Finance committee  It dealt with the difficult circumstances that a minority party in government faces in trying to control committee proceedings. It was a handbook that led Leon Benoit, then chair of the international trade committee, to adjourn a proceeding—and Peter Julian may remember this—and storm out of the room. He threw his pen down and said, “Adjourned”, leaving the majority of the members, who had just voted to proceed, in something of a quandary.

Finance committee  The specific request is for the memos that went to cabinet on May 8 and May 22. Those are very specific requests, and the PCO has already indicated that they will be providing those to us, and we would appreciate having the co-operation of the PMO. We know that you have a background with both WE and its predecessor organization.

Finance committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. I've just confirmed with the NDP whip's office; there is no agreement on limiting a committee meeting like this one. So that's at least two parties that say there is no agreement around that. In fact, the whip's office has said, very clearly, that if the committee believes it should be extending its time, it's free to do so.

Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement Implementation Act  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her speech. The NDP negotiated an agreement, to take effect with CUSMA, to allow for greater transparency so that the general public can understand free trade agreements. This agreement was to ensure that people would be consulted before instead of after and that the government would make sure the public understands the economic impact of the negotiations before they even begin.

Finance committee  Yes, it provides the same kind of worry or concern that comes up when we talk about insider trading. Now, none of the testimony we've heard so far suggests that WE would in any way be keeping to privacy laws, accountability, or such things as bilingualism and all of the federal laws that govern what should actually be federal programs.

Government Business No. 8  Mr. Speaker, as the minister knows, I am a former teacher, so I would like to give him my grades on this economic and fiscal snapshot. First, he gets an A for accessibility. There is no doubt that the finance minister, though he is working very hard, has been accessible to finance critics and to the finance committee every week.

Finance committee  It's a free country.

Finance committee  I gather that means the CERB will continue, and I certainly hope that people with disabilities will receive their long-promised commitment for additional supports, but that contrasts with what we've learned over the last few days on this government's support for the banking sector.

Finance committee  I guess that's my point. The big banks have announced $5 billion in profits so far during this pandemic. They've been showered with various levels of support. Putting aside the EDC, the OSFI estimates it is $750 billion in liquidity supports to date. If there is no cap on interest rates, the government is socializing all of the risk but the banks are privatizing all of the profit.

Finance committee  Do you worry that because of the time we're in...? For example, you heard from Mr. Julian, who was talking about basically moving away from trade and focusing entirely on the domestic, on generating a domestic supply for some of these things, whether it's PPE or other vital necessities.

Industry committee  Thank you, Madam Chair and honourable members of the committee, for inviting me to speak today. My comments are personal and do not necessarily reflect the views of my firm or clients. I've been advising clients on the Investment Canada Act for over 30 years. During that time, I've seen the structure of the act evolve.

COVID-19 Pandemic committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Canadians are suffering during this pandemic, but some very wealthy are profiting. During World War II, there were laws against profiteering, but this government seems to be providing incentives for profiteering. First, we talk about the corporate bailout program, LEEFF.

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns  With regard to the Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade’s trip to Davos for the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in January 2020: (a) who travelled with the minister, excluding security personnel and journalists, broken down by (i) name, (ii) title; (b) what was the total cost of the trip to taxpayers, and, if the final cost is not available, what is the best estimate of the cost of the trip to taxpayers; (c) what were the costs for (i) accommodation, (ii) food, (iii) anything else, including a description of each expense; (d) what are the details of all the meetings attended by the minister and those on the trip, including (i) the date, (ii) the summary or description, (iii) the participants, (iv) the topics discussed; and (e) did any advocates, consultant lobbyists or business representatives accompany the minister, and, if so, what are their names, and on behalf of which firms did they accompany the minister?

Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement Implementation Act  Mr. Speaker, I have enjoyed working with the member on a number of committees and always appreciate her input. She and a number of other colleagues have talked about the lack of transparency in the current process around trade. The NDP has negotiated an agreement moving forward, not impacting this agreement, where the government will henceforth be looking to transparency in negotiating trade agreements, consulting with people up front and, particularly important and something that Canada really has not done, putting in place the economic evaluations of what a trade agreement could mean.

Business of Supply  Madam Speaker, that is why I mentioned the University of Montreal. I urge my colleague to go and see for himself the long line of Quebeckers waiting to be seen at the University of Montreal and at Quebec's free dental clinics. We know that there are people in Quebec who do not have access to dental care.