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FINA Committee Report

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Appendix A: Proposals by Witnesses

 

The following tables show the proposals made by organizations and individuals who appeared before the committee for this year’s pre-budget consultations, as well as the proposals contained in their briefs.

Adaptation to Climate Change and Preservation

Witness Name

Witness Proposal

Date of Appearance

Assembly of First Nations

[Invest in] First Nations-led conservation [and biodiversity preservation efforts].

10/26/2023

Canadian Federation of Agriculture

Start the process of revising key risk management programs, … in particular AgriRecovery, to ensure they are more timely, responsive and predictable in the face of increasing disaster-related events caused by climate change.

10/05/2023

Canadian Federation of Agriculture

Ensure that sustainability issues are … focused [on farmers] and provide support to help them adapt to the effects of climate change.

10/05/2023

Colleges and Institutes Canada

Establish … Climate Adaptation Hubs led by colleges, to harness the power of applied research to support local communities and businesses in adapting to climate change.

11/15/2023

Greater Charlottetown Area Chamber of Commerce

[Work together to implement measures to support] hurricane readiness for business operations and buildings, and systems hardening for protection of businesses for the new hurricane season and climate change.

10/10/2023

Green Budget Coalition

Deliver on Canada’s commitment to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by implementing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

9/25/2023

Prince Edward Island Federation of Agriculture

[Improve agricultural business risk management programs by creating] aid systems that can help businesses and communities rebuild more quickly [after climate change-related natural disasters].

10/10/2023

Prince Edward Island Federation of Agriculture

[Invest strategically] in climate-resilient agriculture.

10/10/2023

Rural Municipalities of Alberta

Commit to developing a new component of the [Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund] that provides funding strictly for rural communities and utilizes a much lower project expenditure threshold and higher federal cost-share contribution [to] help empower local leaders in communities of all types to adapt to climate change.

11/16/2023

Rural Municipalities of Alberta

Develop strategies and programs to support rural municipalities in making informed decisions related to mitigating disaster risk, [such as flooding, including local mitigation programs] … [and provide] funding to [the] FireSmart [Canada program] to map wildfire risks ... and … for community wildlife mitigation projects.

11/16/2023

Union des municipalités du Québec

Significantly increase … investments in the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund to accelerate the deployment of climate-resilient infrastructure.

11/13/2023

Agriculture, Food and Fisheries

Witness Name

Witness Proposal

Date of Appearance

Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce

Foster the success of new industries such as agriculture technology, which has a natural home in Abbotsford.

11/17/2023

Assembly of First Nations

[Make] investments to enhance access to nutritious and traditional foods, sustainable food systems, and environmental protection initiatives.

10/26/2023

Canadian Animal Health Institute

Amend the fees related to the veterinary drug services policy to an amount that would make Canada proportionally competitive to key trading partners.

11/15/2023

Canadian Animal Health Institute

Amend the Food and Drug Act to allow foreign decisions by trusted regulatory authorities in other jurisdictions for Manufacturing, Quality and Clinical Efficacy Reviews related to the authorization of veterinary drugs.

11/15/2023

Canadian Animal Health Institute

Amend [the] policy and abolish drug establishment licence fees for low-risk active pharmaceutical ingredients.

11/15/2023

Canadian Chamber of Commerce

Strengthen investment in agriculture. Partner with businesses on research, product development and the commercialization of the agri-food sector, while developing policy mechanisms and supports to incentivize private-sector research and development investment.

11/02/2023

Canadian Chamber of Commerce

Encourage value added agricultural processing.

11/02/2023

Canadian Federation of Agriculture

Continue to support farmers through the Advance Payments Program [by increasing on a permanent basis] the interest-free limit for advances.

10/05/2023

Canadian Federation of Agriculture

Introduce a permanent accelerated capital cost allowance across all classes of farm equipment that would allow producers to depreciate 100% of their capital allocated to purchases of farm equipment for the first fiscal year.

10/05/2023

Canadian Federation of Agriculture

Ensure that a whole-of-government approach is put in place to support robust incentives for the adoption [by farmers] of best management practices [related to sustainable agriculture, including extension services that provide on-the-ground support], alongside investments to advance research.

10/05/2023

Canadian Federation of Agriculture

[Increase the] lifetime capital gains exemption.

10/05/2023

Canadian Federation of Agriculture

[Ensure] that [any changes to the Income Tax Act] provisions … [regulating] intergenerational transfers do not discourage genuine family transfers from taking place.

10/05/2023

Canadian Federation of Agriculture

Consult on and develop a Critical Farm Input Strategy to ensure that Canadian producers have a long-term, stable source of supply for critical farm inputs, including fertilizer, needed to produce high quality agriculture and agri-food products.

10/05/2023

Canadian Federation of Agriculture

Implement a new national grant program modelled after the Canada Digital Adoption Program, which would support on-farm risk management planning and mitigation.

10/05/2023

Canadian Federation of Agriculture

Increase AgriStability program coverage to 85% of the reference margin.

10/05/2023

Canadian Federation of Agriculture

Ensure that the Pest Management Regulatory Agency is appropriately resourced and improves internal processes in support of timely, transparent, and science-based decisions.

10/05/2023

Canadian Federation of Agriculture

Exempt farms from filing the Underused Housing Tax ... return.

10/05/2023

Canadian Federation of Agriculture

Implement measures to support a farmer’s right to repair their farm machinery.

10/05/2023

Canadian Federation of Agriculture

Ensure the launch of the Sustainable Agriculture Strategy is inclusive of all agricultural commodities and is accompanied with an ambitious funding envelope commensurate with the incentives, research, and knowledge transfer activities required to reflect the interrelated demands of environmental, economic and social sustainability.

10/05/2023

Canadian Federation of Agriculture

Provide financial support through the first 2 to 3 years for the creation of a Grocery Code Adjudication Office, which will be critical to advance the training, education, dispute resolution services, and oversight necessary to implement an industry-led Grocery Industry Code of Conduct.

10/05/2023

Canadian Federation of Agriculture

Provide financial support to establish a Secretariat that will support the implementation of the National Workforce Strategy for Agriculture and Food and Beverage Manufacturing.

10/05/2023

Canadian Federation of Agriculture

[Expand] the definition of a “child” [in the Income Tax Act] to also allow sibling shareholders to pass a non-controlling share of their ownership to the next generation.

10/05/2023

Canadian Federation of Agriculture

Advocate for the elimination of non-tariff barriers to trade in international trade agreements.

10/05/2023

Canadian Federation of Agriculture

Ensure no additional access to supply-managed sectors in future trade agreements.

10/05/2023

Équiterre

Foster sustainable agricultural practices by providing funding to train and hire … additional advisory services officers … and by expanding the On-Farm Climate Action Fund.

11/13/2023

Équiterre

Protect farmland and facilitate succession by creating an Agricultural Gifts Program and a fund to support access to farmland.

11/13/2023

Équiterre

Help ensure that healthy eating is affordable in public institutions by expanding existing school food programs … and by enhancing the infrastructure and capacity of partner institutions and agencies.

11/13/2023

Fish Food and Allied Workers - Unifor

Make important commercial species [such as mackerel, snow crab, seal, northern shrimp and northern cod] a priority [in] assessing the health of [Canada’s] marine species and determining management plans based on those assessments.

10/13/2023

Fish Food and Allied Workers - Unifor

[Ensure that the Fisheries Act and related regulations, which] acknowledge that the owner-operator fishery brings substantially more value to [the] economy than corporate-owned fisheries, … are vigorously enforced to bring consequences to delinquents and protect the future of … communities.

10/13/2023

Green Budget Coalition

[Implement measures to support] sustainable agriculture … to help … Canada [become] a leader in sustainable and innovative agriculture with a resilient and diversified food system.

9/25/2023

Greener Village

[Create] … an earmarked fund to support a national pilot program … available to food banks.

10/05/2023

Greener Village

Develop and support initiatives that strengthen local food systems, divert edible food from landfills and promote autonomy and resilience for citizens and communities.

10/05/2023

Greener Village

[Catalyze entrepreneurship to promote craft food production by facilitating] the creation of, and access to, food storage and [Canadian Food Inspection Agency-compliant] and class 5 commercial rental kitchens.

10/05/2023

Greener Village

Reduce dependency on food imports … [by investing] in intraprovincial and interprovincial food transportation, warehousing and cold storage infrastructure to decrease food waste, transportation costs, greenhouse gas emissions and the reliance on imported foods.

10/05/2023

Greener Village

Consider … investment into the food bank network.

10/05/2023

Keystone Agricultural Producers

Exempt farms from filing the underused housing tax … return.

11/15/2023

Keystone Agricultural Producers

Ensure that the Pest Management Regulatory Agency … is appropriately resourced and improves their internal processes in support of timely, transparent and science-based decisions that will help Canadian producers remain competitive in a global market.

11/15/2023

Keystone Agricultural Producers

Ensure that the launch of a sustainable agriculture strategy is inclusive of all agriculture commodities.

11/15/2023

Keystone Agricultural Producers

Increase AgriStability coverage to 85% of the reference margin.

11/15/2023

Keystone Agricultural Producers

Implement measures to support farmers' right to repair their own farm machinery.

11/15/2023

Keystone Agricultural Producers

Increase the capital gains exemption threshold [for qualified farm or fishing property] above $1 million to be more in line with current land values.

11/15/2023

Keystone Agricultural Producers

Making changes to the Income Tax Act regarding the expanded definition of a child for passing on non-controlling shares of ownership to the next generation.

11/15/2023

National Cattle Feeders’ Association

Consult on and develop a Critical Farm Input Strategy to ensure Canadian producers have an affordable and stable supply for critical farm inputs.

11/16/2023

National Cattle Feeders’ Association

Provide increased and predictable funding to the Canadian Integrated Program for Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance for an enhanced national antimicrobial use, resistance and surveillance program.

11/16/2023

National Cattle Feeders’ Association

Maintain the interest-free portion of the Advanced Payments Program at a level of $350,000.

11/16/2023

National Cattle Feeders’ Association

Foster a business environment that supports Canadian agriculture through regulatory, policy, and taxation requirements that track alongside those of [Canada’s] international competitors.

11/16/2023

Ocean Choice International

Increase funding resources for robust fishery science to support management decision-making.

10/13/2023

Ocean Choice International

[Ensure that Fisheries and Oceans Canada] engage with [the fishing] industry and leverage industry resources promptly to guarantee that [stock] assessments can be completed on a timely basis.

10/13/2023

Ocean Choice International

Implement measures to mitigate the high cost of fuel due to the clean fuel regulations for sectors with no ability to control the cost.

10/13/2023

Ocean Choice International

Continue to provide funding to the Atlantic Fisheries Fund to facilitate strategic and transformative investments for the region.

10/13/2023

Prince Edward Island Federation of Agriculture

[Maintain the interest-free portion of loans offered by] the advance payments program.

10/10/2023

Prince Edward Island Fishermen's Association

[Provide] funding for scientific research to establish baseline data in fishing areas where on-water wind generation is proposed.

10/10/2023

Prince Edward Island Fishermen's Association

[Reduce] the number of licences for some species [of fish, such as groundfish, tuna, herring and mackerel by a minimum of 50%] through a targeted licence buy-back program … to put these fisheries in line with available quotas.

10/10/2023

Prince Edward Island Fishermen's Association

[Allocate funding for] scientific research to assess offshore area impacts of tropical storm Fiona on [Prince Edward Island, including on lobster stocks].

10/10/2023

The Mustard Seed

Work in partnership with provinces and territories, indigenous peoples and non-profit organizations to develop and implement a national school nutritious meal program and related school food policies in support of and in line with the evolving food policy for Canada … [and ensure] funding … [reaches] the local level.

11/15/2023

Arts, Culture and Language

Witness Name

Witness Proposal

Date of Appearance

Alliance des femmes de la francophonie canadienne

Ensure specific core funding for all minority francophone and Acadian women's organizations and [increase the] the envelope of funds allocated as core funding for Canadian Francophonie organizations.

11/17/2023

Alliance des femmes de la francophonie canadienne

Set aside a specific envelope for francophone and Acadian women's organizations as part of the funding allocated to all federal institutions.

11/17/2023

Alliance des femmes de la francophonie canadienne

Invest in facilitating access to resources and services for francophone caregivers.

11/17/2023

Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists

Operationalize the Policy Statement in the Status of the Artist Act by … directing all appropriate federal agencies to require that, as a condition of funding, every producer of Canadian content must adhere to the terms and conditions of the appropriate collective agreements … [and] directing the [Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission] to introduce an analogous requirement on every undertaking it licenses or regulates.

10/19/2023

Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists

[Introduce legislation to provide] protections for performer’s images, likeness, voices, and performances to prevent unauthorized replacement of human performances by artificial intelligence technology.

10/19/2023

Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists

Update Canada’s Copyright Act for all artists to ensure they can be compensated when their work is used [by expanding] Moral Rights provisions … to strengthen [artists’] common law “right of personality” … [and by strengthening] Economic Rights provisions … to keep up with international standards, and technological advancements.

10/19/2023

Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists

[Institute] an un-waivable right for performers in making available fixed performances to on-demand and interactive streaming, both for sound recordings and audiovisual recordings.

10/19/2023

Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists

[Continue] efforts to achieve a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive recorded media industry.

10/19/2023

Assembly of First Nations

[Make] investments to urgently reverse language decline and support initiatives in non-school settings.

10/26/2023

Association canadienne-française de l'Alberta

[Increase] the Action Plan for Official Languages 2023-2028 ... core funding for organizations that serve francophone minority language communities.

11/16/2023

Association canadienne-française de l'Alberta

Create a ... strategic fund ... within the Department of Foreign Affairs to support an effective strategy for internationalizing La Francophonie.

11/16/2023

Association canadienne-française de l'Alberta

Provide the funding needed to implement the new Official Languages Act so that federal departments and agencies and minority language communities receive adequate funding to meet the act’s new requirements.

11/16/2023

Association canadienne-française de l'Alberta

Ensure that amounts added to the latest Action Plan for Official Languages are made permanent to allow the sustainable and ongoing growth of minority language communities.

11/16/2023

Association canadienne-française de l'Alberta

Review [the] funding envelopes [for Alberta's francophonie] to reflect [new realities, such as the growth of its French-speaking population].

11/16/2023

Association canadienne-française de l'Alberta

[Review the amounts allocated to] the official languages in education program [for Alberta given] that [its] population and educational needs have grown significantly.

11/16/2023

Association canadienne-française de l'Alberta

Continue to include language clauses [in transfers] to the provinces and territories for various initiatives.

11/16/2023

Association culturelle de la francophonie manitobaine

[Support] organizations such as the [Association culturelle de la francophonie manitobaine], which work for the development of rural regions through arts, culture and heritage.

11/13/2023

Association des collèges et universités de la francophonie canadienne

Permanently increase funding to support post-secondary institutions in official language minority communities.

11/15/2023

Association des collèges et universités de la francophonie canadienne

Create a post-secondary bursary program for students whose first language is French, with an envelope … equivalent to [that of] the existing program for students whose second language is French.

11/15/2023

Association québécoise de l'industrie du disque, du spectacle et de la vidéo

Increase annual contributions to the Canada Music Fund ... to ensure better and more stable funding for the music sector.

11/14/2023

Canadian Independent Music Association

Fulfill the Government commitment to a permanent increase to the Canada Music Fund ..., along with [additional funding] for new live programming.

11/14/2023

Canadian Independent Music Association

[Expedite] amendments to the Copyright Act … and support reforms that benefit Canadian-owned independent music.

11/14/2023

Canadian Independent Music Association

Ensure that new funding mechanisms resulting from [Bill] C-11, the Online Streaming Act, … prioritize provisions for funding to be directed to FACTOR and Musicaction.

11/14/2023

Community Radio Fund of Canada

Provide an annual operating budget for all community, Indigenous, and campus-licenced radio stations, [which] could be established and administered by the Community Radio Fund of Canada.

9/25/2023

Community Radio Fund of Canada

Increase funding for the Local Journalism Initiative …and ensure the funding is timely.

9/25/2023

Community Radio Fund of Canada

Make advertising with campus and community radio stations mandatory for all government advertising campaigns.

9/25/2023

Confédération des syndicats nationaux

Support the media … [and do not deprive it] of revenue.

10/19/2023

Festivals and Major Events Canada

Make permanent the additions made to the base budget of [the Canada Arts Presentation Fund and the Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage program] in 2019–2020.

