prevent the CRA from commenting or disclosing taxpayer information.
The CRA has a range of tools to ensure compliance with tax laws and to maintain the integrity of Canada's self-assessment tax system. One of the tools the CRA sometimes uses to address non-compliance and verify reported income is the unnamed persons requirement, UPR. This type of requirement is authorized by the courts and enables the CRA to obtain information from an individual or a company about third parties, whether unnamed person or persons. Additional information on the UPR is provided in the responses below.
With regard to part (a), the CRA did not receive any directive from the Minister of National Revenue to seek information about Canadian businesses from independent online service providers.
Part (b) is not applicable. Please see part (c).
With regard to part (c), as noted in the preamble to this response, the CRA uses various tools to ensure compliance with tax laws and maintain the integrity of Canada's self-assessment tax system.
The CRA only seeks information from third parties in order to verify tax compliance when there is a need for that information in support of the CRA’s mandate. The UPR is one of the tools used to gather information in support of the CRA’s efforts to verify income reported by taxpayers and to ensure they have satisfied their filing obligations under the acts administered by the CRA.
With regard to part (d), the CRA collects information where it is lawful and directly related to compliance activities. Information collected through the UPR process is managed and protected according to the CRA’s standard practices to protect the privacy of personal information.
With regard to part (e), in its tracking system of privacy breaches, the CRA has no records that pertain to the CRA seeking sensitive information about Canadian businesses from independent online service providers without particular suspicion of non-compliance or confirmed tax obligations.
With regard to part (f), the Minister of National Revenue has not issued any directive to obtain over six years of personal information about Canadian businesses from independent online service providers.
With regard to parts (g) and (h), a UPR is a legal document issued by the CRA under subsection 231.2(3) of the Income Tax Act, ITA, requiring a person to provide information regarding a third party person or third party persons who is or are not identified in the authorization. In order to issue a UPR, the CRA must seek judicial authorization from the Federal Court of Canada, FC. The FC will only authorize a UPR if that person or group is ascertainable and the UPR is being issued to verify compliance by the person or persons in the group who have tax obligations under the acts administered by the CRA.
Legislation, such as the Privacy Act and section 241 of the Income Tax Act, governs how information collected through the UPR process is managed. CRA policies and standard practices also protect the privacy of personal information. The CRA collects information when it is lawful and directly related to compliance activities.
In particular, when the CRA collects information through a UPR, the CRA will use the information in accordance with the FC order that authorizes the issuance of the UPR, and in accordance with the relevant provisions of the ITA. The CRA generally uses the information obtained through the UPRs to identify taxpayers who may have failed to comply with their obligations under the ITA and other acts administered by the CRA.
Committees of the House December 1st, 2023
Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order.
I am tabling the government's responses to Questions Nos. 1814 to 1823.
Canada Revenue Agency December 1st, 2023
Madam Speaker, I can assure my colleagues that the decisions made at the Canada Revenue Agency are administrative decisions, and they are made following the same rules that apply to everyone.
Obviously, as everyone knows, I cannot comment on a specific case. I can guarantee that the CRA remains independent.
Carbon Pricing December 1st, 2023
Madam Speaker, there is something I do not understand about my Quebec colleague's intervention.
Whatever happens with this bill, it will have no impact on Quebec. In fact, it will actually put farmers in Quebec and British Columbia at a disadvantage because they will continue to have their price on pollution while the other provinces will not, to the same degree.
What my colleague from Beauce is doing is trying to put Quebec farmers at a disadvantage.
Small Business December 1st, 2023
Madam Speaker, let us be clear.
Plan A: the business owner has the money, repays the CEBA and gets some loan forgiveness.
Plan B: the business owner has the capacity to take out a loan, repays the CEBA and gets some loan forgiveness.
Plan C: the business owner does not have the capacity to take out a loan, stays with us for another three years and has to pay the minimum, which is 5% interest, or $250 a month at most.
That is not going to bankrupt anyone.
Criminal Code November 27th, 2023
Mr. Speaker, I wish to speak on a point of order.
Last Thursday, in my answer to a question from our colleague from Calgary Confederation, I told this House, “2.45 million people used their tax returns to indicate they wanted to be donors.” I want to offer a clarification by explaining that it is indeed 2.45 million people who indicated their interest in becoming organ donors by requesting additional information, which they can now do through their tax return, as per Bill C-210, in participating provinces.
I apologize if my answer caused any confusion.
Health November 23rd, 2023
Mr. Speaker, the member for Calgary Confederation has worked hard to help Canadians waiting for transplants. I was happy, along with members from all parties, to support his bill. It shows we can do great things when we work together.
The impact of this change is significant, and I am pleased to say it has been very successful already. The most recent numbers we have indicate that 2.45 million people used their tax returns to indicate they want to be donors. This is very promising.
Questions on the Order Paper November 20th, 2023
Mr. Speaker, what follows is the response from the Canadian Revenue Agency, or CRA, as of September 29, 2023, the date of the question.
The CRA’s collections reporting systems receive the amount of the remaining debt after instalment payments are applied during the assessment process. The collections reporting systems do not track installment payments in the manner requested in the above-noted question.
Therefore, as the CRA does not capture data in the manner requested, it is unable to respond.