Economic Action Plan 2014 Act, No. 1  Mr. Speaker, at the finance committee, of which we are both members, an official from the Department of Finance confirmed that one million people in Canada, so-called dual citizens, would be affected by FATCA and the government's implementation of that. At the finance committee, the New Democrats moved two important amendments, one that would confirm that this bill would not override the Privacy Act and the charter and another requiring notice before personal financial information would be sent to the U.S.

Economic Action Plan 2014 Act, No. 1  Mr. Speaker, my hon. friend was there at the committee stage. Why does she think the government would not accept an amendment that would say, for greater certainty, that the provisions would comply with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Privacy Act, and it would not accept the need for notice of Canadians before their information was released?

Economic Action Plan 2014 Act, No. 1  Mr. Speaker, my friend is absolutely right. Mr. Flaherty spoke up compassionately against these accidental Americans who would be caught in what I call the FATCA web. There are a million of them and the government is standing by and waiting for an inevitable lawsuit because it did not stand up for our sovereignty when this was before us initially.

Economic Action Plan 2014 Act, No. 1  Mr. Speaker, I would like to salute and thank my neighbour and friend from Saanich—Gulf Islands for her intervention and her wisdom in pointing out the FATCA provisions in the bill. We already know those provisions will go to the Supreme Court of Canada. We already know the Conservatives have received legal advice and are moving in that direction.

Economic Action Plan 2014 Act, No. 1  moved: Motion No. 1 That Bill C-31 be amended by deleting the short title. Motion No. 2 That Bill C-31 be amended by deleting Clause 24. Motion No. 3 That Bill C-31 be amended by deleting Clause 25. Motion No. 4 That Bill C-31 be amended by deleting Clause 27.

Economic Action Plan 2014 Act, No. 1  moved: Motion No. 8 That Bill C-31 be amended by deleting Clause 50. Motion No. 9 That Bill C-31 be amended by deleting Clause 75. Motion No. 10 That Bill C-31 be amended by deleting Clause 99. Motion No. 11 That Bill C-31 be amended by deleting Clause 100.

The Environment  Mr. Speaker, Canada could be leading the fight against climate change, but instead we have become an international embarrassment. Beyond just muzzling our scientists, last week it was revealed that the government was even muzzling weather forecasters at Environment Canada by not allowing them to discuss climate change in public.

Canada-Honduras Economic Growth and Prosperity Act  Mr. Speaker, I listened with interest to my hon. friend from Winnipeg North. I would like to ask the member if there are any countries in the world whose specific records on the environment, labour rights, or human rights would prevent the Liberal Party from voting in favour of a trade deal.

Privacy  Mr. Speaker, there is no clearer example of Conservative disregard for the privacy rights of Canadians than their rush to hand over personal financial information to the American IRS under FATCA. Last night, Conservatives even voted against an NDP amendment that would ensure compliance with the Charter of Rights and with the Privacy Act.

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives do not understand their own budget bill, which does not surprise me since so little has to do with the budget. For example, the evidence is piling up that the implementation by the Conservatives of FATCA will harm up to one million Canadians. Yesterday the Privacy Commissioner of Canada testified that other clauses to allow CRA bureaucrats to hand over our personal tax information to the police, without warrant, violate privacy law and the charter.

Business of Supply  Mr. Chair, according to that bank report, well known and well publicized, 5.8 million Canadians, nearly a third of our workforce, are facing a steep decline in the standard of living on their retirement. My next question is this. Did the Department of Finance tell the minister of state this in a report it wrote?

Business of Supply  Mr. Chair, the Department of Finance said exactly that: “In the long run, expanding the CPP would bring economic benefits”, and the like. Anyway, that is the finance department. How many Canadian citizens will be affected by the intergovernmental agreement contained in the current budget implementation act?

Business of Supply  Mr. Chair, according to Mr. Ernewein at the finance committee, there were one million people affected, and it is not just dual citizens. He was reporting that there were one million people affected by this and it is not just dual citizens; it is people who are living with or married to dual citizens as well.

Business of Supply  It was 30 days.

Business of Supply  Mr. Chair, are there any formal obligations under the intergovernmental agreement for the government or the banks to notify Canadians when their personal information gets transferred to the IRS via the CRA?