10/10/2023

Festivals and Major Events Canada

[Provide] additional funding to [the Canada Arts Presentation Fund] and the Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage program.

10/10/2023

Université de l’Ontario français

Permanently increase the funding … to the post-secondary sector in official language minority communities.

11/14/2023

Carbon Pollution Pricing

Witness Name

Witness Proposal

Date of Appearance

Canadian Federation of Agriculture

Extend the on-farm exemption for qualifying farming fuel to marketable natural gas and propane.

10/05/2023

Canadian Federation of Independent Business

Freeze the carbon tax at its current level and find a simple way to return the carbon tax collected from small businesses back to them.

11/14/2023

Canadian Federation of Independent Business

[Return to all small businesses the carbon tax amounts that have] already been earmarked for [them] and collected from them.

11/14/2023

Canadian Federation of Independent Business

Expedite the passing of Bill C-234, An Act to amend the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act, to exempt natural gas and propane used for on-farm activities.

11/14/2023

Dalhousie University, Agri-Food Analytics Lab

Evaluate [the] effects [of the carbon tax] on the affordability of food for Canadians and the long-term competitiveness of [Canada’s] industries.

10/19/2023

Dalhousie University, Agri-Food Analytics Lab

[Consider] a temporary pause on any carbon pricing policies affecting [the] food supply chain … until we gain a clearer understanding of their impact.

10/19/2023

Dooley's Trucking

[Listen] to what the industry is saying about the cause and effects of [the carbon tax].

10/13/2023

Keystone Agricultural Producers

Extend the on-farm exemption for qualifying farm fuel to marketable natural gas and propane.

11/15/2023

Mark Purdon (as an Individual)

[Revisit the advantages of] emissions trading systems linked with the United States … [and] carbon climate finance mechanisms … for reducing emissions in co-operation with other developing economies where costs of reducing emissions are lower.

10/26/2023

Pierre-Olivier Pineau (as an individual)

Design policies, such as more ecofiscality, to encourage Canadians to spend less on items that pollute and spend more on items that don't pollute.

10/19/2023

Prince Edward Island Federation of Agriculture

[Match] continued investment in [the on-farm climate action fund] … with additional resources for the establishment of soil carbon as part of Canada's greenhouse gas offset credit system.

10/10/2023

Prince Edward Island Federation of Agriculture

[Implement a mechanism to] ensure that … [emissions] reductions [are] measured, verified and reported to … the Canadian regulated credit system—rather than a voluntary market.

10/10/2023

Children, Families and Social Policy

Witness Name

Witness Proposal

Date of Appearance

Assembly of First Nations

[Make] investments to support ongoing inflation relief benefits for First Nations [Income Assistance] clients.

10/26/2023

Assembly of First Nations

[Make] investments for First Nations youth to thrive and support their transition into adulthood.

10/26/2023

Business Council of Manitoba

[Implement] a joint funding program with provinces to create new day care spaces, and to recruit and train workers in support of the national $10-a-day day care program.

11/15/2023

C.D. Howe Institute

[Replace] the tax deduction granted for childcare expenses ... with a refundable tax credit.

10/19/2023

C.D. Howe Institute

Implement a benefit shields, focusing on the Child Tax Benefit and the Canada Workers Benefit … [which] would partly compensate workers for the loss of certain income-tested tax credits – but only in the first year after they take on more work.

10/19/2023

Canadian Worker Co-operative Federation

Implement the recommendations from the Social Innovation and Social Finance … Strategy.

11/13/2023

Centre for Future Work

Continue and expand targeted fiscal supports for hard-hit Canadians, such as the GST credit and the Canada housing benefit.

10/19/2023

Coalition Canada Basic Income

Develop… a [Guaranteed Basic Income] for working-age adults aged 18 to 64, including migrant workers, temporary and permanent residents and refugee claimants.

10/10/2023

Coalition Canada Basic Income

Determine collaboratively [with provincial and indigenous governments] which programs would be replaced, if any, and which would continue [such as provincial employment and training programs and counselling and rehabilitative services and supports] when the [Guaranteed Basic Income] is implemented.

10/10/2023

Dalhousie University, Agri-Food Analytics Lab

Consider launching a national nutrition coupon program fund specifically designed to support children and families who generally cannot afford healthy food.

10/19/2023

Greener Village

Create capacity to streamline funding channels and help charities create social enterprises to make them more sustainable.

10/05/2023

Make Poverty History Manitoba

[Transform the] social assistance system towards a basic livable income program [including on reserves].

11/15/2023

Nourish Nova Scotia

Establish a national nutritious school meal program as a key element of the food policy for Canada.

10/12/2023

Oxfam Canada

Expand non-profit and publicly owned early learning and childcare with [additional funding] to the existing Infrastructure Fund.

10/26/2023

Consumption Taxes and Excise Duties

Witness Name

Witness Proposal

Date of Appearance

Aerospace Industries Association of Canada

Exclude aircraft from the Luxury Items Tax Act.

10/10/2023

C.D. Howe Institute

Fund new spending with a higher GST rate, rather than growth-inhibiting hikes in personal and corporate income taxes.

10/19/2023

Canadian Business Aviation Association

Place a moratorium on the luxury tax on aircraft until additional consultation with industry has been completed.

11/16/2023

Canadian Chamber of Commerce

Reconsider annual, automatic indexing of beer, wine, and spirits excise duties … [to] allow Parliament to consider market or operating environment changes when imposing new taxes.

11/02/2023

Canadian Federation of Independent Business

Cap or eliminate the automatic escalator on the alcohol excise tax.

11/14/2023

Cannabis Council of Canada

[Make] adjustments to the excise tax formula [for cannabis] and to costly matters about how the formula operates.

10/26/2023

Dalhousie University, Agri-Food Analytics Lab

[Clarify the] misconception [that taxes apply exclusively to unhealthy grocery products.]

10/19/2023

Dalhousie University, Agri-Food Analytics Lab

Eliminate all sales tax on groceries.

10/19/2023

Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec

[Implement measures to limit inflation, such as capping the automatic indexation of the alcohol excise tax.]

11/13/2023

Corporate and Business Taxation

Witness Name

Witness Proposal

Date of Appearance

Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce

Avoid imposing additional taxes on businesses.

11/17/2023

Alberta Federation of Labour

Introduce an excess profits tax to discourage oligopolistic companies from using their market power to [increase] prices.

11/16/2023

Bennett Jones LLP

Encourage the reinvestment of retained earnings [with larger investment tax credits].

9/25/2023

C.D. Howe Institute

Implement a temporary general investment tax credit, applicable to all investments in depreciable assets, including intangibles, at a rate of 5 percent, in effect from now until 2025 ... [followed by a reduction of] the corporate income tax rate from 15 percent to 13 percent.

10/19/2023

C.D. Howe Institute

Establish an “IP Box” tax mechanism whereby income from patents and other intellectual property generated by activity in Canada would face a lower corporate tax rate.

10/19/2023

C.D. Howe Institute

Tie the Small Business Deduction to the age of firms [so that, at] five-year intervals, the threshold level of capital assets that qualifies for the Small Business Deduction would rise and the level of the deduction fall, regardless of firm size, until the standard corporate tax rate is reached.

10/19/2023

C.D. Howe Institute

Exempt from taxation capital gains realized on the sale of certain publicly traded small business shares.

10/19/2023

Canadian Chamber of Commerce

Avoid imposing new taxes on the business sector.

11/02/2023

Canadian Chamber of Commerce

Immediately stand still on [the] plan to enact the [digital services tax] and allow the [Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development] process to complete.

11/02/2023

Canadian Chamber of Commerce

Defer implementation of Pillar 2 of the OECD tax deal in Canada.

11/02/2023

Canadian Chamber of Commerce

Extend the Accelerated investment incentive.

11/02/2023

Canadian Chamber of Commerce

Align [Scientific Research and Experimental Development] tax credit criteria with the [Income Tax Act].

11/02/2023

Canadian Chamber of Commerce

Eliminate or amend the tax on share buybacks. If enacted, it should protect Canadian SMEs by including an exemption threshold and be limited to instances when public companies acquire their own shares on the market for cancellation.

11/02/2023

Canadian Chamber of Commerce

Maximize the impact of existing flow-through share tax credits. Relax the time limit for making qualifying expenditures, especially where regulatory delays prevent the company from spending in an allotted time frame, and make those costs eligible for the “look-back” rule.

11/02/2023

Canadian Chamber of Commerce

Lower financing costs to put mines into production. Incorporating critical mineral pre-production costs into the new Critical Mineral Exploration Tax Credit would spur production.

11/02/2023

Canadian Federation of Independent Business

Increase the small business deduction threshold ... and the passive income amount …, and index those thresholds to inflation going forward.

11/14/2023

Canadian Federation of Independent Business

Lower the federal small business tax rate from 9% to 8%, at least for the next two years.

11/14/2023

Canadian Federation of Independent Business

Delay the phaseout of the Accelerated Capital Cost Allowance ... measures by at least three years and make immediate expensing permanent.

11/14/2023

Canadian Federation of Independent Business

Increase the Lifetime Capital Gains Exemption ... for all [small and medium enterprises] and expand it to include some assets.

11/14/2023

Canadian Federation of Independent Business

Include tax incentives for sellers to offset costs and risks associated with Employee Ownership Trusts.

11/14/2023

Canadian Labour Congress

[Introduce] a windfall profits tax on large food retailers and use the revenues to fund an extension of the grocery rebate.

9/21/2023

Canadian Worker Co-operative Federation

Provide tax and other incentives to worker co-operatives in harmony with incentives provided to Employee Ownership Trusts.

11/13/2023

Centre for Future Work

[Institute] incremental taxes on the profits of companies that have contributed to Canadian inflation through historically high profit margins… including [companies in] the oil and gas sector and supermarkets.

10/19/2023

Centre for Future Work

[Continue and expand the two per cent] tax on share buybacks.

10/19/2023

Co-operative Housing Federation of British Columbia

Refresh the current approach to taxation and government revenue generation to reduce the financial burden on non-profit and coop housing providers.

11/15/2023

Manitoba Chambers of Commerce

Avoid imposing new business taxes that further drive away investment.

11/15/2023

Oxfam Canada

Introduce a 15 per cent windfall tax for companies in all sectors that generate oversized profits due to crises.

10/26/2023

Education

Witness Name

Witness Proposal

Date of Appearance

Assembly of First Nations

[Make] investments based on real needs [to] close the educational attainment gap and address critical funding shortfalls in language, education transportation, and facilities.

10/26/2023

Assembly of First Nations

[Make] investments to immediately build, replace, repair, and expand First Nations schools and teacherages and eliminate overcrowding.

10/26/2023

Assembly of First Nations

[Make] investments [to support] students, institutions, community-based programming, and ongoing technical tables in advancing First Nations [Post-Secondary Education] models.

10/26/2023

Assembly of First Nations

[Make] investments to expand adult education programming that meets the unique needs of First Nations adult learners.

10/26/2023

Association of Atlantic Universities

Ensure federal funding programs which incentivize green infrastructure, such as Energy and Natural Resources Canada’s ... proposed Green Building Strategy, be designed in a way that provides all post-secondary institutions, including Atlantic Canada’s universities, a fair chance to access funding.

10/12/2023

Association of Atlantic Universities

Direct the department to review and revise eligibility criteria for green infrastructure, energy efficiency and accessibility programs, ensuring Atlantic Canada’s universities are eligible for project funding which aligns with federal government policy goals.

10/12/2023

Association of Atlantic Universities

Instruct the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation ... to revise The National Housing Strategy to prioritize and establish a funding program to assist universities to build affordable, accessible on-and-off campus student housing and make post-secondary institutions eligible as a primary applicant for funding from the Housing Accelerator Fund.

10/12/2023

Canadian Association of University Teachers

Boost granting council budgets for core programming as recommended by the Advisory Panel on the Federal Research Support System.

10/13/2023

Canadian Association of University Teachers

Increase … both the number and value of graduate student scholarships and post-doctoral fellowships.

10/13/2023

Canadian Association of University Teachers

Permanently double the value of the Canada Student Grant, and … establish a more equitable 50-50 funding model for grants and loans, moving away from the current 2:1 model of repayable loans versus grants.

10/13/2023

Canadian Association of University Teachers

[Provide] funding … to improve data collection on equity, diversity and inclusion in post-secondary education, including the science and research workforce, the student experience, mental health, housing, international students, student debt and educational outcomes.

10/13/2023

Canadian Association of University Teachers

Protect the mission of public post-secondary education by amending the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act and the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act to exclude public post-secondary education institutions.

10/13/2023

Canadian Association of University Teachers

Provide [funding] to close the gap in Indigenous post-secondary educational attainment and support, [including] increased support for the Post-Secondary Student Support Program as well as funding for the Inuit and Métis Post-Secondary Education Strategies.

10/13/2023

Colleges and Institutes Canada

[Invest] in student housing.

11/15/2023

Colleges and Institutes Canada

Invest … in a new Student Housing Loan and Grant Program, to be administered by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation … [to enable] post-secondary institutions to obtain grants and loans to develop student housing projects [both new builds and projects to buy and repurpose existing buildings] ..., with additional supports for housing [for] students from vulnerable populations.

11/15/2023

Colleges and Institutes Canada

Fund the International Education Strategy … adequately to strengthen Canada’s global education brand.

11/15/2023

Colleges and Institutes Canada

Invest … to support student mental health at Canada’s post-secondary institutions.

11/15/2023

Nova Scotia Community College

Leverage the network of public colleges we have in this country in order to continue to provide opportunities for Nova Scotians and all Canadians to get the skills they need.

10/12/2023

Public Service Alliance of Canada

Commit to a national post-secondary framework that sets out robust and reliable funding and standards for all post-secondary education institutions in the country, ensuring affordable, accessible, quality public education for all, and decent working conditions for those employed by these institutions.

10/05/2023

Université de l’Ontario français

Continue funding for the Université de l'Ontario français and its development.

11/14/2023

Université du Québec

Increase … the annual value of Canada's graduate scholarships [by 50% with] … an annual adjustment based on inflation.

11/02/2023

Université du Québec

[Double] the number of graduate student scholarships available through the three councils.

11/02/2023

Université du Québec

[Increase] the granting councils' total base budgets … by at least 10% annually for five years.

11/02/2023

Université du Québec

[Implement] measures to ensure greater funding equity across different disciplines.

11/02/2023

Employment and Labour

Witness Name

Witness Proposal

Date of Appearance

Aerospace Industries Association of Canada

Invest in and develop an aerospace workforce development plan which includes skilled labour programs, streamlined immigration processes, and youth engagement initiatives.

10/10/2023

Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists

[Make employment insurance] available to self-employed performers.

10/19/2023

Business Council of Manitoba

[Implement programs to attract workers to address the shortage of skilled trades labour and increase funding to provinces via the Labour Market Development Agreements.]

11/15/2023

Business Council of Manitoba

[Invest] in programs that will increase workforce participation rates, including among female, northern and indigenous citizens [through measures such as] work-integrated learning provided through employers, tax credits to offset the costs of employer-led training, and strategically aligning university education funding with employer needs.

11/15/2023

Calgary Chamber of Commerce

Consider measures that support credentialling and accreditation to ensure newcomers are eligible to work in in-demand fields upon their arrival.

11/16/2023

Calgary Chamber of Commerce

Collaborate with Alberta-based businesses to understand their temporary foreign worker requirements, identifying program changes that will support business growth, such as increases to provincial nomination limits, extending the time workers are eligible to remain in Canada and evaluating options to reduce the cost of performing a Labour Market Impact Assessment.

11/16/2023

Canadian Chamber of Commerce

Expand abilities to head off preventable threats to supply chains. … Government should consider providing new dispute resolution tools, including the authority to the federal cabinet to compel binding arbitration for the resolution of a labour dispute in sectors that are essential to Canada’s supply chains, including railways and ports.

11/02/2023

Canadian Chamber of Commerce

Abandon introducing Anti-Replacement Worker Legislation.

11/02/2023

Canadian Chamber of Commerce

Continue to decentralize the immigration selection process and support local solutions built by communities to address community workforce needs. Collaborate more closely with provincial, territorial and municipal governments, and with the private sector, to better understand labour market needs across the country.

