THE STANDING SENATE COMMITTEE ON NATIONAL FINANCE
EVIDENCE
OTTAWA, Wednesday, December 14, 2022
The Standing Senate Committee on National Finance met with videoconference this day at 10:02 a.m. [ET] to study Bill C-32, An Act to implement certain provisions of the fall economic statement tabled in Parliament on November 3, 2022 and certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on April 7, 2022; and, in camera, to study the Supplementary Estimates (B) for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2023.
[English]
Mireille K. Aubé, Clerk of the Committee: Honourable senators, as clerk of your committee, it is my duty to inform you of the unavoidable absence of the chair and the deputy chair and to preside over the election of an acting chair. I’m ready to receive a motion of that effect.
Are there any nominations?
Senator Marshall: I move that Senator Gignac assume the chair.
Ms. Aubé: Are there any other nominations?
An Hon. Senator: I agree.
[Translation]
Ms. Aubé: It has been moved by the Honourable Senator Marshall that the Honourable Senator Gignac chair this committee. Is it agreed, honourable senators, that this motion be adopted?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
Ms. Aubé: The motion is carried.
Senator Clément Gignac (Acting Chair) in the chair.
The Acting Chair: Thank you, Madam Clerk.
[English]
Thank you, Senator Marshall, for your compliments.
[Translation]
Honourable senators, thank you for electing me as acting chair for this meeting. Welcome to all senators and also to all Canadians who are watching us on sencanada.ca.
My name is Clément Gignac and I am a senator from Quebec. I would now like to go around the table and ask my colleagues to introduce themselves.
Senator Gold: Marc Gold, from Quebec.
[English]
Senator Bovey: Patricia Bovey, Manitoba.
[Translation]
Senator Loffreda: Tony Loffreda, from Quebec.
[English]
Senator Dean: Tony Dean representing Ontario.
Senator Pate: Kim Pate from the unceded, unsurrendered territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe.
Senator Boehm: Peter Boehm, Ontario.
Senator Yussuff: Hassan Yussuff, Ontario.
[Translation]
Senator Smith: Larry W. Smith, from Quebec.
[English]
Senator Marshall: Elizabeth Marshall, Newfoundland and Labrador.
[Translation]
Senator Dagenais: Jean-Guy Dagenais, from Quebec.
The Acting Chair: Thank you, colleagues. Today we begin clause-by-clause consideration of Bill C-32, An Act to implement certain provisions of the fall economic statement tabled in Parliament on November 3, 2022 and certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on April 7, 2022.
I would like to remind committee members, colleagues, and the people following this study that the committee has held eight meetings to date. We have heard from over 70 witnesses and have met for nearly 15 hours; the time we have devoted to this study is quite significant.
[English]
Is it agreed that the committee proceed to clause-by-clause consideration of Bill C-32, An Act to implement certain provisions of the fall economic statement tabled in Parliament on November 3, 2022 and certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on April 7, 2022. Agree or not?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
[Translation]
The Acting Chair: Is it agreed to suspend the adoption of the title on page 1?
Hon. Senators: On division.
The Acting Chair: Carried, on division.
Is it agreed to suspend the adoption of clause 1, which contains the short title on page 1?
Hon. Senators: On division.
The Acting Chair: Carried, on division.
Honourable senators, with your consent, is it agreed that the committee group the clauses according to the four parts in the analysis table of Bill C-32?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Acting Chair: Carried.
[English]
Shall Part 1, amendments to the Income Tax Act and Other Legislation, which contain clauses 2 to 92, carry?
Some Hon. Senators: Agreed.
Some Hon. Senators: On division.
The Acting Chair: Carried, on division.
Shall Part 2, Amendments to the Excise Act 2001 and other related texts, which contain clauses 93 to 112, carry?
Some Hon. Senators: Agreed.
Some Hon. Senators: On division.
The Acting Chair: Carried, on division.
[Translation]
Shall Part 3, “Amendments to the Underused Housing Tax Act and Making of Related Regulations,” containing clauses 113 to 117, carry?
Hon. Senators: On division.
The Acting Chair: Carried, on division.
Shall Part 4, Division 1, “Canada Growth Fund”, containing sections 118 and 119, carry?
Hon. Senators: On division.
The Acting Chair: Carried, on division.
Shall Part 4, Division 2, “The Bretton Woods and Related Agreements Act”, containing section 120, carry?
Hon. Senators: On division.
The Acting Chair: Carried, on division.
[English]
Shall Part 4, Division 3, Framework Agreement on First Nations Land Management Act, which contains clauses 121 to 143, carry?
Some Hon. Senators: Agreed.
Some Hon. Senators: On division.
The Acting Chair: On division.
[Translation]
Shall Part 4, Division 4, “Government Employees Compensation Act”, containing section 144, carry?
Hon. Senators: On division.
The Acting Chair: Carried, on division.
Shall Part 4, Division 5, “Student Loans and Apprenticeship Loans”, containing sections 145 to 168, carry?
Hon. Senators: On division.
The Acting Chair: Carried, on division.
[English]
Shall the title carry?
Some Hon. Senators: Agreed.
Some Hon. Senators: On division.
The Acting Chair: Carried, on division.
Shall clause 1, which contains the short title, carry?
Some Hon. Senators: Agreed.
Some Hon. Senators: On division.
The Acting Chair: Carried, on division.
[Translation]
Shall the bill carry?
Hon. Senators: On division.
The Acting Chair: Carried, on division.
Does the committee wish to add any comments to the report?
Hon. Senators: No.
The Acting Chair: No, there are no comments.
Is it agreed that I report this bill to the Senate as soon as possible?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Acting Chair: Very well. So, colleagues, that concludes our clause-by-clause study of Bill C-32.
Before we adjourn this meeting, I would like to remind the people who joined us a little later that our committee had eight meetings before this one. We spent nearly 15 hours studying the bill. We heard from over 50 witnesses. While it is true that we finished quickly today, it bears saying that a great deal of work was accomplished beforehand. Before we adjourn, I would like to thank each and every one of you, dear colleagues, for your work and your dedication. I also want to acknowledge the work of the people supporting the committee, all those who are not necessarily in front of the camera, but who are behind us.
I would like to take this opportunity to wish you a happy holiday season. Enjoy this time of year and have a good time. We wish our deputy chair, Senator Forest, a speedy recovery, and hope that our chair, Senator Mockler, will be presiding when we return from this adjournment.
I thank the members of the committee. We have upheld our guiding principles while studying this bill: transparency, accountability, reliability and predictability.
I thank you for the confidence you have placed in me to chair today’s meeting. This concludes our study of Bill C-32.
We will now suspend the meeting for a few moments and then resume in camera.
(The committee continued in camera.)