Proceedings of the Standing Senate Committee on
National Finance
Issue 5 - Minutes of Proceedings
OTTAWA, Tuesday, March 31, 2009
(11)
[English]
The Standing Senate Committee on National Finance met this day, at 9:30 a.m., in room 9, Victoria Building, the chair, the Honourable Joseph A. Day, presiding.
Members of the committee present: The Honourable Senators Callbeck, Chaput, Day, Di Nino, Eggleton, P.C., Gerstein, Mitchell, Nancy Ruth, Neufeld, Ringuette and Rivard (11).
In attendance: Guy Beaumier and Jean-François Nadeau, Analysts, Parliamentary Information and Research Service, Library of Parliament.
Also in attendance: The official reporters of the Senate.
Pursuant to the order of reference adopted by the Senate on Thursday, March 12, 2009, the committee began its examination of the following elements contained in Bill C-10, the Budget Implementation Act, 2009: Parts 1-6, Parts 8- 10 and Parts 13-15, and in particular those dealing with employment insurance and, concurrently continued, pursuant to the order of reference adopted by the Senate on Tuesday, March 3, 2009, its examination of the expenditures set out in the Main Estimates for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2010. (For complete text of the order of reference for elements contained in Bill C-10, the Budget Implementation Act, 2009, see proceedings of the committee, Issue No. 4.)(For complete text of the order of reference for the Main Estimates, see proceedings of the committee, Issue No. 2.)
WITNESSES:
Department of Finance Canada:
Gérard Lalonde, Director, Tax Legislation Division, Tax Policy Branch;
Rainer Nowak, Senior Chief, General Operations and Border Issues, Tax Policy Branch;
Patrick Halley, Chief, Tariffs and Market Access, International Trade Policy Division, International Trade and Finance;
Jane Pearse, Director, Financial Institutions Division, Financial Sector Policy Branch;
Cliff Lee-Sing, Chief, Reserves and Risk Management Section, Financial Sector Policy Branch;
Sandra Dunn, Chief, Financial Sector Stability, Financial Sector Division, Financial Sector Policy Branch;
Lise Carrière, Chief, International Finance, International Trade and Finance;
Erin O'Brien, Chief, Microeconomic Policy Analysis, Policy Analysis and Coordination, Economic Development and#38; Corporate Finance.
The chair made a statement.
Messrs. Lalonde, Nowak and Halley each made an statement and together answered questions.
At 10:33 a.m., the committee suspended.
At 10:34 a.m., the committee resumed.
Ms. Pearse, Mr. Lee-Sing and Misses Dunn, Carrière and O'Brien each made a statement and, together, answered questions.
At 11:35 a.m., the committee adjourned to the call of the chair.
ATTEST:
OTTAWA, Wednesday, April 1, 2009
(12)
[English]
The Standing Senate Committee on National Finance met this day, at 6:33 p.m., in room 9, Victoria Building, the chair, the Honourable Joseph A. Day, presiding.
Members of the committee present: The Honourable Senators Callbeck, Chaput, Day, De Bané, Di Nino, Eggleton, P.C., Gerstein, Mitchell, Nancy Ruth, Neufeld, Ringuette and Rivard (12).
In attendance: Guy Beaumier and Jean-François Nadeau, Analysts, Parliamentary Information and Research Service, Library of Parliament.
Also in attendance: The official reporters of the Senate.
Pursuant to the order of reference adopted by the Senate on Thursday, March 12, 2009, the committee continued its examination of the following elements contained in Bill C-10, the Budget Implementation Act, 2009: Parts 1-6, Parts 8- 10 and Parts 13-15, and in particular those dealing with employment insurance and, concurrently continued, pursuant to the order of reference adopted by the Senate on Tuesday, March 3, 2009, its examination of the expenditures set out in the Main Estimates for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2010. (For complete text of the order of reference for elements contained in Bill C-10, the Budget Implementation Act, 2009, see proceedings of the committee, Issue No. 4.)(For complete text of the order of reference for the Main Estimates, see proceedings of the committee, Issue No. 2.)
WITNESSES:
Canadian Institute of Actuaries:
Michel Bédard, Member, Task Force on Financing of Employment Insurance.
United Steelworkers — USW:
Erin Weir, Economist.
Teamsters Canada:
Phil Benson, Lobbyist.
The chair made a statement.
Messrs. Bédard, Weir and Benson each made an opening statement and, together, answered questions.
At 8:58 p.m., the committee adjourned to the call of the chair.
ATTEST:
Adam Thompson
Clerk of the Committee