11/02/2023

Canadian Chamber of Commerce

Develop strategic, skills-based immigration programs aligned with regional labour needs. These … should be complemented by supports addressing barriers to hiring highly skilled foreign talent, enhancements to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, and a pathway to permanent residency for agriculture and food workers.

11/02/2023

Canadian Chamber of Commerce

Expedite and reduce the complexity of foreign qualification recognition.

11/02/2023

Canadian Federation of Independent Business

Lower Employment Insurance … premiums for smaller employers.

11/14/2023

Canadian Federation of Independent Business

Build on, or make permanent, recent initiatives that allow temporary immigrants already in Canada (e.g., students, super visa holders, accompanying dependents) to work or to work more hours.

11/14/2023

Canadian Federation of Independent Business

Allow temporary immigrants already in Canada to work or work more.

11/14/2023

Canadian Federation of Independent Business

Avoid creating disincentives to work when designing or introducing new programs (e.g., dental, disability benefits) or when modifying existing programs (e.g., [Employment Insurance]).

11/14/2023

Canadian Federation of Independent Business

Enhance incentives to work for older individuals.

11/14/2023

Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions

Introduce a tax credit for nurses and other health care professionals that incentivizes the retention of health care professionals and their return to the workforce.

11/15/2023

Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions

Provide funding … through the Public Health Agency of Canada to tailor and pilot an Internet-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy program for nurses.

11/15/2023

Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions

Work with the provinces and territories to set legislated limits on the consecutive hours of work for nurses.

11/15/2023

Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions

Earmark … funding to establish a Health Workplace Violence Reduction Plan, that includes a national awareness campaign with a pan-Canadian framework for the prevention of violence in health care settings enshrined in federal legislation; appropriate training of prosecutors and public safety personnel in relevant legislation; [and] targeted funding to the provinces and territories to upgrade violence-prevention infrastructure and training.

11/15/2023

Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions

Lead a national nursing retention strategy, in partnership with provincial and territorial governments, that advances proven retention, return and recruitment initiatives.

11/15/2023

Canadian Labour Congress

Establish an annual government contribution of 20% of Employment Insurance program costs.

9/21/2023

Canadian Labour Congress

Set a universal 360-hour/12-week qualifying threshold for regular and special benefits.

9/21/2023

Canadian Labour Congress

Provide up to 50 weeks of regular [Employment Insurance benefits].

9/21/2023

Canadian Labour Congress

Raise the ceiling on insurable earnings and substantially increase the 55% benefit rate.

9/21/2023

Canadian Labour Congress

End the 50-week restriction on combined special benefits and regular benefits, which disproportionately punishes women.

9/21/2023

Canadian Labour Congress

Extend [Employment Insurance] access to all migrant workers.

9/21/2023

Canadian Labour Congress

Introduce federal anti-scab legislation by the end of 2023.

9/21/2023

Canadian Labour Congress

Reform the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and International Mobility Program by replacing tied work permits with open permits, establishing a pathway to permanent residency for all low-wage migrant workers who want to apply, and substitute permanent immigration in place of low-wage, temporary migration.

9/21/2023

Canadian Labour Congress

Adopt the recommendations contained in the report of the expert panel on modernizing federal labour standards, including anti-reprisal protections for non-unionized workers taking collective action in the workplace, and [pilot] sectoral bargaining in the federally-regulated private-sector.

9/21/2023

Canadian Worker Co-operative Federation

Support [the Canadian Worker Co-operative Federation]’s Building Community Resiliency program.

11/13/2023

Confédération des syndicats nationaux

Reform and improve the employment insurance system.

10/19/2023

Confédération des syndicats nationaux

[Give workers participating in] the Temporary Foreign Workers Program … the right to change employer.

10/19/2023

Construction Association of Prince Edward Island

Address ongoing industry-wide labour shortages by modernizing the existing immigration policy and points system to better reflect the workforce needs of the Canadian economy.

10/10/2023

Fish Food and Allied Workers - Unifor

Make urgent and necessary changes to the federal employment insurance program [for] over 30,000 seasonal workers [in Newfoundland and Labrador’s tourism and fishing industries who] are currently living through a financial crisis [as a result of] … a benefit crisis.

10/13/2023

Greater Charlottetown Area Chamber of Commerce

Find a way to … collaborate and implement permanent solutions to seasonal employment challenges, such as programs or incentives to bridge into year-round employment.

10/10/2023

Greater Vancouver Board of Trade

Continue to invest in talent, productivity, research and innovation while streamlining the processes for both interprovincial labour exchange and international skilled immigration.

11/15/2023

Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador

[Address the issue related to] the adjusted unemployment rate, [which] has put many seasonal workers in a position to be either short on qualifying weeks or short on qualifying hours.

10/13/2023

Manufacturiers et Exportateurs du Québec

Align … economic immigration [with the needs of] … Quebec and Canadian manufacturers.

13/11/2023

Mouvement autonome et solidaire des sans-emploi

Improving access to [Employment Insurance (EI) by establishing] the eligibility threshold at 350 hours or 13 weeks worked; [abolishing] total exclusions from EI; and [establishing] full coverage in the event of unemployment, regardless of maternity, paternity or parental benefits received.

11/13/2023

Mouvement autonome et solidaire des sans-emploi

Improving access to [Employment Insurance by setting] a minimum floor of 35 weeks of benefits; and [setting] the benefit rate at a minimum of 70% calculated on the best 12 weeks worked.

11/13/2023

Mouvement autonome et solidaire des sans-emploi

Protect the [Employment Insurance] fund.

11/13/2023

Mouvement autonome et solidaire des sans-emploi

[Excluding] special benefits from [Employment Insurance].

11/13/2023

Newfoundland and Labrador Public Sector Pensioners' Association

[Adopt] an older worker strategy that promotes and supports older persons who wish to return to work or to continue to work beyond retirement while at the same time supporting employers to be successful in their line of business.

10/13/2023

Public Service Alliance of Canada

Working with bargaining agents, amend the [Federal Public Sector Labour Relations Act] to bring it in line with measures and protections afforded under legislation in other sectors … [and include] language requiring employers to pay workers properly and on time.

10/05/2023

Public Service Alliance of Canada

Increase [Employment Insurance] benefit rates for all recipients, sufficient to ensure a livable income, and increase eligibility across sectors and job classifications.

10/05/2023

Réseau FADOQ

Extend the [Employment Insurance] benefit period to a maximum of 52 weeks for caregivers who temporarily quit their jobs to care for a family member.

9/25/2023

Réseau FADOQ

Introduce a refundable career extension tax credit to allow experienced workers to keep working.

9/25/2023

Tourism Industry Association of Canada

Extend the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot program and maintain its focus on Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s training, education, experience and responsibilities categories 4 and 5.

11/02/2023

Tourism Industry Association of Canada

Create a dedicated tourism sector stream with a permanent residency track under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program.

11/02/2023

Tourism Industry Association of Canada

Fund the development of a dedicated workforce strategy for Canada’s Indigenous tourism industry.

11/02/2023

Tourism Industry Association of Canada

Provide core funding to Tourism HR Canada to bolster strategic initiatives in support of tourism workforce growth.

11/02/2023

Energy

Witness Name

Witness Proposal

Date of Appearance

Aerospace Industries Association of Canada

Provide [an] actionable plan for Sustainable Aviation Fuel industry in Canada.

10/10/2023

Alberta Federation of Labour

Look at the clean energy regulation as a platform for industrial policy and job creation, not simply as a mechanism for emission reduction.

11/16/2023

Bear Head Energy

Provide more detail as to which assets are eligible for which tax credits, especially the necessary common infrastructure assets that aren’t specifically used in either hydrogen or ammonia production, as well as to how the carbon intensity calculations are to be made.

10/12/2023

Bear Head Energy

Ensure that project sponsors have sufficient confidence in the availability of the investment tax credit, by having the carbon intensity calculation be a one-time test to be passed at the time of successful commissioning of the facilities.

10/12/2023

Calgary Chamber of Commerce

Ensure affordability and reliability are central to policy development, particularly for the Clean Electricity Regulations

11/16/2023

Calgary Chamber of Commerce

Advance the development of production tax credits for clean hydrogen, carbon capture, utilization, and storage and low-carbon fuel in Canada.

11/16/2023

Calgary Chamber of Commerce

Develop incentives and policies to advance biofuel production, including sustainable aviation fuel.

11/16/2023

Canadian Gas Association

Exempt [the electricity and natural gas sectors] from the proposed interest deductibility legislation.

11/14/2023

Canadian Gas Association

Introduce [a] methane pyrolysis addition [to the hydrogen investment tax credit] and a biofuel investment tax credit on or before budget 2024.

11/14/2023

Centre for Future Work

[Continue and expand] the made-in-Canada supports for clean-energy investments including in electric vehicles and battery plants in Canada.

10/19/2023

Confédération des syndicats nationaux

Put an end to the financial support of the oil and gas industry as soon as possible.

10/19/2023

Econext

Directly finance the evolution of Newfoundland and Labrador's electricity grid.

10/13/2023

Econext

[Implement the investment tax credits for clean electricity, clean technology and clean hydrogen announced in Budget 2023 quickly] and consider how they can be further supported and leveraged.

10/13/2023

EverWind Fuels

Implement the right tax initiatives and supports to ensure that Canada is the global leader in the quickly emerging renewable energy sector.

10/12/2023

Fairness Alberta

[Make reasonable accommodation for Alberta regarding the objective to achieve a net-zero electrical grid by 2035].

11/16/2023

Fairness Alberta

[Make reasonable accommodation for the oil and gas sector regarding the oil and gas emission cap policy].

11/16/2023

Green Budget Coalition

[Implement measures to support the development of] a zero-emissions electricity grid based on renewables.

9/25/2023

Mark Purdon (as an Individual)

Continue … the clean technology credits.

10/26/2023

Mark Purdon (as an Individual)

Do more on the production of clean fuels and clean vehicles.

10/26/2023

Tourism Industry Association of Canada

Fund and incentivize private investment in the domestic production of Sustainable Aviation Fuels and in new green solutions in the cruise ship industry.

11/02/2023

Vancouver Airport Authority

Create the necessary financial and public policy supports to follow the Canadian Council for Sustainable Aviation Fuels road map.

11/17/2023

World Energy GH2

Ensure that Canada is a competitive jurisdiction for investments in clean hydrogen.

10/13/2023

World Energy GH2

Finalize investment tax credits for clean technologies and clean hydrogen [and make them] comprehensive in coverage and supplemented with added measures.

10/13/2023

World Energy GH2

Secure partnerships with other countries that are purchasing green energy.

10/13/2023

Federal Departments and Public Service

Witness Name

Witness Proposal

Date of Appearance

Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists

[Revise] the federal procurement policy … to forbid the use of scab labour, directly or indirectly.

10/19/2023

Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists

Amend federal government procurement policy to ensure that every producer undertaking audiovisual work … for the Government adheres to all relevant collective agreements.

10/19/2023

Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists

Ensure that all future advertising agencies selected as the federal government’s “Agency of Record,” or engaged otherwise, be signatory to [the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists’] National Commercial Agreement.

10/19/2023

C.D. Howe Institute

Limit growth of federal employee numbers and payroll expense by freezing federal departmental operating budgets for wages and salaries at their 2023 levels for five years, while ensuring competitive compensation for federal employees.

10/19/2023

C.D. Howe Institute

Transition federal employees’ pension plans to shared-risk, shared-governance plans in which taxpayers bear less risk.

10/19/2023

Canadian Chamber of Commerce

Use public sector procurement to stimulate cybersecurity innovation in Canada. Make government technology procurement practices more agile, challenge-based, and outcome-driven.

11/02/2023

Canadian Labour Congress

Introduce a mandatory requirement for contractors to hire apprenticeships on all federal procurement and infrastructure projects.

9/21/2023

Construction Association of Prince Edward Island

Modernize [and improve] procurement processes. … [and require that they] be reviewed by the Auditor General, and [that the] industry ... be engaged to ensure that practices better balance risk sharing between public contracts and the private sector, reduce red tape and accelerate approvals for critical projects.

10/10/2023

Council of Canadian Innovators

Develop a procurement strategy for domestic small and medium-sized enterprises.

10/05/2023

Electric Mobility Canada

Create a dedicated Privy Council Office to coordinate [electric vehicle] responsibilities across departments and advise the Prime Minister on progress being made towards achieving the government’s electrification goals.

11/16/2023

Electric Mobility Canada

Work with leading Canadian [electric vehicle] organizations to establish experiential learning opportunities for elected officials and civil servants.

11/16/2023

Electric Mobility Canada

Starting now, [purchase only electric vehicles] unless an electric option does not yet exist to meet a specific need [and] set a hard target of at least 10% of all [federally] owned and occupied parking spaces being electrified by no later than 2025.

11/16/2023

Electric Mobility Canada

[Implement and promote] clean procurement policies instead of lowest bidder policies.

11/16/2023

Manufacturiers et Exportateurs du Québec

Review … procurement policies and eliminate the lowest bidder rule to enable [Canadian] businesses, which are competitive, to access public contracts.

11/13/2023

MaRS Discovery District

Increase government procurement of Canadian tech.

11/14/2023

Municipality of Tantramar

Streamline and simplify [all] federal funding applications for municipalities.

10/05/2023

Public Service Alliance of Canada

Find ways to not only hire and train [pay advisers] but to also retain them.

10/05/2023

Public Service Alliance of Canada

[Renew the] negotiated memorandum of agreement on damages [for Phoenix errors].

10/05/2023

Public Service Alliance of Canada

[Launch a] national inquiry into why [the Phoenix pay] crisis happened, how it could have been prevented and … why … it has not yet been fixed.

10/05/2023

Public Service Alliance of Canada

[Develop a] system-wide staffing plan … that considers the needs of all who receive services, both within the government and in the public.

10/05/2023

Public Service Alliance of Canada

[Put in place] a system-wide analysis of staffing needs, developed with bargaining agents [before implementing any cuts to the federal public service].

10/05/2023

Public Service Alliance of Canada

Put public safety officers employed by the federal government … on par with their counterparts who work in other jurisdictions.

10/05/2023

Public Service Alliance of Canada

Create a body within the federal public service to provide services currently provided by contracted private consultants.

10/05/2023

Public Service Alliance of Canada

Ensure recommendations of the current review of the Public Service Disclosure Protection Act … are adopted and that the act [is] amended accordingly.

10/05/2023

Public Service Alliance of Canada

Eliminate the backlog of Phoenix pay problems.

10/05/2023

Public Service Alliance of Canada

Make Phoenix general damages compensation non-taxable.

10/05/2023

Public Service Alliance of Canada

Pause overpayment recovery until all employees are paid what they are owed from Phoenix errors.

10/05/2023

Public Service Alliance of Canada

Settle the Black Class Action and Indigenous Class Action lawsuits in good faith by: … [publicly]apologizing to Black and Indigenous federal public service workers[,] … [providing] restitution to address the financial loss and racial trauma suffered [and] … [fulfilling] the requested remedies outlined in each lawsuit to address the systemic barriers facing Black and Indigenous workers.

10/05/2023

Public Service Alliance of Canada

Work to prevent Anti-Asian racism, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, and all other forms of racism, hate, and discrimination in the federal public service by: … [implementing the Public Service Alliance of Canada’s recommendations, requiring] all managers and staff in the federal public service to participate in regular training on racism, hate, discrimination, and bias in the workplace, and all managers to demonstrate acquisition of defined competencies … [and providing] robust resources to protect employees from acts of discrimination, providing proper support when acts occur, and thoroughly investigating and remediating all such situations.

10/05/2023

Public Service Alliance of Canada

Repeal the changes to the Public Service Superannuation Act that raised the minimum, unreduced retirement age to sixty years old with thirty years of service or sixty-five years with two years of service, for anyone hired into the federal public service after January 1, 2013.

10/05/2023

Université du Québec

[Give federal departments] the budgets they need to support research that addresses the country's priorities, in co‑operation with universities.

11/02/2023

Financial Institutions and Payment Systems

Witness Name

Witness Proposal

Date of Appearance

Canadian Bankers Association

Remove the financial institutions … tax and the Canada Recovery Dividend.

11/14/2023

Canadian Bankers Association

Develop model financial consumer protection standards for un- or under-regulated financial service providers … [which should emulate relevant Financial Consumer Agency of Canada regulations to which Federally Regulated Financial Institutions must adhere] for provincial adoption, and work with provinces to adopt these standards.

