FINA Committee Meeting

The Standing Committee on Finance met at 3:32 p.m. this day, in Room 8-53, 131 Queen St., the Chair, James Rajotte, presiding.

Scott Brison moved, — That the Committee requests that the Parliamentary Budget Officer provide it with a general analysis, within 21 calendar days, of the Department of Finance’s response to the motions moved by Hon. Scott Brison, MP and passed by the committee on October 6, 2010. That analysis, shall include, but not be limited to the following items:

· The Department of Finance’s assertion that the majority of the Government of Canada’s justice legislation can be implemented without any incremental fiscal costs to the Government and that to the extent there are new costs associated with the legislation, that these have already been incorporated in the Government’s fiscal projections;

· The figures provided by the Department of Finance on the estimated costs to the federal treasury of the Government of Canada’s planned reduction of corporate tax rates from January 1, 2011 onwards;

· The Department of Finance’s estimates on the costs of the F-35 aircraft

The committee also orders that the Government of Canada provide the committee with electronic copies of the following:

· Five-year projections of total corporate profits before taxes and effective corporate tax rates (2010-11 to 2014-15);

· All documents that outline acquisition costs, lifecycle costs, and operational requirements associated with the F-35 program and prior programs (CF-18). Such documents include but are not limited to the Selected Acquisition Report (SAR) and the report of the US Department of Defence’s Joint Estimating Team (JET) both relating to the F-35;

That the committee also orders that the Government of Canada provide the committee with electronic copies of the following documents as they relate to each justice bill listed in Mr. Brison's motion of October 6 as well as the following bills: S-2, An Act to amend the Criminal Code and other Acts, S-6, An Act to amend the Criminal Code and another Act, S-7, An Act to deter terrorism and to amend the State Immunity Act, S-9, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (auto theft and trafficking in property obtained by crime), S-10, An Act to amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and to make related and consequential amendments to other Acts:

· the incremental cost estimates broken down by Capital, Operations & Maintenance and Other categories

· the baseline departmental funding requirement excluding the impacts of the bills and Acts, broken down by Capital, Operations and Maintenance and Other categories;

· the total departmental Annual Reference Level (ARL), including all quasi-statutory and non-quasi-statutory items, including Capital, Operations and Maintenance and Other categories, including the incremental cost estimates;

· detailed cost accounting, analysis and projections, including assumptions, for each of the bills and Acts, conducted in accordance with the Treasury Board Guide to Costing;

That the committee orders that all information requested in this motion from the Government of Canada be provided to the committee within 7 calendar days;

That the Committee authorizes the Clerk to distribute to the Parliamentary Budget Officer all documents provided by the Government of Canada to the Committee in response to this motion;

That the Committee shall report to the House the analysis provided by the Parliamentary Budget Officer to the Committee in response to this motion.

Daniel Paillé moved, — That the motion be amended by adding the following bills to the list of bills mentioned in paragraph 8 of the motion (beginning “That the Committee also orders” and ending “related and consequential amendments to other Acts”: C-48: An Act to amend the Criminal Code and to make consequential amendments to the National Defence Act (Protecting Canadians by Ending Sentence Discounts for Multiple Murder Acts) C-50: An Act to amend the Criminal Code (interception of private communications and related warrants and orders) (Improving Access to Investigative Tools for Serious Crimes Act) C-51: An Act to amend the Criminal Code, the Competition Act and the Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Act (Investigative Powers for the 21st Century Act) C-52: An Act regulating telecommunications facilities to support investigations.

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Daniel Paillé and it was agreed to, by a show of hands: YEAS: 6; NAYS: 5.

After debate, the question was put on the motion, as amended, and it was agreed to, by a show of hands: YEAS: 6; NAYS: 5.

