House of Commons Debates VOLUME 148 Ï NUMBER 146 Ï 1st SESSION Ï 42nd PARLIAMENT OFFICIAL REPORT (HANSARD) Thursday, February 23, 2017 Speaker: The Honourable Geoff Regan CONTENTS (Table of Contents appears at back of this issue.) 9243 HOUSE OF COMMONS Thursday, February 23, 2017 The House met at 10 a.m. COMMITTEES OF THE HOUSE FINANCE Prayer Hon. Wayne Easter (Malpeque, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the 13th report of the Standing Committee on Finance in relation to Bill C-240, An Act to ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS amend the Income Tax Act (tax credit — first aid). The committee has studied the bill and recommends that the House of Commons not Ï (1005) proceed further with this bill. [Translation] *** PUBLIC SECTOR INTEGRITY COMMISSIONER The Speaker: Pursuant to section 38 of the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act, I have the honour to lay upon the table the JUDICIAL ACCOUNTABILITY THROUGH SEXUAL Public Sector Integrity Commissioner's case report in the matter of ASSAULT LAW TRAINING ACT an investigation into allegations of wrongdoing. Hon. Rona Ambrose (Leader of the Opposition, CPC) moved This report is deemed permanently referred to the Standing for leave to introduce Bill C-337, An Act to amend the Judges Act Committee on Government Operations and Estimates. and the Criminal Code (sexual assault). *** She said: Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to stand in the House to MAIN ESTIMATES, 2017-18 introduce a bill to address the need to build more confidence in our judicial system when it comes to the handling of cases involving A message from His Excellency the Governor General transmit- sexual assault and sexual violence. Too often, those involved in these ting the main estimates for the financial year ending March 31, 2018, cases come away with the feeling they have experienced not just a was presented by the President of the Treasury Board and read by the judgment on their case but a judgment on their character. Speaker to the House. *** [Translation] [English] I believe we must address this situation by starting with the people FEDERAL TAX EXPENDITURES responsible for overseeing Canada's justice system. Hon. Scott Brison (President of the Treasury Board, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), I have the honour to table There is a definite lack of transparency in the federal justice a document on behalf of the Minister of Finance, in both official system with respect to how and how often judges get training and languages, entitled “Report on Federal Tax Expenditures”. education around handling cases that involve sexual violence. *** [English] GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO PETITIONS Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Parliamentary Secretary to the This is about making our legal system fairer for everyone involved Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Lib.): in these difficult cases. I hope my colleagues from all parties will Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8) I have the honour to take the time to consider the steps we propose here and support my table, in both official languages, the government's response to four legislation, the judicial accountability through sexual assault law petitions. training act or, what we like to call it, the just act. 9244 COMMONS DEBATES February 23, 2017 Business of Supply (Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed) and represent the percentage of votes those parties obtain in an election. *** Ï (1010) I am pleased to join them in asking this of Canada's Parliament. BUSINESS OF SUPPLY *** Mr. Gordon Brown (Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, CPC): Mr. Speaker, I believe if you seek it you [English] would find unanimous consent for the following motion. I move: That, at the conclusion of today's debate on the opposition motion in the name of the QUESTIONS ON THE ORDER PAPER Member for Carleton, all questions necessary to dispose of the motion be deemed put and a recorded division deemed requested and deferred until Tuesday, March 7th, Mr. Kevin Lamoureux (Parliamentary Secretary to the 2017, at the expiry of the time provided for Oral Questions. Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Lib.): The Speaker: Does the hon. member have the unanimous consent Mr. Speaker, I ask that all questions be allowed to stand. of the House to propose the motion? The Speaker: Is that agreed? Some hon. members: Agreed. Some hon. members: Agreed. The Speaker: The House has heard the terms of the motion. Is it the pleasure of the House to adopt the motion? Some hon. members: Agreed. (Motion agreed to) GOVERNMENT ORDERS *** [English] PETITIONS BUSINESS OF SUPPLY TAXATION Mr. Garnett Genuis (Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, OPPOSITION MOTION—IMPACT OF CARBON TAXES CPC): Mr. Speaker, income splitting is a basic tax fairness measure because it ensures that families making the same income pay the Hon. Pierre Poilievre (Carleton, CPC) moved: same rate of tax and the same amount of tax. That is why I am That, given: (a) the Liberal election platform states that “government and its pleased to table a petition today signed by people from my information should be open by default” and “data paid for by Canadians belongs to constituency calling for the reinstatement of the family tax credit, Canadians”; (b) the Department of Finance has indicated that a federally-mandated which was, unfortunately, cancelled by the government when it took carbon tax will cause higher prices to “cascade through the economy in the form of office. higher prices”; (c) such regressive taxes cause low-income people to bear a larger burden as heat, gas, and groceries form a larger portion of their family budgets; and HOMELESSNESS (d) the Department of Finance has produced numerous calculations of the impact of these taxes on low and middle-income families, and their effect on the gap between Ms. Elizabeth May (Saanich—Gulf Islands, GP): Mr. Speaker, rich and poor; an Order of the House do issue for a copy of the Department of I have the honour to rise this morning to present two petitions. Finance’s documents titled “Impact of a carbon price on households' consumption costs across the income distribution” and “Estimating economic impacts from The first addresses the crisis of homelessness. It is from various mitigation options for greenhouse gas emissions,” and any other documents constituents within Saanich—Gulf Islands, who are asking the that calculate the cost of carbon taxes on Canadian workers, businesses, and families. House to consider the national homelessness strategy as proposed by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities as a model for dealing He said: Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the hon. nationally with homelessness. member for Brantford—Brant. INSECTICIDES This week we learned the story of an Ottawa-area senior who said Ms. Elizabeth May (Saanich—Gulf Islands, GP): Mr. Speaker, he could no longer afford to heat his home or fuel his car, so he is the second petition, again from residents within my constituency but giving up both. Rick Russell even put up a sign on his house also a goodly number from Ontario, is calling for action to protect declaring, “Another senior loses home due to high energy costs”, Canada's pollinators by banning, as other jurisdictions have done, telling reporters he can only afford a home without heat or heat the use of neonicotinoid insecticides. without a home. [Translation] He is not alone. Disabled grandmother Kathy Katula broke down DEMOCRATIC REFORM into tears at the Prime Minister's recent town hall meeting, Mr. Alexandre Boulerice (Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, NDP): demanding to know how she would pay his new carbon tax on Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to present a petition signed by her home heating when she is already struggling with $1,000 a residents of the metropolitan region, including the riding of Mount month electricity bills imposed by the provincial Liberal Govern- Royal, who are asking for something pretty far-fetched: they want ment of Ontario. The Prime Minister gave her a warm hug, but the percentage of seats occupied by parties in the House to reflect unfortunately not warm enough to heat her home. February 23, 2017 COMMONS DEBATES 9245 Business of Supply These are not isolated cases. The 2016 Ontario Association of that will be taxed, like gas, groceries, and heat. While wealthy Food Banks report entitled, “Hunger Report” said, “Since 2006, households still buy these goods, they constitute a much smaller hydro rates have increased at a rate of 3.5 times inflation for peak share of a wealthy household's income. Therefore, the percentage tax hours, and at a rate of 8 times inflation for off-peak hours.” increase is actually higher on those who are poor, which is the very definition of a regressive tax. Sixty thousand Ontarians have had their electricity cut off for failing to pay their bills, the report noted, adding that many food bank clients struggle with electricity bills of $300 to $700 a month. The food banks themselves say they are struggling to afford the electricity for their massive refrigerator systems. Second, the carbon tax will generate billions of dollars in new Ron Dunn, executive director of Windsor's Downtown Mission, revenue for the government, but who will get that money? It is those has had people come to him and plead, “If you can help me with who can afford to lobby for grants, rebates, and corporate welfare food, then I can pay for some of this hydro bill before it gets cut off.” under the guise, of course, of saving the environment. I turn to the rebate that people can now receive if they can afford to buy a These increases are the direct result of the Liberal Green Energy $150,000 Tesla car.