11/14/2023

Canadian Bankers Association

Ensure legislation [amending the anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing regime] progresses to allow resources and activity to be targeted at areas of highest risk, and [facilitate] collaboration and the lawful sharing of information between financial institutions, and from [the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada] and law enforcement to financial institutions.

11/14/2023

Council of Canadian Innovators

Implement open banking with an independent governance structure.

10/05/2023

Fintechs Canada

Amend the Canadian Payments Act … to give banks, credit unions, and regulated payment service providers equal access to Canada’s real-time payment systems.

10/26/2023

Fintechs Canada

Support Payments Canada’s efforts to build a new real-time payment system.

10/26/2023

Fintechs Canada

Publish a code of conduct that specifies the rules for data sharing in Canada’s financial sector, ensuring that all accredited participants in Canada’s open banking system … meet a common and transparent set of requirements and standards.

10/26/2023

Fintechs Canada

Strengthen oversight and governance of Canada’s “open banking” system … by creating a fit-for-purpose entity to manage the administration of the system.

10/26/2023

Letko, Brosseau & Associates Inc.

[Introduce regulations to require pension funds to set aside reserves for investments in foreign assets to encourage more investments in Canada].

9/21/2023

Questrade Inc.

Conduct a broad regulatory review of the functions and mandates of federally regulated financial institutions[’] … regulators and policymakers in relation to Canada’s mortgage ecosystem and delineate each regulator’s roles and responsibilities.

9/25/2023

Questrade Inc.

Regarding new and proposed [mortgage-related] regulations, policies, and legislation, … work with industry stakeholders to identify where more clarification is needed by industry to avoid causing unintentional risk, confusion or harm and provide the relevant clarifications and amendments in a timely manner.

9/25/2023

Questrade Inc.

Establish a permanent round table involving industry, government and regulatory representatives, [which] would conduct semi-annual reviews of Canada’s regulated mortgage ecosystem that would consider the impact of new regulations on lenders of all sizes [and] should also develop a framework to assess government proposals, ensuring that they address the unique needs of small and mid-size regulated financial institutions and avoid negative consequences.

9/25/2023

Questrade Inc.

Allocate resources and establish a clear plan for the swift implementation of a comprehensive open finance strategy … [to] ensure that, by the end of 2025, Canadians can access a modernized, cost-efficient, interoperable, secure and principles-based open financial ecosystem, enhancing their financial futures.

9/25/2023

Questrade Inc.

Design, promote and increase support for financial literacy programs delivered to Canadians through the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada.

9/25/2023

Wealthsimple Investment Inc.

Enhance Canada’s payment infrastructure with an always-on real-time payment rail …, on-par with all other G7 nations, delivering a public utility that reduces late and overdraft fees, lessens reliance on payday lenders, facilitates economic growth and improves cash flow and money management for all.

11/02/2023

Wealthsimple Investment Inc.

Mandate uniform pricing based on true cost of use for all direct participants in the [real-time payment rail], an essential ingredient to create conditions for viable and scalable innovation in financial services and increased choice for consumers.

11/02/2023

Wealthsimple Investment Inc.

Engage with provincial and municipal governments and public agencies, to ensure they are prepared to take advantage of efficiencies to reconciliation, program delivery, tax remittance and loan repayments offered by the [real-time payment rail].

11/02/2023

Foreign Policy

Witness Name

Witness Proposal

Date of Appearance

Aerospace Industries Association of Canada

Take a leadership role on [the North American Aerospace Defense Command] modernization and increase defence budgets to both meet NATO commitments and to propel [research and development] activity.

10/10/2023

Canadian Labour Congress

Provide a targeted contribution in support of the United States government’s Multilateral Partnership for Organizing, Worker Empowerment, and Rights.

9/21/2023

Colleges and Institutes Canada

Increase the Government of Canada’s spending on international assistance as well as its investments in technical education systems.

11/15/2023

Oxfam Canada

Increase the international assistance envelope … above 2021-22 levels.

10/26/2023

Oxfam Canada

Allocate [funding for] international assistance programming that advances the human rights of LGBTQ+ people internationally.

10/26/2023

Oxfam Canada

Increase climate finance to low-income countries.

10/26/2023

Oxfam-Québec

Increase the international aid envelope … above 2021-22 levels.

10/26/2023

Oxfam-Québec

Increase climate change funding in low-income countries … while prioritizing projects designed by and for women and girls and ensuring that they are involved in decision-making.

10/26/2023

Health

Witness Name

Witness Proposal

Date of Appearance

Assembly of First Nations

Enhance the First Nations health workforce [to] bring care closer to home and ensure … care across the lifespan.

10/26/2023

Assembly of First Nations

[Make] investments to ensure First Nations effectively lead the implementation of distinctions-based health legislation.

10/26/2023

Canadian Chamber of Commerce

Ensure appropriate scope for National Pharmacare. Build on, rather than displace, the important role played by private payers and employers, while respecting the jurisdiction of provinces and territories.

11/02/2023

Canadian Chamber of Commerce

Include the life sciences innovation ecosystem in deployment of the Pan-Canadian Health Data Strategy. Integrate real-world evidence to support decision making and accelerate adoption of innovation.

11/02/2023

Canadian Labour Congress

Convene a care economy commission tasked with planning, coordinating, and overseeing the necessary investments, policy changes and regulatory reforms needed to systematically strengthen care work and care services in Canada.

9/21/2023

Canadian Labour Congress

Work with provincial and territorial counterparts, unions, employers and regulators to develop a national strategy to ethically recruit, register and retain Internationally educated nurses and other health care professionals in the Canadian health care system.

9/21/2023

Canadian Labour Congress

Accelerate current plans to introduce a national, public pharmacare program in Canada, realigning with implementation timelines contained in the Final Report of the Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare in order to bring in full universal public pharmacare by 2027.

9/21/2023

Canadian Mental Health Association

Create a “Care after the Call” fund for crisis prevention and response services in communities.

10/10/2023

Canadian Mental Health Association

Create a fund for the caregiving sector.

10/10/2023

Cannabis Council of Canada

[Offer] regulated formats that align with the cannabis consumer, especially in edibles, where the regulatory prohibition pushes people to consume untested products from the illicit market.

10/26/2023

Centre for Future Work

Reduce cost pressures that emanate from the actions of private companies … [with] a national pharmacare program.

10/19/2023

Confédération des syndicats nationaux

Bring in a public, universal pharmacare program, as proposed in the Hoskins report in June 2019.

10/19/2023

Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec

Ensure that the new pan-Canadian pharmacare program complements the existing system in Quebec to maintain [its] flexibility and universality.

11/13/2023

Friends of Medicare

[Continue the expansion of the Canada Dental Benefit.]

11/16/2023

Friends of Medicare

Move forward on universal single-payer public pharmacare.

11/16/2023

Municipality of Tantramar

Develop a comprehensive national mental health strategy that addresses the interconnected issues of housing, homelessness and substance abuse while increasing mental health investments in communities through sustainable long-term funding.

10/05/2023

Oxfam Canada

Establish a National Care Economy Commission.

10/26/2023

Réseau FADOQ

Implement a dental insurance program for seniors or, in the absence of an agreement with the provinces and territories, provide eligible individuals with direct financial support for dental care.

9/25/2023

Housing

Witness Name

Witness Proposal

Date of Appearance

Affordable Housing Association of Nova Scotia

Provide resources, alongside the provincial and municipal government, to build affordable housing.

10/12/2023

Alberta Federation of Labour

Ensure that ... [housing] projects [supported by federal initiatives] pay prevailing wages and provide opportunities for skilled trades apprenticeship.

11/16/2023

Assembly of First Nations

[Make] investments to address overcrowding, unit replacement, new lot servicing, repair needs, on-reserve migration, and population growth.

10/26/2023

Association des professionnels de la construction et de l'habitation du Québec

Provide better funding for the construction and renovation of social and affordable housing.

11/13/2023

Association des professionnels de la construction et de l'habitation du Québec

Substantially increase the GST rebate for new housing.

11/13/2023

Association des professionnels de la construction et de l'habitation du Québec

Extend the maximum amortization period for insured mortgages to 30 years.

11/13/2023

Association des professionnels de la construction et de l'habitation du Québec

Relax the “stress test” when qualifying for a new loan, and eliminate it altogether for a renewal.

11/13/2023

Association des professionnels de la construction et de l'habitation du Québec

Combine the terms and conditions of some [Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation] programs for funding new rental projects.

11/13/2023

Association des professionnels de la construction et de l'habitation du Québec

Make the [Home Buyers’ Plan] or the [First Home Savings Account] intergenerational plans to allow parents to contribute to their child(ren)’s down payment and increase the maximum allowable withdrawals.

11/13/2023

Business Council of Manitoba

Incentivize the private sector to increase new housing and multi-family project starts [with enhanced] incentive programs through [the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation], such as lower-rate financing or developer tax credits.

11/15/2023

Butler Mortgage Inc.

[Find ways to] encourage provinces to bring an end to [short-term rental housing].

11/14/2023

Butler Mortgage Inc.

[Find ways to make] provincial and municipal approvals for new homes and new developments … [more] efficient … [and] quick.

11/14/2023

Butler Mortgage Inc.

[Correct the] imbalance between ongoing property taxes in most municipalities and development fees.

11/14/2023

Butler Mortgage Inc.

Change ... mortgagee rules to [prohibit buyers from obtaining] 100% financing for ae rental property.

11/14/2023

C.D. Howe Institute

Phase out the tax credit for first-time homebuyers.

10/19/2023

Calgary Chamber of Commerce

Advance affordable housing initiatives, including those outlined in the City of Calgary’s Housing and Affordability Task Force Recommendations, such as the creation of incentives for more affordable non-market and market housing units.

11/16/2023

Canadian Bankers Association

[Pursue] greater policy coordination through a forum for relevant stakeholders, including federal, provincial, and municipal officials responsible for housing, infrastructure and immigration, as well as representatives of the construction industry and advocacy groups [to correct supply-demand imbalances generating the affordability crisis].

11/14/2023

Canadian Labour Congress

Allocate capital funding to the National Housing Co-investment Fund to build a minimum of 100,000 new units per year, in conjunction with provincial partners and other public contributions.

9/21/2023

Canadian Labour Congress

Accelerate the rollout of the National Housing Strategy’s Federal Lands Initiative [and] introduce a dedicated five-year, Public Land Acquisition Fund to acquire additional land for the construction of non-market, affordable rental housing.

9/21/2023

Canadian Labour Congress

[Create] a Housing Acquisition Fund in order to maintain supply of affordable housing for low- and modest-income households … [and] assist the community housing sector to acquire existing affordable rental buildings.

9/21/2023

Centre for Future Work

Reduce cost pressures that emanate from the actions of private companies … [with] an ambitious expansion of affordable and non-market housing.

10/19/2023

City of London

[Provide communities with] sustainable and predictable operating funds to support new and creative solutions [to address homelessness] … [through] an increase to the annual allocations for reaching home or a similar program.

11/14/2023

Co-operative Housing Federation of British Columbia

Protect existing rental housing and tenant affordability by creating a federal acquisition fund based on [British Columbia’s] rental protection fund.

11/15/2023

Co-operative Housing Federation of British Columbia

[Roll out] the federal co-op housing program that was promised in the March 2022 federal budget.

11/15/2023

Front d’action populaire en réaménagement urbain

Reallocate all National Housing Strategy funds to significantly increase social housing in Quebec and Canada.

9/21/2023

Front d’action populaire en réaménagement urbain

Provide new, recurring and predictable funding for the Rapid Housing Initiative.

9/21/2023

Front d’action populaire en réaménagement urbain

Launch a rental building acquisition and renovation program with enough grants to guarantee the tenants’ return to and maintained occupancy of the premises regardless of income.

9/21/2023

Joseph Polito (as an individual)

Partner with the provinces to build inexpensive campus residences on land owned by post-secondary institutions to free up off-campus residences.

11/14/2023

Joseph Polito (as an individual)

Partner with the provinces and municipalities to build residences on their land.

11/14/2023

Joseph Polito (as an individual)

Partner with provinces and municipalities to study inclusionary zones and the land tax.

11/14/2023

Joseph Polito (as an individual)

Fund the expensive change in the property tax system [to base property taxes on land value].

11/14/2023

Joseph Polito (as an individual)

Work with the banking industry to be more conservative in its home appraisals.

11/14/2023

Joseph Polito (as an individual)

[Slowly] change [the] capital gains tax rules for commercial real estate sales so the land value gains are taxed as ordinary income [in order to discourage land speculation and land-price inflation].

11/14/2023

Joseph Polito (as an individual)

Raise capital gains inclusions for real estate slowly until it reaches a point [at] which investors no longer look at land price inflation as a desirable investment strategy.

11/14/2023

Manitoba Home Builders' Association

Assist the well-qualified first-time buyer … [by returning] to 30-year amortization periods for insured mortgages for new construction only.

11/15/2023

Manitoba Home Builders' Association

Modify the stress test for both insured and uninsured mortgages to reduce the test rate on a declining basis for seven- and 10-year mortgage terms.

11/15/2023

Manitoba Home Builders' Association

Update and index the thresholds for the GST new housing rebate.

11/15/2023

Manitoba Home Builders' Association

Focus on innovation to bring down costs and scale up use first before regulating policy-driven code changes.

11/15/2023

Manitoba Home Builders' Association

Adopt affordability as a core objective of the national building code and all related standards to ensure that we are building better, more efficient homes for the same price or less.

11/15/2023

Manitoba Home Builders' Association

[Expand the scope of the GST/HST new housing rebate to include net-zero ready renovations.]

11/15/2023

Manufacturiers et Exportateurs du Québec

Accelerate investment and cooperate with the provinces and municipalities so that [more housing can be quickly built across Quebec].

11/13/2023

Metro Vancouver

Work closely with Metro Vancouver Housing to support the delivery of the 10-Year Plan by contributing [financially], [committing in the form of] forgivable loans towards priority projects outside of the standard Co-Investment Fund application process … [and signing] a … memorandum of understanding [to deliver the portfolio of projects over the next 10 years].

11/15/2023

MOSAIC

Create a federal housing strategy connected to and supporting Canada's immigration strategy.

11/17/2023

MOSAIC

Address the systemic barriers to housing faced by newcomers because of a lack of Canadian references, credit history, rental history and work experience.

11/17/2023

MOSAIC

Promote [housing affordability] by continued federal leadership and increased funding that encourages provinces and municipalities to work together to increase the supply of affordable housing—specifically, rent geared to income housing.

11/17/2023

MOSAIC

Encourage municipalities to require new residential developments to include affordable housing units dedicated to newcomers in the first three to five years of their stay in Canada.

11/17/2023

Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador

[Help Newfoundland and Labrador municipalities access funding programs for housing, by providing] capacity support … [through] a whole-of-province approach.

10/13/2023

Municipality of Tantramar

[Scale up the Reaching Home program funding,] including its dedicated rural and remote stream, … and [make it] permanent.

10/05/2023

Municipality of Tantramar

[Make the rapid housing initiative] a long-term program with predictable funding beyond 2024.

10/05/2023

Municipality of Tantramar

Optimize and invest in critical national housing strategy programs.

10/05/2023

Norman Nahas (as an Individual)

Continue to incentivize and promote entrepreneurialism and development.

10/12/2023

Questrade Inc.

Allocate funding to … study and improve Canada’s housing and real estate data ecosystem … [and implement measures] to ensure real estate data transparency, open access and the promotion of sector innovation and competition.

9/25/2023

Tourism Industry Association of Canada

Finance a cross-sectoral working group to evaluate housing targets and optimal funds required within tourism hubs and rural communities across Canada to support the sector’s talent attraction and retention efforts.

11/02/2023

Union des municipalités du Québec

Invest massively in social and affordable housing to address the housing crisis, combat homelessness and counter the decline in housing starts.

11/13/2023

Immigration

Witness Name

Witness Proposal

Date of Appearance

Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce

Ensure that communities are equipped with the necessary funding from the government for infrastructure that will support the growth in population, as well as the services to ensure the success of newcomers within their chosen communities.

11/17/2023

Association of Atlantic Universities

Ensure Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada does not disproportionately reject visas for international students in Atlantic Canada.

10/12/2023

Ben Rabidoux (as an individual)

Establish a provincial-level cap on international students and [dissuade] applications by raising student applicant visa fees or reducing the number of hours international students can work by issuing a fixed number of work permits for students each year.