The motion, as amended, read as follows:

That the Committee requests that the Parliamentary Budget Officer provide it with a general analysis, within 21 calendar days, of the Department of Finance’s response to the motions moved by Hon. Scott Brison, MP and passed by the committee on October 6, 2010. That analysis, shall include, but not be limited to the following items:

· The Department of Finance’s assertion that the majority of the Government of Canada’s justice legislation can be implemented without any incremental fiscal costs to the Government and that to the extent there are new costs associated with the legislation, that these have already been incorporated in the Government’s fiscal projections;

· The figures provided by the Department of Finance on the estimated costs to the federal treasury of the Government of Canada’s planned reduction of corporate tax rates from January 1, 2011 onwards;

· The Department of Finance’s estimates on the costs of the F-35 aircraft

The committee also orders that the Government of Canada provide the committee with electronic copies of the following:

· Five-year projections of total corporate profits before taxes and effective corporate tax rates (2010-11 to 2014-15);

· All documents that outline acquisition costs, lifecycle costs, and operational requirements associated with the F-35 program and prior programs (CF-18). Such documents include but are not limited to the Selected Acquisition Report (SAR) and the report of the US Department of Defence’s Joint Estimating Team (JET) both relating to the F-35;

That the committee also orders that the Government of Canada provide the committee with electronic copies of the following documents as they relate to each justice bill listed in Mr. Brison's motion of October 6 as well as the following bills: S-2, An Act to amend the Criminal Code and other Acts, S-6, An Act to amend the Criminal Code and another Act, S-7, An Act to deter terrorism and to amend the State Immunity Act, S-9, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (auto theft and trafficking in property obtained by crime), S-10, An Act to amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and to make related and consequential amendments to other Acts, C-48: An Act to amend the Criminal Code and to make consequential amendments to the National Defence Act (Protecting Canadians by Ending Sentence Discounts for Multiple Murder Acts), C-50: An Act to amend the Criminal Code (interception of private communications and related warrants and orders) (Improving Access to Investigative Tools for Serious Crimes Act), C-51: An Act to amend the Criminal Code, the Competition Act and the Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Act (Investigative Powers for the 21st Century Act), C-52: An Act regulating telecommunications facilities to support investigations :

· the incremental cost estimates broken down by Capital, Operations & Maintenance and Other categories

· the baseline departmental funding requirement excluding the impacts of the bills and Acts, broken down by Capital, Operations and Maintenance and Other categories;

· the total departmental Annual Reference Level (ARL), including all quasi-statutory and non-quasi-statutory items, including Capital, Operations and Maintenance and Other categories, including the incremental cost estimates;

· detailed cost accounting, analysis and projections, including assumptions, for each of the bills and Acts, conducted in accordance with the Treasury Board Guide to Costing;

That the committee orders that all information requested in this motion from the Government of Canada be provided to the committee within 7 calendar days;

That the Committee authorizes the Clerk to distribute to the Parliamentary Budget Officer all documents provided by the Government of Canada to the Committee in response to this motion;

That the Committee shall report to the House the analysis provided by the Parliamentary Budget Officer to the Committee in response to this motion.

It was agreed, — That in relation to the study on the Government's Economic Update and Fiscal Projections, the proposed budget in the amount of $ 4 500 be adopted.

At 3:47 p.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 3:48 p.m., the sitting resumed in camera.

It was agreed, — That the Committee meet in relation to the study of Bill C-470, An Act to amend the Income Tax Act (revocation of registration) on November 29 and December 6, 2010 to hear witnesses and on December 8, 2010 to commence its clause-by-clause study of the Bill.

It was agreed, — That the Committee meet in relation to the study of Bill C-47, A second Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on March 4, 2010 and other measures on November 23, 2010 with the Finance Minister and Senior Officials from 12:00 until 1:00 p.m. and that it commence its clause-by-clause study of the Bill from 1:00 p.m. until 2:00 p.m.

It was agreed, — That the Committee meet in relation to the study of the Supplementary Estimates (B) 2010-2011: Vote Canada Revenue Agency, Vote 5b under CANADA REVENUE AGENCY and Votes 5b, 7b, L12b and 25b under FINANCE on December 1, 2010 at 3:30 p.m.

It was agreed, — That the Committee meet in camera, in an informal meeting, with a delegation from Vietnam on December 2¸ 2010 at 11:00 a.m.

It was agreed, — That the Parliamentary Budget Officer the be invited to appear twice a year in relation to the study on the Government's Economic Update and Fiscal Projections.

It was agreed, — That economists for the private sector be invited to appear twice a year in relation to the study on the Government's Economic Update and Fiscal Projections.

At 4:21 p.m., the Committee adjourned to the call of the Chair.