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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 157

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
February 9, 2023 10:00AM
  • Feb/9/23 2:23:43 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's top tax collector, Bob Hamilton, the commissioner of revenue, said, “it wouldn't be worth the effort” to review and recover the $15.5 billion paid out illegally to these corporations. He said that it would not be worth the effort. Fifteen billion dollars equals $1,000 for every single household in Canada. It is money taken from working-class single moms who cannot feed their kids and given to wealthy corporations with connections to the government. Why will they not take back the money that was illegally taken and give it back to Canadians?
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  • Feb/9/23 2:24:57 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, that is absolutely false. Where was I? I was in the House telling the government that it should not pay wage subsidies to corporations that were wealthy enough to pay out dividends, bonuses and share buybacks. That is where I was. Now, we find out that it gets worse and that there were 37 corporations that received wage subsidies worth $81 billion that paid out dividends to their wealthy shareholders. This was not money for workers. It was money for the wealthy. Why is it that the government always gives more to the “have yachts” by taking from the have-nots?
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  • Feb/9/23 2:26:19 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is absolutely true that we were able to collect taxes from powerful corporations while having less bureaucracy at CRA. We delivered more for less. By contrast, the Prime Minister's top tax collector says he does not have the resources to go after the $15 billion the Prime Minister gave in illegal wage subsidies to these powerful corporations. This is an agency that has added 10,000 additional tax collectors. What are they doing? They are going after the little guy. Why will they not go after the Prime Minister's corporate friends instead?
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  • Feb/9/23 2:27:40 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the member should talk to her colleague, who just admitted that I voted in favour of supporting small businesses during the pandemic. However, on this side of the House, we are against fraud. There has been $15 billion in overpayments given directly to the largest corporations, which should not have received it. Now, the Prime Minister's top tax collector says he is not going after the money. He will just leave it in the hands of those corporations. This money equals $1,000 for every household in Canada. Why do the Liberals put the burden on Canadians who are drowning in debt rather than the powerful corporations that are swimming in profit?
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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 2:52:37 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 2:55:25 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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