9/21/2023

Business Council of Manitoba

Reform … the immigration point system to ensure it closely aligns with actual employer labor needs.

11/15/2023

Business Council of Manitoba

[Create] … a credential alignment tax credit for new Canadians pursuing Canadian equivalents to their foreign credentials.

11/15/2023

C.D. Howe Institute

Emphasize the economic stream of immigration entering under the points system, and ensure that principal applicants become a larger share of that stream.

10/19/2023

Calgary Chamber of Commerce

Increase support for immigrant settlement agencies across the country.

11/16/2023

Canadian Federation of Independent Business

Simplify and streamline immigration processes to bring and keep more workers in Canada.

11/14/2023

Canadian Labour Congress

Withdraw from the Canada-US Safe Third Country Agreement that puts refugee claimants’ lives at risk.

9/21/2023

Confédération des syndicats nationaux

[End discrimination by the federal government against] candidates from francophone Africa for the International Student Program.

10/19/2023

Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec

Reinvest in North African embassies to reduce processing times for immigration applications from this area.

11/13/2023

Greater Charlottetown Area Chamber of Commerce

Continue funding to immigration support services.

10/10/2023

Harvest Manitoba

Consider additional support for settlement organizations, training organizations and food banks, which continue to allow Canada to successfully settle people from around the world.

11/15/2023

Manitoba Chambers of Commerce

[Continue] to decentralize the immigration system and the selection process … [and collaborate] more closely with provincial, territorial and municipal governments and with the private sector to better understand labour market needs across the country.

11/15/2023

Manitoba Chambers of Commerce

[Expedite] and [reduce] the complexity of the foreign qualification regulations.

11/15/2023

Manufacturiers et Exportateurs du Québec

Shorten processing times and provide greater predictability for employers bringing in temporary foreign workers.

13/11/2023

Syria-Antigonish Families Embrace

Continue the sponsorship agreement between Syria-Antigonish Families Embrace and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada; and reduce barriers to refugees settling in Nova Scotia, such as how start-up costs and monthly allocations are tied to the income assistance rates in the province.

10/12/2023

Indigenous Peoples

Witness Name

Witness Proposal

Date of Appearance

Assembly of First Nations

[Invest in] First Nations-led engagement on laws, policies, processes, and mechanisms [that] support the implementation of self-determination and land rights.

10/26/2023

Assembly of First Nations

[Make] investments [to] support interim and transformational approaches to accessing lands and resolving over 1300 [Additions to Reserve] applications.

10/26/2023

Assembly of First Nations

[Create] a new Centre for the Resolution of Specific Claims to coordinate the co-development and joint implementation of reform to the way specific claims are resolved.

10/26/2023

Assembly of First Nations

Invest [in] the formal recognition of First Nations and landless First Nations.

10/26/2023

Assembly of First Nations

[Make] investments to build First Nations capacity and community-led [Sustainable Development Goal] implementation.

10/26/2023

Assembly of First Nations

[Make] investments toward capacity building, First Nation-led initiatives, and ensuring Crown-led stewardship and governance respect inherent rights, Treaties, title, jurisdiction, and knowledge systems.

10/26/2023

Assembly of First Nations

[Make] investments in First Nations-led climate action.

10/26/2023

Assembly of First Nations

[Make] investments [to] enable First Nations to perform good governance and provide adequate services to their citizens no matter where they reside.

10/26/2023

Assembly of First Nations

[Create] a new First Nation-led procurement organization [to] support First Nations businesses in securing procurement opportunities and meeting the federal 5% Indigenous procurement target.

10/26/2023

Assembly of First Nations

[Provide] investments for First Nations engagement in the Cannabis Act review.

10/26/2023

Assembly of First Nations

[Allocate sufficient] funding for First Nations-led processes … to ensure Canada’s laws, policies, and regulations meet the objectives of the UN Declaration [on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples].

10/26/2023

Assembly of First Nations

Support truth and commemoration … including [by undertaking] to ensure First Nations-led approaches in national commemoration activities and monuments and to repatriate artifacts and remains.

10/26/2023

Assembly of First Nations

Acknowledge Indigenous customary laws and legal norms and resolve First Nation overrepresentation in the criminal justice system.

10/26/2023

Assembly of First Nations

Strengthen First Nations mental wellness workforces to reduce burnout and increase access to holistic, culture-based, and intergenerational trauma-informed interventions.

10/26/2023

Assembly of First Nations

Acknowledge [Canada’s] obligation to provide adequate, predictable and sustainable funding to close [socio-economic and infrastructure] gaps [faced by First Nations].

10/26/2023

Assembly of First Nations

Take the “necessary steps” and “effective measures” to meet the obligations of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act.

10/26/2023

Assembly of First Nations

Ensure that First Nations enjoy the same standard of living as non-indigenous Canadians and achieve equity and equality for all.

10/26/2023

Assembly of First Nations

Bridge the digital divide for First Nations by meeting the minimum broadband standards outlined in Canada’s Federal Connectivity Strategy, High-speed Access for All.

10/26/2023

Calgary Chamber of Commerce

Advance opportunities for Indigenous communities to buy ownership stakes in major projects, including and beyond resource development opportunities, through the Canada Infrastructure Bank and through the establishment of a federal Indigenous loan guarantee program.

11/16/2023

Canadian Chamber of Commerce

Increase funding for Indigenous participation in natural resource development.

11/02/2023

Canadian Labour Congress

Increase funding commitments for full implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

9/21/2023

Canadian Labour Congress

Implement the recommendations of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination with respect to its recent periodic reports on Canada, including reform of federal laws, policies and regulations to bring them into compliance with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

9/21/2023

Coalition for a Better Future

Move more quickly, [with respect to loan guarantees for Indigenous people in large resource projects,] so that ... projects can go ahead and economic indigenous reconciliation can [become real].

9/25/2023

Colleges and Institutes Canada

Substantially increase the investment in the Post-Secondary Student Support Program, the University and College Entrance Preparation Program, and the Inuit and Métis Post-Secondary Education Strategies.

11/15/2023

Co-operative Housing Federation of British Columbia

Fund the implementation of the urban, rural and northern indigenous housing strategy that's been advanced by National Indigenous Collaborative Housing.

11/15/2023

EverWind Fuels

Acknowledge the importance of indigenous involvement and support partnerships in economic development renewables projects by allowing indigenous entities, not just taxable corporations, to fully participate in investment tax credits.

10/12/2023

Friends of Medicare

Address barriers to access [health care for Indigenous people], … the backlog in health infrastructure in Indigenous communities, … the social determinants of health, and … the systematic racism … in [the] health system and … programs.

11/16/2023

Make Poverty History Manitoba

[Act] on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's call to action on missing and murdered indigenous women, girls and two-spirits, which calls for justice … [by making it] part of an overall poverty reduction legislation with bold targets for reducing and ending poverty in Manitoba and across Canada.

11/15/2023

Manitoba Chambers of Commerce

[Increase] funding for indigenous participation in natural resource development … [and direct funding] to indigenous-led environmental assessments, training and skill development programs, and community consultation.

11/15/2023

Native Child and Family Services of Toronto

Continue to provide Native Child and Family Services of Toronto with ongoing, renewable, annual funding to ensure that [its] programs and services can be delivered.

9/21/2023

Native Child and Family Services of Toronto

Continue to invest in Jordan's principle so that First Nations children can get access to the medical and mental health services they need.

9/21/2023

Native Child and Family Services of Toronto

[Consider an expansion or investments in Urban Programming for Indigenous Peoples] in ways that continue to allow agencies like Native Child and Family Services of Toronto to expand the service delivery that [they] provide.

9/21/2023

Spirit Foundation Financial Technology Inc.

[Ensure] innovative products and ventures supporting indigenous communities [are] not … cut [when parties are looking for approval as part of a merger or corporate takeover].

11/15/2023

Industry and Innovation

Witness Name

Witness Proposal

Date of Appearance

Aerospace Industries Association of Canada

Make needed changes to the Strategic Innovation Fund to increase access to funding support.

10/10/2023

Aerospace Industries Association of Canada

Develop a long-term national aerospace industrial strategy that includes clear plans for defence and a dedicated strategy for space.

10/10/2023

Bennett Jones LLP

[Support investment in intellectual property by small businesses by providing refundable tax incentives.]

9/25/2023

Business Council of Manitoba

[Address] key areas of challenge for the biotechnology sector such as: [the] modernization of Canada’s regulatory environment; [the creation of globally competitive research and development] tax incentives …; and investing … in a Life Sciences Venture Capital Catalyst Initiative.

11/15/2023

Calgary Chamber of Commerce

Establish the Canadian Innovation Corporation in Calgary.

11/16/2023

Calgary Chamber of Commerce

Provide incentives that encourage Canadian venture capitalists to invest in Canadian companies by offering compelling financial supports that de-risk investments.

11/16/2023

Calgary Chamber of Commerce

Support the creation of wet lab spaces across the country, providing opportunities for startups in a wide variety of industries to arrive at a proof of concept and viable product stage in the ecosystem in which they are based.

11/16/2023

Calgary Chamber of Commerce

Explore the creation of a National Industrial Strategy, developed in partnership with businesses across Canada and economic sectors, to drive a cohesive approach to economic growth that leverages Canada’s traditional and emerging economic strengths.

11/16/2023

Calgary Chamber of Commerce

Support research, development and innovation at post-secondaries across Canada through targeted funding supports to advance research or aid in the commercialization of ventures created within the post-secondary system.

11/16/2023

Canadian Chamber of Commerce

[Expand eligibility for] the scientific research and experimental development tax incentives program [to] … publicly listed [small and medium enterprises].

11/02/2023

Canadian Chamber of Commerce

Modernize research and development programs. Help companies undertake high-risk research where near-term returns on investment and commercialization are absent

11/02/2023

Canadian Chamber of Commerce

Ensure robust intellectual property protection of innovative products.

11/02/2023

Canadian Chamber of Commerce

Prioritize the allocation of spectrum through measures such as increasing the quantity of spectrum available and subsidizing rural deployment.

11/02/2023

Canadian Chamber of Commerce

Expand the Business Data Labs’ partnership with Statistics Canada by three years.

11/02/2023

Canadian Chamber of Commerce

Launch life sciences innovation support programs. Incorporate the renewal of existing envelopes and add nimble streams encouraging companies to undertake higher-risk ventures.

11/02/2023

Canadian Chamber of Commerce

Integrate the life sciences sector into global supply chains.

11/02/2023

Canadian Chamber of Commerce

Encourage investment in currently uneconomic minerals. Where there is limited interest in private investment, the government should assess potential benefits of support for supply chain resiliency or strategic value, including cases in which global players have significant command of global supply or pricing dynamics.

11/02/2023

Canadian Federation of Independent Business

Strengthen competition rules.

11/14/2023

Colleges and Institutes Canada

Boost innovation by reviewing eligibility for Tri-Council and Canada Foundation for Innovation programming, with particular focus on expanding eligibility to Canadian colleges to access funding opportunities.

11/15/2023

Council of Canadian Innovators

[Develop] a dedicated [artificial intelligence (AI)] commercialization and [intellectual property] strategy with a focus on scaling [Canada’s] domestic AI technology firms.

10/05/2023

Council of Canadian Innovators

[Examine] the adverse consequences of [foreign direct investments] in the technology sector, particularly with regard to talent acquisition.

10/05/2023

Council of Canadian Innovators

[Commit to] a comprehensive review of innovation programs to eliminate duplication and establish “freedom to operate” structures [including as part of the launch of the Canada innovation corporation].

10/05/2023

Council of Canadian Innovators

Review … all capital programs designed to support innovators … [to] prioritize grants over loans, augment funding thresholds where it makes sense, and mandate the formulation of strategic [intellectual property] plans.

10/05/2023

Council of Canadian Innovators

Develop a national semiconductor strategy.

10/05/2023

Council of Canadian Innovators

Convene a federal-provincial-territorial innovation summit.

10/05/2023

Council of Canadian Innovators

Review and update capital programs to streamline access for businesses.

10/05/2023

Council of Canadian Innovators

Deepen and improve capital pools.

10/05/2023

Edmonton Global

[Ensure that incentive programs such as the Canada Growth Fund have] clear criteria so companies understand what [they] will do for them.

11/16/2023

Electric Mobility Canada

Focus on attracting more investment to accelerate [electric vehicle] manufacturing and related industries in Canada.

11/16/2023

Electric Mobility Canada

Focus … on accelerating technologies, research, development, and manufacturing associated with reducing the costs of vehicle batteries and thus vehicle costs per unit of range.

11/16/2023

Electric Mobility Canada

Collaborate with the [United States] to build a North American [electric vehicle] industry and supply chain beyond the Inflation Reduction Act.

11/16/2023

Electric Mobility Canada

Support electrification at mining locations across Canada and promote sustainable mining development and operations, particularly in relation to minerals and metals needed for the [zero-emission vehicle] supply chain in Canada and other jurisdictions.

11/16/2023

Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec

Promptly release the findings of the review of [the] scientific research and experimental development (SR&ED) tax incentive program, expand the program’s eligibility criteria to include incremental innovations and introduce an equipment modernization and cybersecurity … tax credit.

11/13/2023

Ian Lee (as an individual)

Examine low productivity and protectionist policies in certain industries, such as airlines, telecom and agriculture, that exclude foreign competitors and drive up prices to much higher levels.

9/21/2023

Ian Lee (as an individual)

Examine competition policy that currently allows industry consolidation for a handful of oligopolistic firms.

9/21/2023

Manufacturiers et Exportateurs du Québec

Introduce a 10% investment tax credit, … extend the accelerated investment incentive[,] … extend and recapitalize the strategic innovation fund and … enhance and reform the scientific research and experimental development tax incentives program.

11/13/2023

MaRS Discovery District

Increase and coordinate commercialization funding to enable regional organizations with a national platform to supercharge start-ups across the country.

11/14/2023

MaRS Discovery District

[Increase] funding … to combat the heightened risk of [intellectual property] migration resulting from the scale of the [United States] CHIPS Act.

11/14/2023

MaRS Discovery District

Create more independent wet lab space to enable the commercialization phase of [Canada’s] life sciences innovation.

11/14/2023

MaRS Discovery District

Increase deep tech and climate [tech] early-stage funding.

11/14/2023

MaRS Discovery District

Create incentive programs for the responsible adoption of Canadian AI technologies.

11/14/2023

Philip Cross (as an individual)

Work on a culture shift and [change] the way we talk to [the business community] and foreign investors.

10/05/2023

Toronto Region Board of Trade

Increase support for manufacturing capital development projects that stand to markedly increase the region's productivity and bolster industrial development opportunity.

11/14/2023

Toronto Region Board of Trade

Lend greater support for the City of Toronto's capital projects and services which facilitate economic development for the broader region and nation.

11/14/2023

Toronto Region Board of Trade

Ensure taxes on technology and digital services remain aligned with international precedent and encourage technology development, commercialization and adoption.

11/14/2023

Infrastructure

Witness Name

Witness Proposal

Date of Appearance

Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce

Build resilient and trade-enabling infrastructure, [including] flood mitigation infrastructure for the Fraser Valley … and also the expansion of regional trade corridors.

11/17/2023

Assembly of First Nations

[Make] investments to meet basic community infrastructure needs, including buildings, ports and wharfs, transportation infrastructure, and utilities.

10/26/2023

Assembly of First Nations

[Make] investments … across the drinking water supply chain to eliminate advisories.

10/26/2023

Assembly of First Nations

[Make] investments … across the wastewater supply chain … to address chronic underfunding and mitigate threats to health and wellbeing due to inadequate sanitation.

10/26/2023

Business Council of Manitoba

[Review and expand] the scope and criteria used by the Canada Infrastructure Bank … to ensure that all funding, including funding allocated in past budgets, can productively be used toward priorities or investments.

11/15/2023

Business Council of Manitoba

[Reinvest] … airport rent payments toward infrastructure; [practice] ever-greening of lease terms to allow greater access to private capital and better planning of infrastructure investments; and [increase] … the amount of the Airport Capital Assistance Program funding with the inclusion of small commercial airports.

11/15/2023

Business Council of Manitoba

[Implement] a long-term, integrated, National trade corridor strategy …, through collaboration between the Federal and Provincial governments and the private sector [and immediately recapitalize] … the proven National Trade Corridors program.

11/15/2023

C.D. Howe Institute

Prioritize funding for infrastructure projects under direct federal control, such as investments in capacity and added security for marine, rail and air transportation, and military assets.

