44th Parl. 1st Sess.
February 9, 2023 10:00AM
- Feb/9/23 2:47:58 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by pointing out to the member opposite, and he is well aware, that Newfoundland does not actually have the federal backstop that applies.
I also want to point out that we are helping Canadians make home heating more affordable. We have the “oil to heat pump” program, the greener homes grant, and more than that, today we announced the deep retrofit accelerator initiative to help Canadians make those necessary changes. There is good news attached to this. It is creating good-paying jobs doing these retrofits in small and large communities right across our country.
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- Feb/9/23 2:48:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, today Canadians for Tax Fairness released a report that looked at 74 Canadian companies that used the Canada emergency wage subsidy and tax avoidance schemes. When the Prime Minister said that “We are all in this together”, I did not know that we were in a billionaire tax haven.
Take Brookfield Asset Management, with a tax gap of $6.5 billion. Five of its subsidiaries received the wage subsidy despite being based in Bermuda. Enbridge and Thomson Reuters are part of a “who's who” of corporate tax avoidance.
Why do the Liberals expect Canadians to subsidize the lifestyles of the ultrawealthy?
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- Feb/9/23 2:49:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the key point about the wage subsidy, as I said before, is the way it helped small businesses, small business owners and their employees and medium-sized business owners and their employees. That is the fundamental fact to take away.
With respect to the hon. member's questions about avoidance and evasion, this government has invested no less than $1 billion to counter both of those things. The results are clear. Investigations are up and convictions are up.
If the hon. member has another question, I can go into the specifics of it. I welcome the question again if she wishes.
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- Feb/9/23 2:49:52 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it does a disservice to small business to use them to deflect from answering questions about why giant corporations got over $15 billion in taxpayer money while they were reducing their workforces and paying tens of billions of dollars in dividends. Meanwhile, if one is a Canadian living below the poverty line, the government knows exactly where to find them to send the bill.
Why is it giant corporations are getting general debt relief from pandemic benefit programs when Canada's poor are being chased down by the CRA? Where is the fairness in that?
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- Feb/9/23 2:50:31 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I have respect for the hon. member, because since the moment he was elected he has raised the concerns of working-class individuals and families.
On this matter, though, the wage subsidy proved enormously effective for people in his community and every Canadian community, as well as for the businesses in need of support, small businesses and medium-sized businesses. The verification work I was talking about earlier today does continue as a matter of fairness.
With respect to CERB and amnesty questions he has raised, he knows very well that work is ongoing as well. It is only fair that, when thousands of Canadians across the country looked to see if they were eligible and were not, we need to continue to verify, because they took that effort to—
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- Feb/9/23 2:51:12 p.m.
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The hon. member for Bourassa.
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- Feb/9/23 2:51:15 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as we commemorate the impactful contributions and accomplishments of Blacks in Canada this Black History Month, it is important to recognize the challenges faced by Black communities across the country.
Last October, the Minister of Diversity introduced the $200-million, Black-led philanthropic endowment fund aimed at improving the social and economic well-being of Blacks in Canada.
May the minister provide an update on this substantial initiative, please?
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- Feb/9/23 2:51:55 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for Bourassa for his important advocacy on this matter.
As part of our government's commitment to eliminating anti-Black racism and improving social and economic outcomes in Black Canadian communities, we launched the first-ever Black-led philanthropic endowment fund.
Just yesterday, I was pleased to announced that, after a fair and transparent call for proposals, the Foundation for Black Communities has been chosen to administer the fund. Simply put, this fund will provide much-needed resources to Black Canadian charities and non-profits that have done so much for so many with so few resources.
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- Feb/9/23 2:52:37 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after eight years of the Liberal Prime Minister, we have an economy that punishes the middle class and those struggling to stay in it, but Liberal friends are doing great. Thirty-seven corporations took the Liberal wage subsidy and then spent $173 billion on dividends, share buybacks and takeovers. The Liberals are refusing to make them pay back the money, so Canadian workers foot the bill when they can barely afford mortgages, rent and groceries.
When will the Liberals force their corporate friends to pay back that money?
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- Feb/9/23 2:53:21 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the parliamentary secretary has been up many times on this subject. The reality is that the process of collecting money is ongoing. I would remind the party opposite that it opposed, at that moment in time, many of the measures that were critical to making sure we got money out instantly to those who needed it to keep doors open and to keep businesses going. We have an opportunity to talk to those businesses every day and hear that is the truth.
