Tracey Ramsey

[Business of Supply, March 21st, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, as we are approaching budget 2017, it is clear that the Liberals are looking for a way to create some type of revenue. The NDP has provided them with a wonderful way to create some revenue in our country, which is to close the tax loopholes and eliminate the tax havens. That would bring money back into Canada that could support the system.

The Liberals have some out-of-control spending for which they will need to be accountable to Canadians and to people in their ridings. I am deeply concerned that what we will see is a privatization of our airports and ports. This will end up costing all Canadians more money when they travel and could cause potentially dangerous health and safety issues as well as issues at the airport.

Privatizing our public services is not the way to go. Our public airports currently send $1 billion back to Ottawa every year. We cannot recoup that cost if we sell them off. In Ontario we have a prime example of the mistakes that the Liberals have made around privatization. We just have to look at what is happening to the cost of hydro here in Ontario.

Can the member speak to the mandate that he feels that he and the Liberals have from Canadians to privatize public services in Canada?

[Softwood Lumber, March 20th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, while the Liberals claimed that Canada would not be the target of Trump's trade policies, it is now clear that the U.S. wants to get tough on softwood lumber. Last week, the U.S. trade representative nominee said that softwood lumber is at the top of his list and that the U.S. industry wants quotas on Canadian imports. Any new deal must allow small producers to export and provide flexibility for the provinces. Without a deal, Canada's softwood lumber sector is braced for punishing duties of 25% or more.

Will the Liberals support the sector with loan guarantees and assistance for workers and communities?

[International Trade, March 9th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are not delighted or reassured by the minister's talking points. The U.S. Secretary of Commerce said very clearly that Canadians know “times are different”, and that they know “they're going to have to make concessions”. Concessions? There is too much at stake for Canadian workers. The tone has changed from a tweak to a threatening big bazooka, and apparently the Prime Minister still has nothing to say.

Canadians need to know that their government is going to fight for their jobs. What is the government going to bring to the table during NAFTA renegotiations?

[International Trade, March 9th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, this week the United States signalled its priorities in regard to NAFTA. It has indicated its number one priority involves sourcing auto parts at home. This would have a huge impact on Canada's auto sector which is deeply integrated with its North American counterparts, and still the Liberal government remains silent on its NAFTA priorities.

Will the minister ensure that any NAFTA renegotiations will protect Canada's auto jobs and respect the sector's integrated nature?

[Business of Supply, March 9th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I have one simple question for my colleague. If Canadian troops are engaged in combat operations against the Islamic State fighters, how can the government justify taking away the combat tax benefit to our deployed troops?

[Business of Supply, March 9th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, my question is about Canadian troops who are engaged in combat operations against the Islamic State fighters. How can the government justify taking away the combat tax to benefit our deployed troops?

[National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians Act, March 8th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Victoria for his excellent work on this.

I want to go back to a moment in time when I was one of the new class of 2015. I remember having a new lunch for all the parliamentarians, 187 of us, which was a historic number. The new Prime Minister bounded into the room, took to the stage and gave us a wonderful, heartfelt speech about how he promised he would respect the autonomy of committees. He promised that he would respect parliamentarians and the hard work they did in committees and that he would ensure that work was reflected in the House of Commons.

Here we find ourselves today, 16 months away from that very optimistic promise of the Prime Minister. That promise is being broken, yet again, by the government, by the Liberals. Therefore, we have a deep slide backward on the work of committees, and the government is ignoring the hard work and recommendations of the committee members from all sides of the House.

Could the member for Victoria speak to the impact on the committee of not having adequate access to information for the important work this committee will be tasked to do?

[Canada Revenue Agency, March 8th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, once again, no answer from the Prime Minister.

Let us try this again. The Canadian government is missing out on $9 billion in lost tax revenue every single year. Imagine what the government could properly fund with that money. We heard from women this morning about their priorities, pharmacare, child care. These could be realities, and all because the richest would simply be forced to pay their fair share.

I have two very clear questions for the Prime Minister. Will he vote in favour of the NDP motion on tax fairness? Will the Prime Minister end all penalty-free amnesty deals for tax evaders?

[Business of Supply, March 7th, 2017]

Madam Speaker, absolutely, the Liberals are bowing to pressure. I am an auto worker. In my riding of Essex, I do not know anyone who is offered these corporate tax options, such as stock options. Average Canadians do not have stock options attached to their jobs. We are not saying no one should have them. We are saying if people do have them, they should pay their fair share of taxes on them, not the 50% cut that the Liberals are letting their friends have.

[Business of Supply, March 7th, 2017]

Madam Speaker, something really shocking is happening on the other side of the House, and it was referenced. Not only are the Liberals not following through with campaign promises, they are not pushing hard enough as other progressive parties in the House would like to see happen. However, what is really concerning is the pressure they are receiving. Under access to information, we know the Minister of Finance, in some communications between CEOs and himself, was being pressured, in advance of the 2016 budget, to backtrack on the Liberal promise to close the stock option loophole. Now it is clear that the minister has succumbed to pressure.

The Liberals continue to succumb to the pressure of those corporate elites, and they are not listening to Canadians across the country.