10/19/2023

Calgary Chamber of Commerce

Unlock funding that advances infrastructure essential to sport, entertainment, arts and culture, tourism and transportation.

11/16/2023

Calgary Chamber of Commerce

Invest in transportation infrastructure that connects Calgary’s airport with downtown and to other jurisdictions.

11/16/2023

Canadian Chamber of Commerce

Commit to long-term investment through a Canada Trade Infrastructure Plan.

11/02/2023

Confédération des syndicats nationaux

Improve funding for public transit [together with the other levels of government].

10/19/2023

Construction Association of Prince Edward Island

Advance the implementation of the national infrastructure assessment and develop, jointly with industry and all orders of government, a 25-year plan for infrastructure investment that includes housing and trade-enabling infrastructure.

10/10/2023

Équiterre

Support public transit agencies by advancing ongoing support for public transit by two fiscal years and renewing the emergency operating funding of 2022.

11/13/2023

Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec

Immediately set aside funds to establish a high-speed, high-frequency rail connection between Quebec City, Montreal and Ontario, with an accelerated schedule of completion.

11/13/2023

Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec

Immediately confirm the allocation of increased federal funding to support expansion plans at the Port of Montréal (Contrecoeur terminal) and the Port of Saguenay (industrial port zone).

11/13/2023

Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec

Enhance the Airports Capital Assistance program to meet the urgent needs of Quebec’s airports.

11/13/2023

Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec

Review the high tariff rates charged to air carriers that use Canadian airports.

11/13/2023

Greater Vancouver Board of Trade

Prioritize and expedite funding for infrastructure that supports population growth, including by beginning funding for the permanent public transit fund in 2023 instead of 2026; enhancing the federal funding in the investing in Canada infrastructure program for regional and local infrastructure; and continuing national trade corridors funding to support the movement of goods through greater Vancouver to the world.

11/15/2023

Manitoba Chambers of Commerce

Build trade-enabling infrastructure … [and commit] to a long-term investment through a Canada trade infrastructure plan.

11/15/2023

Mark Purdon (as an Individual)

Consider [researching] efforts to address transportation demand management.

10/26/2023

Mark Purdon (as an Individual)

[Consider revising] the investing in Canada infrastructure program to have some more sophisticated requirements, maybe using … modelling tools [to estimate the impacts of transportation planning on greenhouse gas emissions].

10/26/2023

Metro Vancouver

Commit to equitable cost sharing of the Iona Island Wastewater Treatment Plant Projects with the Province of BC and Metro Vancouver.

11/15/2023

Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador

[Increase] … the Canada community-building fund with a 3.5% annual indexation.

10/13/2023

Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador

[Give funding] earmarked for municipalities … directly into their hands without bureaucratic red tape.

10/13/2023

Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador

[Dedicate funding to] Newfoundland and Labrador [municipalities’] ... waste-water infrastructure and compliance with the waste-water systems effluent regulations.

10/13/2023

Rural Municipalities of Alberta

Allocate funding for a Canada-wide rural infrastructure funding program that supports investment in core infrastructure such as roads and bridges while also allowing rural communities to invest in innovative capital projects that work in a rural setting.

11/16/2023

Rural Municipalities of Alberta

Develop an infrastructure fund which uses a rural definition more aligned with rural populations to reduce the competition for major grant funding.

11/16/2023

Rural Municipalities of Alberta

Design all infrastructure funding with a rural lens, considering the capacity for grant writing and submissions, as well as the costs to the municipality to apply.

11/16/2023

Town of Stratford

[Ensure that] credible estimates [are] done before the funding [for infrastructure construction] is approved … [by using] an indexation rate of about 3.5% … to cover [inflation] … between the time [that] the funding is approved … and [the time that] the bill is paid.

10/10/2023

Town of Stratford

[Structure future infrastructure funding programs using] the “gas tax” model, where the federal money is provided directly to the municipality.

10/10/2023

Town of Stratford

[Create] a new investing in Canada program or a similar program … to meet … infrastructure needs.

10/10/2023

Translink

[Provide funding to] advance the first phase of transportation priorities with the “Access for Everyone” plan.

11/17/2023

Translink

Accelerate the delivery of the Permanent Transit Fund by two years s from the original commitment of 2026–2027 to 2024–2025.

11/17/2023

Translink

Permanently double the Canada Community-Building Fund and increase its annual escalator to 3.5% to better reflect construction cost inflation.

11/17/2023

Translink

Launch a tri-partite national commission together with provinces, local governments and transit agencies to develop a new funding model for public transit that is more resilient and equitable by avoiding overreliance on regressive sources such as transit fares and property taxes.

11/17/2023

Union des municipalités du Québec

Permanently double the funding allocated to the Canada Community-Building Fund for municipal infrastructure, and … act quickly to reach an agreement with the Government of Quebec to ensure that funding is transferred without any new conditions regarding how that funding will be used.

11/13/2023

Union des municipalités du Québec

Modernize funding for municipal infrastructure projects by further extending the eligibility period for financial assistance programs and expanding the scope of financial assistance programs.

11/13/2023

Union des municipalités du Québec

Reinvest in sports and recreational facilities.

11/13/2023

Union des municipalités du Québec

Support Quebec’s transit agencies by providing additional funding for increased investment in asset maintenance.

11/13/2023

Union des municipalités du Québec

Invest significantly in federal airport infrastructure in Quebec to reduce their major asset maintenance deficit.

11/13/2023

Union des municipalités du Québec

Give … municipalities as much flexibility as possible [as part of support programs for infrastructure and shoreline erosion to] make investments based on their priorities.

11/13/2023

National Finances

Witness Name

Witness Proposal

Date of Appearance

Alliance des femmes de la francophonie canadienne

[Perform] a more comprehensive gender-based analysis [in the next budget] and ensure that the results are accessible to the entire population.

11/17/2023

Assembly of First Nations

[Adopt] a new distinct approach for budget-setting … [aligned] with inherent rights [of First Nations], international treaties signed by the Crown, and respect for nation-to-nation relationships.

10/26/2023

Bennett Jones LLP

[Balance the federal budget] over the next few years [in order] to allow for additional public investment and support for private investment, [and curtail] the growth of government-provided ... services or transfers or, alternatively, [increase] taxes on private consumption.

9/25/2023

Bennett Jones LLP

[Increase] revenues in a way that doesn't undermine ... the incentives in the private sector to invest, [or] in the household sector to save, [such as through the GST].

9/25/2023

Business Council of Canada

Adopt a new and credible fiscal anchor, one that would limit debt service and costs to a maximum of 10% of revenue.

10/26/2023

Business Council of Canada

Move ahead with a real, comprehensive program review.

10/26/2023

Business Council of Manitoba

Control the levels of government debt and debt-servicing costs while maintaining a globally competitive tax structure.

11/15/2023

C.D. Howe Institute

Surrender some of [the federal government’s] fiscal policy flexibility.

10/19/2023

C.D. Howe Institute

[Enshrine] the following fiscal principles… in legislation:

1. Debt must be managed prudently, bearing in mind the issues of sustainability, economic stabilization and the impact of debt on present and future generations.

2. Gaps between prudent and actual or projected debt levels must be eliminated over a reasonable period of time, bearing in mind the state of the economy and the stance of monetary policy.

10/19/2023

C.D. Howe Institute

[Amend] legislation … to enhance federal reporting requirements, such as the development of operational rules or anchors to guide policy and to monitor progress toward the fiscal objectives; [which] include a rolling multiyear ceiling on non-cyclical spending.

10/19/2023

C.D. Howe Institute

Demonstrate that the risks to the long-term [economic] forecasts and projections have been prudently assessed.

10/19/2023

C.D. Howe Institute

Prepare, at least every three years, a report analyzing the intergenerational impacts of fiscal policy and advising on changes to the fiscal framework that will promote intergenerational fairness [taking] into consideration the relevant economic, social, and demographic factors that affect the intergenerational distribution of fiscal burdens.

10/19/2023

C.D. Howe Institute

[Task] the Parliamentary Budget Office ... [with assessing] and [offering] an opinion on the consistency of the fiscal framework with the fiscal principles … [using] a probabilistic approach to debt sustainability.

10/19/2023

C.D. Howe Institute

[Task] the [Parliamentary Budget Officer] … with preparing reports on intergenerational fairness and investment.

10/19/2023

C.D. Howe Institute

Present each year’s budget at least 30 days before the start of the fiscal year and present the Main Estimates at the same time.

10/19/2023

C.D. Howe Institute

Present the summary statement of transactions in the first 15 pages of the budget.

10/19/2023

C.D. Howe Institute

Prepare the Main Estimates so that parliamentarians can readily reconcile them with the fiscal plan in the budget.

10/19/2023

C.D. Howe Institute

Table the Public Accounts no more than 90 days after the end of the fiscal year.

10/19/2023

C.D. Howe Institute

Consolidate federal pension expenses and liabilities on a fair-value basis in the government’s statement of operations and statement of financial position, and use this presentation consistently in all presentations.

10/19/2023

C.D. Howe Institute

Avoid unnecessary and unproductive expenses [such as pursuing] a national pharmacare program; … [increasing] the Canada Health Transfer; [cutting] Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation mortgage insurance premiums; [introducing] a basic income, [loosening] eligibility for [Employment Insurance (EI)] or [increasing] the share of earnings that EI covers; or [introducing] ad hoc measures to offset the impact of monetary restraint in Canada and abroad on economic activity.

10/19/2023

C.D. Howe Institute

Continue to issue Real Return Bonds (RRBs) and improve the functioning of the RRB market by issuing bonds with various terms, rather than 30 years exclusively.

10/19/2023

Calgary Chamber of Commerce

Minimize new investments until such a time that existing funding not yet utilized or allocated can be disbursed and spent.

11/16/2023

Calgary Chamber of Commerce

[Ensure a better alignment of] fiscal and monetary policies …, recognizing the Bank of Canada must continue to operate from arm’s-length and independently from government.

11/16/2023

Canadian Association of University Teachers

Create a national post-secondary education transfer …, separate from the Canada Social Transfer …, to implement [a national post-secondary education] strategy.

10/13/2023

Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions

Include measures for the bilateral health agreements with provinces and territories that phase out private nursing agencies from provincial spending, ensuring federal investments aren’t wasted on private agency profits.

11/15/2023

Centre for Future Work

[Recognize that] concern with the deficit is overshadowed by more pressing priorities, such as supporting Canadians through the cost of living crisis, the housing crisis, climate disasters and more.

10/19/2023

Centre for Future Work

[Recognize that] claims [that] the federal deficit has been a significant cause of Canada's recent inflation are not credible.

10/19/2023

Colleges and Institutes Canada

Commit to an increase of the Canada social transfer … accompanied by data[-sharing] agreements to ensure the money meant for the sector goes to providing Canadians with the high-quality education that prepares them to excel.

11/15/2023

Confédération des syndicats nationaux

Implement policies that complement the Bank of Canada’s policies to slow down price growth [such as having] have more control over the cost of housing and the cost of rent; [investing] more in non-market housing; [lowering] the price of government services or offer them for free; [and increasing] transfers to low-income households.

10/19/2023

Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec

Submit a plan for balancing the budget within five years and subsequently pass balanced budget legislation to ensure that a balanced budget always follows a deficit budget.

11/13/2023

Friends of Medicare

[Ensure] accountability for … public health care dollars and … enforce the Canada Health Act in provinces [that] are violating it.

11/16/2023

Ian Lee (as an individual)

[Offset any] increases in … spending.

9/21/2023

Newfoundland and Labrador Public Sector Pensioners' Association

[Attach an accountability mechanism to] health transfer funding allocated for particular programs.

10/13/2023

Vivek Dehejia (as an individual)

[Examine both the choices that made Canada’s booming economy and the challenges that remain.]

10/05/2023

Vivek Dehejia (as an individual)

[Implement] … tax cuts and spending cuts that [will] help … balance the government's books in a prudent manner while lifting the burden on average Canadians.

10/05/2023

Vivek Dehejia (as an individual)

Hold the Bank of Canada accountable for its mandate to protect the value of [Canada’s] currency.

10/05/2023

People with Disabilities

Witness Name

Witness Proposal

Date of Appearance

Assembly of First Nations

[Make] investments to support [Assisted Living] program integrity and adjust for population growth and inflation.

10/26/2023

Assembly of First Nations

Properly fund First Nations to meet the requirements for accommodating modern accessibility standards and address iniquities faced by persons with disabilities.

10/26/2023

Canadian Labour Congress

Fully fund the new Canada Disability Benefit.

9/21/2023

Canadian Mental Health Association

Adequately fund the Canada Disability Benefit.

10/10/2023

Harvest Manitoba

Move swiftly to fund and implement the new Canada Disability Benefit with amounts that will raise people's incomes above the market basket measure for poverty, that will not be subject to clawbacks and that will be accessible to all Canadians who need it.

11/15/2023

Inclusion Canada

Set aside adequate funds for the Canada Disability Benefit … beginning in 2024-25.

11/14/2023

Inclusion Canada

Set a sufficiently high income threshold for the reduction of the [Canada Disability Benefit] at $35,000.

11/14/2023

Inclusion Canada

[Ensure that] the [Canada Disability Benefit] … [goes] to people who receive Federal, First Nation, Provincial, or Territorial disability income security or disability benefits, ensuring nobody eligible loses out.

11/14/2023

Inclusion Canada

Implement a three-year fiscal plan for the [Canada Disability Benefit], ensuring its careful planning and execution, with a firm commitment to deliver the benefit by 2024-25.

11/14/2023

Inclusion Canada

Emphasize simplicity in benefit design, implementation, and identification of eligible individuals [of the Canada Disability Benefit], while challenging the narrative of overcomplication.

11/14/2023

Inclusion Canada

Provide a top-up to what individuals receive on provincial and territorial disability monthly assistance … [for a] combined … minimum amount of $2,400 monthly.

11/14/2023

Inclusion Canada

Include a strong and unequivocal statement [in the prebudget consultations report] on the necessity of adequately funding the Canada Disability Benefit.

11/14/2023

Réseau FADOQ

Expand the caregiver tax credit by making it a refundable tax-free benefit.

9/25/2023

Personal Taxation

Witness Name

Witness Proposal

Date of Appearance

Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists

[Eliminate federal taxes on] the first $15,000 of professional artistic income.

10/19/2023

Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists

Introduce a four-year back-averaging system for professional [artistic] income to ensure tax fairness.

10/19/2023

Business Council of Manitoba

Facilitate employee ownership transitions … [for example by eliminating] the capital gains tax impact on owners.

11/15/2023

C.D. Howe Institute

Introduce legislation to make strike pay taxable as ordinary income.

10/19/2023

C.D. Howe Institute

Provide a more generous tax treatment of medical expenses by lowering the threshold to 1.5 percent of net income.

10/19/2023

C.D. Howe Institute

Limit inflation’s fiscal burdens … [by indexing additional individual income] tax thresholds, benefit payments and … tax credits to the [consumer price index, including] … the federal government’s pension income credit and the maximum tuition credits that tax filers can transfer to spouses or parents; the Guaranteed Income Supplement for low-income seniors…; and the foreign employee exemption in the Canada-US tax treaty.

10/19/2023

C.D. Howe Institute

Reduce the base amount of the age credit.

10/19/2023

C.D. Howe Institute

Allow workers to average their income over many years, so that any single large-earning year would not lead to a disproportionate loss of fiscal benefits and higher tax payments.

10/19/2023

Canadian Worker Co-operative Federation

Amend the Income Tax Act in order to create tax fairness for worker co-operatives.

11/13/2023

Oxfam Canada

Introduce a permanent wealth tax on the richest Canadians.

10/26/2023

Regulatory Environment

Witness Name

Witness Proposal

Date of Appearance

Aerospace Industries Association of Canada

Provide resources to enhance Transport Canada’s aeronautical certification capacity.

10/10/2023

Aerospace Industries Association of Canada

Ease processes for export permits and export controls and harmonize them with those of [Canada’s] allies.

10/10/2023

Business Council of Canada

Outline a concrete plan on permitting reform by the end of this year.

10/26/2023

Business Council of Canada

Provide clarity, certainty, and predictability on the [environmental impact assessment] rules for major projects.

10/26/2023

C.D. Howe Institute

Renew the federal government’s commitment to ensuring that regulations achieve their objectives at the lowest practical cost to Canadians and to their businesses.