They are not only wrong about that, but when they say things like eight years instead of seven years, and I know they are bad at math, I would ask them to be a little more realistic in how they are speaking.
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- Feb/9/23 2:54:01 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we supported businesses staying open. We did not support large dividends for their large corporate friends.
The minister refuses to do her job, after eight years in her portfolio and 10,000 more tax collectors. It is her duty to go after fraud of any taxpayer money. She protects wealthy shareholders and executives, her government drives up interest rates and inflation, and life becomes unaffordable for working Canadians. Even the Parliamentary Budget Officer is sounding the alarm on this incompetence.
Why does it feel like everything is broken? Because the Prime Minister will not do his job, so will he get out of the way and let Conservatives—
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- Feb/9/23 2:54:43 p.m.
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The hon. parliamentary secretary.
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- Feb/9/23 2:54:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the member talks about fiscal responsibility. While Conservatives continue to make the case, unfortunately, that crypto poses some kind of promising future for Canada, this government has introduced and will continue to do the vital work of standing by Canadians through the pandemic and into the future.
With respect to what the member raised on evasion and avoidance work, just with respect to the Panama papers in the response, 900 individuals have been identified as subjects of concern by the CRA, 160 audits are under way and 200 audits have come to completion. The work continues.
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- Feb/9/23 2:55:25 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after eight years under this Prime Minister, nothing is too good for the Liberals' friends. While the middle class is struggling to make ends meet, big corporations are laughing all the way to the bank. Thirty-seven major corporations did not hesitate to claim billions of dollars in wage subsidies.
Do members know how they rewarded themselves? They gave themselves bonuses and dividends with Canadians' money.
Meanwhile, in our riding offices, we are getting calls from constituents who say that the CRA is breathing down their neck, when it has decided not to try to recoup the money from big corporations.
Will the Prime Minister take responsibility and reimburse Canadians?
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- Feb/9/23 2:56:05 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, let us be clear about the facts. The parliamentary secretary was quite right in what he said. Clearly, the CRA is still working on the wage subsidy audits. Our government implemented specific rules for recouping any misused wage subsidies, including those that were use to buy shares, pay bonuses or anything else.
We will find those who committed fraud. We will stand up for Canadians. We are there to meet Canadians' expectations. That is our job. We will do it.
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- Feb/9/23 2:56:40 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after eight years of this government, the Liberals do not even know what is going on in their own government. The commissioner of the Canada Revenue Agency said that it was not worth trying to recover the $15 billion that was overpaid in corporate wage subsidies. It is not me saying that, it is the commissioner of the CRA. These people have been following the Prime Minister's lead for eight years.
Is the Prime Minister going to ask his Minister of National Revenue to do her job and get this money back, or is he going to ask her to step aside so we can fix his mistakes?
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- Feb/9/23 2:57:21 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it has taken us seven years and a few months to undo the damage that was done by the Conservative government before us. It will take us many more years to continue to repair all the damage that the Conservatives have done to Canadians.
They claim to stand up for Canadians. We are the ones standing up for Canadians, with a strong economy. The Conservatives can complain, but we are here to deliver for Canadians.
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- Feb/9/23 2:57:51 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, in his state of the union address, President Joe Biden had some pretty bad news for Quebec. He announced that he will be strengthening his buy America policy by promising that all infrastructure projects will use only American materials. The first thing on his list was lumber.
Does anyone believe Ottawa is on the verge of resolving the trade dispute? President Joe Biden is not interested in respecting the agreement he signed. He came right out and said so.
When the president comes to Ottawa in March, will the Prime Minister stand up for our industries, including Quebec's forestry sector?
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- Feb/9/23 2:58:32 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we will always defend Canadian industries. We will always defend the softwood lumber industry and that sector.
We just met with the American president not that long ago. We agreed that Canada and the United States have an important trading relationship. We do about four billion dollars' worth of trade a day. We are the most competitive in the world and we are fighting climate change.
When the Americans do business with Canada, workers benefit because of good-paying jobs in both countries. We are fighting climate change together. We are going to keep doing that.
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- Feb/9/23 2:59:09 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, all of our industrial sectors are worried about American protectionism. Nowadays, if one of our businesses has, say, $50 million to invest in its own growth, it may hesitate to do so. It may wonder if it should pursue growth in Quebec or if it should focus its efforts on the United States for fear of being excluded from American contracts. President Biden's speech gives our businesses an incentive to leave.
When the Prime Minister meets with the president in March, will he stand up for Quebec's economy and remind the Americans they have to meet their obligations?
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