Government Operations committee  That's a question that's probably worth thinking about, but it's not one that my office has considered, particularly in terms of the costs of climate change that the federal government must assume. I know it's an issue for many institutions in the country and around the world. At

Government Operations committee  We did a report on this in November 2022, if memory serves; I have several documents in front of me. We did an analysis of that and realized, as most observers have, that the fuel tax or the greenhouse gas emissions tax isn't enough to meet or exceed the Paris Agreement targets,

Government Operations committee  You're right, Mr. Chambers, that with a team of 38 we cannot follow every single government initiative. I don't remember off the top of my head how much the government expected to collect on the underused housing tax. I'm looking at my colleagues and they're avoiding eye contact—

Government Operations committee  —which probably means they don't remember either. The numbers you mentioned seem high, as if it costs so much to administer, but how much is assessed is often a number significantly different from what ends up being collected.

Government Operations committee  If the amounts assessed so far are indeed the final numbers or are indicative of what the government is expected to collect overall, I think there will need to be a correction in the budget in the revenues to be collected. If that's indeed the case, and it's not just that there w

Government Operations committee  It certainly would be a good idea in terms of policy-making for the CRA and the Department of Finance to introduce that into the equation when they're briefing the minister or ministers—and cabinet, ultimately—to introduce new tax measures. That would at least provide an idea to

Government Operations committee  Having more clarity as to exactly how many employees initiatives will require for their proper administration would be a good first step. Also, the employee impact of reallocation measures would certainly be good to know. I'll stop there for lack of time. I'm sorry.

Government Operations committee  My memory isn't that good. We release a number of reports each year. However, I have the report in front of me. Our estimates are based on various external data sources, including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Surface temperatures changed by around 0.9°C and pre

Government Operations committee  The variables aren't exactly constant. Our models, such as the general equilibrium model, take economic changes into account. The costs are calculated between now and 2030, a relatively short time frame in an economy such as Canada. We often say in briefings that nothing shows t

Government Operations committee  Yes, if we can do so, we take into account the behavioural effects of the scenario under consideration. As I said, the impact of maintaining or increasing a carbon tax… Five or six years isn't enough time for the positive effects to outweigh the negative ones. However, having a p

Finance committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Ladies and gentlemen members of Parliament, thank you for inviting us to testify today. We are pleased to be here to talk about Bill C‑59, An Act to implement certain provisions of the fall economic statement tabled in Parliament on November 21, 2023 and c

Finance committee  The number of individuals necessary for the CRA to administer specific tax measures is not something we have looked at. However, I have to say I'm a bit surprised to hear that CRA officials did not know that, because in my experience there is usually quite a bit of back and forth

Finance committee  No. I don't recall seeing any reduction in the overall number of full-time equivalents or employees in the federal public service as a whole. There might have been decreases in some specific areas or in some specific agencies or departments, but as a whole, the public service has

Finance committee  I think the planning is not reflecting subsequent measures that are introduced by governments. For example, the departmental plans that are usually prepared early in the fiscal year or in advance of the budget don't include measures that are in the budget, so there is a time lag

Finance committee  For every single piece of policy proposal, be it legislation or a program, there has to be a memorandum to cabinet, which normally would include the number of employees required to implement that legislative piece or that program—or at the very least, in the Treasury Board submis