10/19/2023

Calgary Chamber of Commerce

Reduce internal trade barriers such as licensing, transportation and labour mobility restrictions by collaborating with other orders of government, Chambers of Commerce, and other stakeholders on the development of a domestic trade accelerator initiative focused on increasing domestic trade volumes and reducing barriers to internal trade.

11/16/2023

Canadian Chamber of Commerce

Add an economic and competitiveness mandate for regulators.

11/02/2023

Canadian Chamber of Commerce

Ensure regulatory alignment. Government must look to ease the regulatory burden facing Canadian business, and work with industry and our international trading partners to ensure regulatory efficiency and alignment.

11/02/2023

Canadian Chamber of Commerce

Improve regulatory agility in life sciences and medical review processes. Focus on flexible, timely licensing pathways that incorporate patient engagement, and launch an agile health procurement implementation process to pilot and deploy promising products and technologies increasing health system security and driving improved medical outcomes.

11/02/2023

Canadian Chamber of Commerce

Reduce interprovincial trade barriers by establishing a public registry.

11/02/2023

Canadian Chamber of Commerce

Accelerate regulatory modernization.

11/02/2023

Canadian Federation of Independent Business

Reduce the overall administrative burden (red tape) on small businesses.

11/14/2023

Canadian Federation of Independent Business

Champion the implementation of mutual recognition to remove interprovincial trade barriers.

11/14/2023

Canadian Federation of Independent Business

[Update] the “one-for-one rule” … to include … rules … [found] in legislation, guidelines and policies [in addition to those found in the regulations].

11/14/2023

Cannabis Council of Canada

Eliminate … [the] special tax of 2.3% in the name of a regulatory fees charged by Health Canada [on cannabis products].

10/26/2023

Edmonton Global

Shift [the] thinking and … approach to policies and regulations to [enable investments, including energy transition projects].

11/16/2023

Edmonton Global

Grandfather projects that have started under … [specific approval and regulatory process to provide certainty and stability to investors].

11/16/2023

Electric Mobility Canada

Establish cross-Canadian guidance for electricity regulators to speed up deployment of charging infrastructure through an intergovernmental table to examine electrical system regulatory matters.

11/16/2023

Manitoba Chambers of Commerce

Ease the regulatory burden facing Canadian businesses and work with industry and [Canada’s] international trading partners to ensure regulatory efficiency and alignment.

11/15/2023

Manitoba Chambers of Commerce

Act to reduce interprovincial trade barriers by establishing a public registry … [to] raise awareness of barriers to interprovincial trade and encourage governments to justify or eliminate them.

11/15/2023

Manufacturiers et Exportateurs du Québec

Provide [export assistance to] small and medium-sized manufacturing businesses … and more programs to mitigate the risks associated with their initial forays into international markets.

11/13/2023

Vivek Dehejia (as an individual)

Pare back excessive government interference in the economy.

10/05/2023

Rural, Remote and Northern Regions

Witness Name

Witness Proposal

Date of Appearance

Assembly of First Nations

[Make investments to increase] access to affordable goods and services … for communities that are inaccessible by road.

10/26/2023

Calgary Chamber of Commerce

Support rural and Indigenous communities seeking access to highspeed internet by investing in rural broadband.

11/16/2023

Public Service Alliance of Canada

Create a national housing plan that recognizes that decent housing is a human right, starting with a commitment to the necessary resources to ensure all Northerners have access to affordable and adequate housing, by national standards and building codes, within five years.

10/05/2023

Rural Municipalities of Alberta

Maintain commitment to fully fund the Universal Broadband Fund over the next several years.

11/16/2023

Rural Municipalities of Alberta

Ensure broadband funding programs are designed in a way that addresses the urban-rural digital divide, acknowledging that rural areas are underfunded and underserved and will need a dedicated funding stream.

11/16/2023

Rural Municipalities of Alberta

Evaluate Universal Broadband Fund applications to ensure funding is being directed to areas with the poorest connectivity levels, and to determine if additional funding for the fund is necessary to fill in the remaining gaps in broadband service.

11/16/2023

Safety and Security

Witness Name

Witness Proposal

Date of Appearance

Alliance des femmes de la francophonie canadienne

Invest an additional amount in the implementation of the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence, and dedicate a specific envelope for francophone and Acadian women's organizations in minority settings.

11/17/2023

Assembly of First Nations

[Provide] investments for each First Nation to establish and maintain formal and culturally relevant emergency management programs.

10/26/2023

Assembly of First Nations

[Make] investments to implement the National Inquiry into [Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls] Calls for Justice.

10/26/2023

Assembly of First Nations

[Make] investments [to] establish First Nations police agencies comparable to other policing agencies.

10/26/2023

Ben Rabidoux (as an individual)

[Create a] direct income verification [mechanism] between lenders and the Canada Revenue Agency as a means to dissuade mortgage document fraud.

9/21/2023

Canadian Bankers Association

Allocate additional funds to organizations like the … Canadian Centre for Cyber Security to increase individual cyber security awareness and cross-industry collaboration.

11/14/2023

Canadian Chamber of Commerce

Protect critical infrastructure, supply chains and businesses from cyber threats.

11/02/2023

Canadian Chamber of Commerce

Create a SME Cyber Defence Fund.

11/02/2023

Municipality of Tantramar

Consult municipalities about decisions related to the future of [Royal Canadian Mounted Police] contract policing.

10/05/2023

Oxfam Canada

Create an independent long-term Sustainability Fund for women’s and gender justice organizations in Canada.

10/26/2023

Rural Municipalities of Alberta

Absorb all retroactive costs associated with implementation [of the new collective agreement with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police] and ensure that municipalities are consulted on measures that will impact local fiscal sustainability and the ability to maintain policing service levels.

11/16/2023

Rural Municipalities of Alberta

Ensure all future contract negotiations [with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police] involve the provinces in the process as contract holders.

11/16/2023

Seniors and Retirement

Witness Name

Witness Proposal

Date of Appearance

Alberta Federation of Labour

Direct the Chief Actuary … to clearly outline the impact [that Alberta’s proposal to leave the Canada Pension Plan] would have on the retirement security of workers and retirees both in Alberta and the rest of the country.

11/16/2023

C.D. Howe Institute

Raise the limit for contributions to defined-contribution pension plans and [Registered Retirement Savings Plans] by three percentage points of income per year – from the current 18 percent to 30 percent of earned income – over four years.

10/19/2023

C.D. Howe Institute

Institute an exemption threshold for [Registered Retirement Income Fund (RRIF)] withdrawals under which minimum RRIF withdrawals would not apply; alternatively, institute an immediate one-percentage-point reduction of minimum RRIFs withdrawals mandated for each age, beginning with the 2023 taxation year.

10/19/2023

C.D. Howe Institute

Allow purchases of annuities – including the advanced life deferred annuities introduced in the 2019 budget and variable payment life annuities … – within a [Tax-Free Savings Account].

10/19/2023

C.D. Howe Institute

Raise the age at which contributions to tax-deferred retirement saving schemes must end.

10/19/2023

C.D. Howe Institute

Increase the age of eligibility for public pension benefits … to 66 in 2033, and then to 67 between 2048 and 2050.

10/19/2023

Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec

Implement more robust measures to raise the average age of retirement … [by launching] an awareness campaign to promote the retention and hiring of experienced workers[, developing] an action plan to promote the retention and hiring of experienced workers [, increasing] the income threshold for reducing the Guaranteed Income Supplement … [as well as reviewing] the restrictions, conditions and tax implications involved in converting [a Registered Retirement Savings Plan] to a [Registered Retirement Income Fund and excluding] employment income from the Old Age Security recovery calculation.

11/13/2023

Newfoundland and Labrador Public Sector Pensioners' Association

[Implement measures to address challenges associated with] high cost of living and financial security.

10/13/2023

Newfoundland and Labrador Public Sector Pensioners' Association

[Simplify the application process for the New Horizons for Seniors Program as] a lot of senior-based organizations that depend on that funding, and could use it, give up in the long run [due to the complexity of the process].

10/13/2023

Réseau FADOQ

Increase the Guaranteed Income Supplement for all seniors.

9/25/2023

Réseau FADOQ

Increase Old Age Security benefits for seniors aged 65 to 74.

9/25/2023

Réseau FADOQ

Review the method for indexing Old Age Security to account for wage growth in Canada.

9/25/2023

Skills Training

Witness Name

Witness Proposal

Date of Appearance

Calgary Chamber of Commerce

Fund local businesses to help employers create work-integrated learning opportunities and access emerging local talent.

11/16/2023

Canadian Chamber of Commerce

Collaborate with provinces/territories to enable enhanced upskilling and reskilling to meet labour market needs.

11/02/2023

Canadian Labour Congress

Establish a permanent “tripartite plus” advisory council to provide advice and recommendations to the minister with respect to skills development and labour-market policy.

9/21/2023

Canadian Labour Congress

Prioritize broad access to vocational education, training and apprenticeship opportunities for all workers, with targeted incentives to increase opportunities for disadvantaged and underserved groups including women, Indigenous workers, youth, lower-skilled workers, workers with disabilities, newcomers to Canada and workers of colour.

9/21/2023

Canadian Labour Congress

Ensure core funding for literacy organizations and invest in a new national workplace literacy program delivered in partnership with trade unions.

9/21/2023

Colleges and Institutes Canada

Make [the global skills opportunity program] permanent and increase its funding envelope.

11/15/2023

Electric Mobility Canada

Work with provinces to revamp the vehicle mechanic curriculum to prioritize [electric vehicles (EV)] by fast-tracking training for EV mechanics and provide them with more apprenticeship opportunities.

11/16/2023

Electric Mobility Canada

Explore opportunities for the government to support employers, whether traditional industry or all-[electric vehicles (EV)], to train new employees who have not previously worked in the EV industry [and] maintain existing funding commitments for training and re-training.

11/16/2023

Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec

Promptly announce future investments under the Student Work Placement Program up to 2030.

11/13/2023

Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec

Replace the Canada Training Credit with a voluntary professional development savings plan.

11/13/2023

Greater Charlottetown Area Chamber of Commerce

Find a way to … collaborate and implement permanent solutions to seasonal employment challenges, such as … re-skilling programs and support to aid in the transition to work.

10/10/2023

Manitoba Chambers of Commerce

[Collaborate] with provinces and territories to enable enhancing skills and reskilling to meet labour market needs.

11/15/2023

Manitoba Home Builders' Association

Continue all actions to promote careers in skilled trades, support training and provide financial supports to companies and individuals with respect to skilled workers.

11/15/2023

MOSAIC

[Provide] targeted funding [to] allow employers and service organizations to work together to provide newcomers with occupation-specific training for in-demand jobs, hands-on workplace experience through internships and orientation to Canadian workplaces and mentorships.

11/17/2023

MOSAIC

Create a permanent funding envelope for … industry-led training and job placement program responding to market needs.

11/17/2023

Oxfam Canada

Invest in a strong workforce development strategy that explicitly recognizes care work and infrastructure under the Sustainable Jobs plan.

10/26/2023

Tax Reform and Compliance

Witness Name

Witness Proposal

Date of Appearance

C.D. Howe Institute

Amend the Income Tax Act to relieve more donations of private company shares and real estate from capital gains tax.

10/19/2023

Canadian Bankers Association

Undertake a comprehensive review of Canada’s tax system with the objective to improve labour productivity, meet the needs of Canada’s evolving economy, ensure Canada can compete internationally, and recommit to tax neutrality.

11/14/2023

Canadian Bankers Association

Build, implement and maintain a comprehensive single pan-Canadian beneficial ownership registry.

11/14/2023

Canadian Chamber of Commerce

Launch a comprehensive independent review of the tax system … to make it simpler and more fair.

11/02/2023

Canadian Chamber of Commerce

Eliminate notifiable and reportable transaction reporting rules that adversely affect compliant taxpayers.

11/02/2023

Canadian Chamber of Commerce

Preserve the spirit of Bill C-208 provisions for family business transfers.

11/02/2023

Canadian Federation of Independent Business

Simplify tax filing (e.g., updating GST/source deduction thresholds to account for inflation).

11/14/2023

Canadian Labour Congress

Provide leadership and crack down on employee misclassification, which costs taxpayers and workers millions of dollars annually in payroll tax fraud.

9/21/2023

Canadian Labour Congress

Follow Australia’s lead in enhancing tax transparency by introducing public country-by-country reporting requirements for multinational enterprises and their subsidiaries, including tax residency, ownership breakdown and entity type.

9/21/2023

Collectif Échec aux paradis fiscaux

[Open the consultation process on the reform and modernization of Canada's transfer pricing rules and on the implementation of the global minimum tax to the Canadian public.]

10/05/2023

Collectif Échec aux paradis fiscaux

Pay close attention to efforts aimed at strengthening the [United Nations’] role in [in international tax co‑operation.]

10/05/2023

Collectif Échec aux paradis fiscaux

Increase the transparency and accountability of the Canada Revenue Agency.

10/05/2023

Collectif Échec aux paradis fiscaux

Review how mandatory disclosure practices work.

10/05/2023

Collectif Échec aux paradis fiscaux

Ensure that the [Canada Revenue Agency] works with Revenu Québec.

10/05/2023

Collectif Échec aux paradis fiscaux

Establish a public registry of beneficial owners.

10/05/2023

Collectif Échec aux paradis fiscaux

Call for an international financial registry.

10/05/2023

Collectif Échec aux paradis fiscaux

Expand country-by-country reporting and make it public.

10/05/2023

Collectif Échec aux paradis fiscaux

Criminalize aggressive tax avoidance and crack down on tax cheats and enablers.

10/05/2023

Collectif Échec aux paradis fiscaux

Further regulate and restrict the use of voluntary disclosure.

10/05/2023

Collectif Échec aux paradis fiscaux

Make the fight against tax havens a foreign policy priority for Canada.

10/05/2023

Collectif Échec aux paradis fiscaux

Limit and regulate out-of-court settlements.

10/05/2023

Collectif Échec aux paradis fiscaux

Get rid of double non-taxation agreements.

10/05/2023

Collectif Échec aux paradis fiscaux

Tax multinational corporations appropriately.

10/05/2023

Collectif Échec aux paradis fiscaux

Eliminate transfer pricing problems by introducing unitary taxation for corporations.

10/05/2023

Confédération des syndicats nationaux

Set up a public registry of beneficial owners; apply an effective tax rate of at least 25% to multinationals and move forward with adopting its own tax on digital services, if necessary.

10/19/2023

Greater Vancouver Board of Trade

Enhance productivity by prioritizing tax reform with the ultimate goal of simplifying and expediting regulatory review and approvals.

11/15/2023

Manitoba Chambers of Commerce

[Launch] a comprehensive independent review of the tax system … [and] reform the tax system to make it simpler, more competitive with other countries and more fair.

11/15/2023

MOSAIC

Reclassify 30% of all current project-based funding that is destined for charities and not-for-profits to be eligible as core funding.

11/17/2023

Temporary Support for Businesses

Witness Name

Witness Proposal

Date of Appearance

Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce

Extend the repayment deadline [of Canada Emergency Business Account loans to] the end of 2025.

11/17/2023

Calgary Chamber of Commerce

Provide greater affordability support for small and medium-sized businesses.

11/16/2023

Calgary Chamber of Commerce

Extend the repayment deadline of Canada Emergency Business Account loans to year-end 2025.

11/16/2023

Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec

Establish a … program to provide non-repayable contributions and/or interest-free loans specifically to Quebec [small and medium enterprises] affected by the summer 2023 forest fires.

11/13/2023

Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec

[Delay for at least a year the repayment of the Canada emergency business account.]

11/13/2023

Greater Charlottetown Area Chamber of Commerce

Provide greater affordability supports specifically for small and medium-sized businesses.   Provide greater affordability supports specifically for small and medium-sized businesses.

10/10/2023

Greater Charlottetown Area Chamber of Commerce

[Further extend] the Canada emergency business account repayment deadline … [and extend] access to the forgivable portion for up to two years to the end of 2025.

10/10/2023

Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador

[Provide] greater flexibility … to allow [tourism] companies to address the massive financial implications of the COVID-19 pandemic.

10/13/2023

Manitoba Chambers of Commerce

Extend the current [Canada Emergency Business Account] repayment deadline by … at least … one year, while maintaining access to the forgivable portion.

11/15/2023

Tourism Industry Association of Canada

Adopt … measures to help tourism [small and medium enterprises] remain solvent [and alleviate their debt burden].

11/02/2023

Tourism Industry Association of Canada

Extend the zero-interest repayment deadline for the Canada Emergency Business Account loan to at least December 31, 2024, and similarly modify the Regional Relief and Recovery Fund and Highly Affected Sectors Credit Availability Program loans to allow more time and flexibility in repayment terms.

11/02/2023

Tourism

Witness Name

Witness Proposal

Date of Appearance

Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador

Invest in [air] route development and infrastructure [in Newfoundland and Labrador].

10/13/2023

Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador

[Immediately recapitalize] the Marine Atlantic fleet [and lower its cost-recovery rate so that it does not limit] … affordable rates.

10/13/2023

Tourism Industry Association of Canada

Launch a dedicated Tourism Infrastructure Fund to support major capital projects in the sector.

11/02/2023

Tourism Industry Association of Canada

Establish a tax credit program to incentivize investment in new tourism assets, and the upgrading of existing infrastructure.

11/02/2023

Tourism Industry Association of Canada

Increase [Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s] capacity to help expedite temporary residence procedures and applications for international tourists and, specifically, dedicate additional funding to bolster the Special Events Program to ensure that international business event travellers do not face unnecessary processing delays.

11/02/2023

Tourism Industry Association of Canada

Ensure there is [Canada Border Services Agency] port coverage in all small communities.

11/02/2023

Tourism Industry Association of Canada

Increase the number of Cruise Ship Operations ports, guaranteed Cost Recovery Agreements, and [Canada Border Services Agency] staff for the processing of cruise ships and fund the digitization of the [Canada Border Services Agency’] cruise ship clearance procedures.

11/02/2023

Tourism Industry Association of Canada

Dedicate meaningful investments in Canada’s privately-owned motor coach industry via federal transit funding programs.

11/02/2023

Transition to Net-Zero

Witness Name

Witness Proposal

Date of Appearance

Alberta Federation of Labour

[Do not allow corporations to] get around requirements related to prevailing wages and apprenticeships [attached to investment tax credits supporting the energy transition announced in Budget 2023].

11/16/2023

Alberta Federation of Labour

Pass the [proposed] Canadian Sustainable Jobs Act so that workers have a seat at the table when shaping industrial policy.

11/16/2023

Alberta Federation of Labour

Look at … strategies [in the United States] to speed up the approval of the diversification projects and their announcement of a youth climate corps.

11/16/2023

Aluminium Association of Canada

Include all aluminium sector decarbonization technologies to [the] lists of tax credit eligible technologies … [including equipment] intended to produce aluminium by a process that eliminates substantially all of the greenhouse gas resulting directly from the electrolysis of alumina … [and activities] related to clean technology manufacturing in the aluminium value change.

11/13/2023

Association des professionnels de la construction et de l'habitation du Québec

Allow a maximum 35-year amortization period for mortgages to purchase a new home that is certified energy efficient.

11/13/2023

Association des professionnels de la construction et de l'habitation du Québec

Expand the scope of certain programs intended to boost energy-efficient retrofits to also include large rental properties.

11/13/2023

Business Council of Manitoba

[Adjust the federal government incentive programs for greenhouse gas reductions] for the relative proportions of hydro-power to ensure provinces like Manitoba are able to participate on a level-playing field.

11/15/2023

Business Council of Manitoba

Continue to … [refine the Canada Infrastructure Bank’s programs] to ensure the funds available are more fully utilized to facilitate investments in green building technologies.

11/15/2023

Calgary Chamber of Commerce

Provide clarity on carbon capture utilization and storage incentives, and other investment tax credits.

11/16/2023

Calgary Chamber of Commerce

Advance an economy-wide, sector agnostic, national [greenhouse gas] offset system based on consultations with industry, provincial and territorial governments, and Indigenous partners.

11/16/2023

Calgary Chamber of Commerce

Establish and implement carbon contracts for differences.

11/16/2023

Canadian Bankers Association

Promote a national or harmonized process to meet Canada’s climate goals while also enhancing productivity and economic growth.

11/14/2023

Canadian Business Aviation Association

Make the requisite investments in the sustainability of the aviation sector, including the deployment of financial incentives that encourage the purchase and environmental modernization of business aircraft, materials, and services; and the creation of incentives to stimulate wider production and use of sustainable aviation fuel.

11/16/2023

Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives

[Implement] a whole-of-economy strategy that starts from the end point, … an economy free of fossil fuels by 2050, and works backwards.

11/02/2023

Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives

[Provide] direct public funding—not financing and not corporate incentives—in … key sectors, including … to decarbonize and expand the electricity grid … and … for energy efficiency retrofits of homes and buildings.

11/02/2023

Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives

[Instate] new public interest mandates for both the Canada Infrastructure Bank and the Canada growth fund [so that instead] of trying to de-risk private investment, … [they offer] funding and low-cost loans to governments and to communities, especially those most affected by the transition to net zero.

11/02/2023

Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives

[Allocate annual funding] for more aggressive workforce development policies … [to] enable [Canada] to build the green economy ... [and] help to ease the transition away from fossil fuels for affected workers in an equitable way.

11/02/2023

Canadian Chamber of Commerce

Develop a standard definition for “net-zero aligned investment.” Include emission reduction estimates alongside policies, and support the work of the Sustainable Finance Action Council, particularly its transition taxonomy project.

11/02/2023

Canadian Labour Congress

Include job-quality requirements in … decarbonization investments to ensure low carbon jobs are safe, well-paid, and afford workers a say at work through access to a union.

9/21/2023

Canadian Labour Congress

[Improve the proposed Canadian Sustainable Jobs Act] before passage, including ensuring a strong voice for workers through their unions in the Sustainable Jobs Partnership Council.

9/21/2023

Canadian Labour Congress

[Expand the Futures Fund] to cover all of Canada’s provinces and territories and [increase its budget].

9/21/2023

Coalition for a Better Future

[Ensure businesses have certainty to prioritize and to plan by releasing a legislative framework for carbon capture and streamlining regulatory approval procedures.]

9/25/2023

Confédération des syndicats nationaux

Show leadership in the development of a green economy.

10/19/2023

Construction Association of Prince Edward Island

[Consult] construction industry [stakeholders in the planning of industry-related policies and programs to advance] the transition to a net-zero economy, … [including] the restrictive labour conditions attached to [the clean technologies and clean hydrogen tax credits].

10/10/2023

Econext

[Ensure that major] investments into climate action … [are] done by direct engagement with stakeholders in Newfoundland and Labrador.

10/13/2023

Electric Mobility Canada

Align … auto tailpipe emission standards with the toughest standards in North America for light-duty vehicles and medium- and heavy-duty vehicles.

11/16/2023

Electric Mobility Canada

Modernize the legislative and regulatory framework to facilitate the transportation of used and end-of-life batteries and to encourage battery recovery, repurposing, remanufacturing, and recycling in North America.

11/16/2023

Electric Mobility Canada

Work with the National Capital Commission and the City of Ottawa to establish a Zero Emission Zone in Ottawa.

11/16/2023

Équiterre

Modernize existing programs (iZEV, Green Levy, ZETF and ZEVIP) … [and expand] the iZEV program … by providing a … purchase subsidy.

11/13/2023

Équiterre

Begin the transition of the heavy-vehicle subsector with campaigns to raise awareness and on financing opportunities for electric school buses.

11/13/2023

Équiterre

Limit the production of residual materials by creating a home appliances and electronics repair fund … and a reusable container and packaging fund.

11/13/2023

Équiterre

Foster a net-zero economy by investing in workforce … through tax credits covering tuition for sustainable careers … by increasing funding for “skills in a net-zero economy” … by investing in the creation of a new program to support regional planning and fund initiatives that create sustainable jobs …, and by investing in innovation to decarbonize the industrial sector … and in the economic diversification of communities affected by the transition.

11/13/2023

Équiterre

Show leadership by accelerating progress on the Greening Government Strategy.

11/13/2023

Équiterre

Create more eco-taxes and binding regulations.

11/13/2023

Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec

Make the fiscal and financial incentives provided in Canada’s Plan for a Clean Economy contingent on flexible Canadian or … free trade partner… content criteria.

11/13/2023

Green Budget Coalition

[Support a] renovation wave for climate resilient homes and affordable homes [by expanding and coordinating] existing investments and programs to centrally deliver home upgrades to ensure impactful investments that integrate health, affordability, and adaptation targets, and accommodate the unique needs of Indigenous, northern and remote communities.

9/25/2023

Green Budget Coalition

Scale up investment in transition planning, job creation, and worker supports to ensure workers and communities have a smooth transition to a low-carbon economy.

9/25/2023

Manufacturiers et Exportateurs du Québec

[Offer] more support and predictability [to Quebec and Canadian manufacturers], as well as key measures [to decarbonize activities].

11/13/2023

Manufacturiers et Exportateurs du Québec

Expedite implementation of the five tax credits previously announced and ensure that [they] are predictable and more broadly based to stimulate investment.

11/13/2023

Manufacturiers et Exportateurs du Québec

Raise awareness and conduct more audits and diagnostics to [allow small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to] measure [their] footprint and … establish targeted programs for SMEs to mitigate the risks associated with the investments that have to be made [to reach carbon neutrality].

11/13/2023

Metro Vancouver

Work with Metro Vancouver to implement the actions set out in Metro Vancouver’s Climate 2050 strategy and Clean Air Plan in order to achieve [the] shared commitment to emissions reductions targets by 2050.

11/15/2023

Oxfam Canada

Provide targeted funding to support people and groups who have been historically underrepresented in Canada’s energy sectors … to find green jobs in the renewable energy or energy conservation sectors.

10/26/2023

Oxfam-Québec

Stop financing polluting projects.

10/26/2023

Oxfam-Québec

[Pass legislation] to ensure that Canadian banks have plans, targets and practices consistent with Canada's climate commitments and the objectives of the Paris Agreement that include measures to reduce financed emissions.

10/26/2023

Prince Edward Island Fishermen's Association

[Allocate funding on a cost-sharing basis] to enable fishing vessels to transition to emissions-reducing technologies.

10/10/2023

Town of Stratford

[Clarify the application requirements for] funding to support … environmental sustainability [initiatives] to [help municipalities] get the funding [they] need in order [to meet net-zero emissions targets].

10/10/2023

World Energy GH2

Supplement the role of the Canada Growth Fund [and] contemplate additional measures to compete with the [United States] Inflation Reduction Act’s generous subsidies.

10/13/2023

World Energy GH2

Establish dedicated funding for green hydrogen contracts for difference.

10/13/2023

World Energy GH2

Ensure availability of other government programming, such as the Strategic Innovation Fund, the Canada Infrastructure Bank and the Canada Growth Fund [to close] the competitive gap [with the United States].

10/13/2023

Transportation

Witness Name

Witness Proposal

Date of Appearance

Calgary Chamber of Commerce

Advance the development of the National Supply Chain Strategy.

11/16/2023

Canadian Business Aviation Association

Allocate funds and resources towards improving the infrastructure and accessibility of regional airports and air traffic control systems.

11/16/2023

Canadian Business Aviation Association

Work closely with relevant government agencies … to simplify and streamline the customs and immigration procedures.

11/16/2023

Canadian Federation of Agriculture

[Extend the interswitching pilot past the current 18-month period and expand the distance beyond 160km.]

10/05/2023

Electric Mobility Canada

Continue purchase incentives for new passenger [electric vehicles (EVs)], but focus on the EV-only range to include more long-range electric cars, SUVs and pickup trucks.

11/16/2023

Electric Mobility Canada

Introduce a fiscally neutral feebate system to have the most polluting vehicles fund [electric vehicle] incentives for new vehicles.

11/16/2023

Electric Mobility Canada

Make [electric vehicles] more accessible for low- and modest-income households through a dedicated program.

11/16/2023

Electric Mobility Canada

Make it easier for taxis, car share or ride-share to go electric by removing the Incentives for Zero-Emission Vehicles Program cap for fleets.

11/16/2023

Electric Mobility Canada

Support consumer [electric vehicle] education and industry sales force training.

11/16/2023

Electric Mobility Canada

Establish a green scrappage program that gets fossil fuel vehicles off the road, and replace them with zero-emission modes of transportation, whether battery electric or hydrogen.

11/16/2023

Electric Mobility Canada

Adopt an ambitious [zero-emission vehicle] sales transportation regulation program to make sure that all Canadians have access to a growing supply and variety of [electric vehicle] models.

11/16/2023

Electric Mobility Canada

Pursue purchasing incentives for [medium- and heavy-duty vehicles] and work with the provinces to match funding.

11/16/2023

Electric Mobility Canada

Pursue funding for electric transit buses and pursue long-term funding for municipalities and transit agencies to convert their fleet to electric.

11/16/2023

Electric Mobility Canada

Make the electric school bus incentive program simpler and more efficient so companies can apply and get the funding they need for transition.

11/16/2023

Electric Mobility Canada

Increase funding for the integration of electric trucks into commercial fleets.

11/16/2023

Electric Mobility Canada

Implement a phase-out of fossil fuel vehicles at federally regulated properties such as ports, rail yards, parks and airports.

11/16/2023

Electric Mobility Canada

Make electric off-road vehicles more affordable … by introducing a federal rebate, as Yukon, Vermont and other jurisdictions did.

11/16/2023

Electric Mobility Canada

Implement a [zero-emission vehicle] sales mandate for off-road by 2035, similar to New Jersey, New York and California.

11/16/2023

Electric Mobility Canada

Work with regional and provincial ferry agencies, as well as Crown corporations … to launch a program to support the electrification of ferry services across Canada.

11/16/2023

Electric Mobility Canada

Set and fund targets for [electric vehicle] charging stations or fuelling stations for hydrogen for all types of vehicles in every Canadian region.

11/16/2023

Electric Mobility Canada

Make one million condominiums and apartments [electric vehicle (EV)]-ready over four years, add EV charging requirements to national building codes [and] support right-to-charge rules for residents of multi-unit residences.

11/16/2023

Electric Mobility Canada

Accelerate rural, remote and off-road access to charging, [in accordance with the] report from the Auditor General.

11/16/2023

Electric Mobility Canada

Establish charging hubs on underused government-owned lands, particularly in high-density urban areas, open to all charging operators without exclusivity, and accessible to the public.

11/16/2023

Electric Mobility Canada

Support charging investments by providing time-limited rebates for large-scale charging investments.

11/16/2023

Electric Mobility Canada

[Change] home energy retrofit programs [to] support the installation of newer, more efficient electrical panels and [electric vehicle] charging infrastructure, including panel size and smart panel upgrades.

11/16/2023

Electric Mobility Canada

Establish a dedicated grant-based incentive program to support the deployment of large-scale [electric vehicle] charging installations and electrical service upgrades, to facilitate the medium- and heavy-duty segments.

11/16/2023

Electric Mobility Canada

Adopt a federal [zero-emission vehicle (ZEV)] sales regulation to ensure that ZEV supply is available in provinces without their own regulation of equal or greater stringency, relative to the federal program.

11/16/2023

Electric Mobility Canada

Adopt a sales regulation to achieve 100% Zero-Emission bus and truck sales by 2040 at the latest aligned with the most ambitious targets in North America with interim milestones along the way.

11/16/2023

Electric Mobility Canada

Enact legislation requiring the federal government to establish an [electric vehicle (EV)] strategy, and maintain and regularly update an EV action plan through 2035.

11/16/2023

Electric Mobility Canada

[Address barriers to access to electric vehicles for rural, northern and Indigenous communities] to allow them a meaningful opportunity to drive electric.

11/16/2023

Keystone Agricultural Producers

Build on budget 2023's extended interswitching pilot by further expanding the distance beyond 160 kilometres and extending the pilot past the current 18-month period.

11/15/2023

Tourism Industry Association of Canada

Provide airports with the capital to expand, update, and upgrade infrastructure by reinvesting federal rents into capital projects.

11/02/2023

Vancouver Airport Authority

Invest in government modernization initiatives and services that will improve the passenger experience through Canadian airports.

11/17/2023

Vancouver Airport Authority

Expand the current verified traveller program to be a true domestic trusted traveller program … similar to … the TSA PreCheck program [in the United States].

11/17/2023

Vancouver Airport Authority

Expedite the implementation of an end-to-end digital traveller journey for all people who wish to utilize digital processes.

11/17/2023