Latest News & Updates

IN THE NEWS
Morneau expected to reveal federal deficit in excess of $300-billion

Globe and Mail.com

Politics

The projection raises concerns about how the government plans to phase out heavy spending that has allowed the deficit to grow more than tenfold in seven months

by: Bill Curry and Daniel Leblanc

Finance Minister Bill Morneau will forecast a deficit in excess of $300-billion Wednesday, sources say, as the government announces for the first time how shutting down large swaths of the economy and spending billions on emergency pandemic programs is affecting Ottawa's bottom line.

IN THE NEWS
House of Commons Finance Committee to probe WE charity contract

CBC TV: Power and Politics

COMMONS COMMITTEE TO PROBE WE CHARITY CONTRACT

by: Vassy Kapelos

Participants:

CATHERINE CULLEN (NEWSCASTER):

AN UPDATE FROM THE HOUSE OF COMMONS FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING RIGHT NOW TO STUDY GOVERNMENT'S RESPONSE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. A COMMITTEE HAS PASSED A CONSERVATIVE MOTION TO PROBE THE GOVERNMENT'S SOLE-SOURCED CONTRACT TO THE WE CHARITY TO RUN THE $912 MILLION CANADA STUDENT SERVICE GRANT PROGRAM. IF THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON FINANCE IS PART OF ITS STUDY ON COVID-19 HOLD HEARINGS IN JULY 2020 FOR NO LESS THAN FOUR MEETINGS FOR DURATION OF THREE HOURS EACH TO EXAMINE HOW MUCH THE GOVERNMENT SPENT IN AWARDING THE $912 MILLION SOLE-SOURCED CONTRACT TO WE CHARITY AND HOW THE OUTSOURCING OF THE CANADA STUDENT SERVICE GRANT TO WE CHARITY PROCEEDED AS FAR AS IT DID. THE COMMITTEE PRODUCES A REPORT ON ITS FINDINGS TO BE TABLED IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS. David: OKAY, SO WE, THE CHARITY, NOT US, WE ANNOUNCED LAST WEEK THAT IT WOULD NO LONGER ADMINISTER THE PROGRAM. ANOTHER MOTION TABLED BY NDP MP PETER JULIAN CALLED FOR THE RELEASE OF DOCUMENTS. THEY NEED TO BE GIVEN TO THE COMMITTEE BY AUGUST 8th. THE SHOW HAS REQUESTED AN INTERVIEW WITH THE MINISTER RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS FILE, BUT WE HAVE BEEN TOLD THE MINISTER BARDISH CHAGGER HAS BEEN UNAVAILABLE.

IN THE NEWS
Morneau facing pressure to unwind massive COVID-19 support programs ahead of fiscal update

National Post.com

NEWS, Words: 816

OTTAWA - Finance Minister Bill Morneau is facing calls to begin unwinding key COVID-19 support programs in his fiscal update on Wednesday, as businesses warn that unrestrained extensions of financial aid could crimp an eventual economic recovery.

Federal opposition parties, academics, and industry groups have been urging Ottawa for months to tweak its two major aid programs, the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) and the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS), saying the Liberal government needs to begin shifting its tone toward incentivizing Canadians to return thttps://peterjulian.ca/wp-admin/post.php?post=4387&action=edit&lang=en#edit_timestampo work.

IN THE NEWS
Tories, NDP at odds over federal spending as Liberals prepare fiscal snapshot

Canadian Press Newswire

OTTAWA _ Opposition parties have laid out their demands for the federal Liberal government as Ottawa prepares to update Canadians on the country's finances after four months of COVID-19 _ and where it expects the economy to head for the rest of the year.

Wednesday's fiscal snapshot will be the first public assessment of the country's economic and financial situation since the pandemic started in earnest in March, forcing provinces into lockdown and the Liberal government to start doling out billions in aid in lieu of a federal budget.

IN THE NEWS
NDP urges Morneau to tackle tax havens, consider wealth levy

Report on Business | B2, Words: 663

by: Bill Curry

The NDP is calling on the minority Liberal government to tackle the corporate use of offshore tax havens and consider a wealth tax as part of any plan to address the large federal deficit and growing debt load created during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The request comes as Finance Minister Bill Morneau is preparing to release an economic and fiscal snapshot on July 8 that will provide the first official estimate of this year's federal deficit since a report in December that was issued before the pandemic.

IN THE HOUSE
Joint-letter to Finance Minister about offshore and international tax evasion

As critics for Finance and National Revenue, myself and MP Matthew Green (Hamilton Centre) wrote Bill Morneau, Minister of Finance, to ask for concrete and immediate action to address the legislative gaps regarding offshore and international tax evasion.

IN THE NEWS
CERB needed 'better words'

Calgary Sun (FINAL) by: Ryan Wolstat

NEWS | A20, Words: 338

Canada's Employment Minister admits the government could have "picked better words" to scare off would-be COVID-19 relief program cheats, according to Blacklock's Reporter.

"While I remain committed to not in any way penalizing someone who honestly commits a mistake or an error or somebody who gets an extra payment, there was a sentiment that we need more robust ways to enforce our measures at the back end," Carla Qualtrough told the Senate national finance committee.

IN THE NEWS
Conservatives hold worst attendance record at House of Commons COVID-19 committee

Globe and Mail.com

The low turnout is prompting charges of hypocrisy from the NDP

by: Marieke Walsh

Despite calls from Andrew Scheer for more parliamentary oversight during the coronavirus pandemic, the Conservatives have the worst attendance record of all five political parties at the House of Commons COVID-19 committee meetings.

Of the 21 special sessions, in which all MPs could participate, records show the Tories averaged a 47-per-cent attendance rate, placing them well behind the other parties.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Government must end free ride for companies who use tax havens

"A top official at the CRA is saying we need tougher laws to stop tax avoidance but the Liberal government has been in power since 2015 and has done absolutely nothing to close these loopholes for big corporations and the ultra rich,� said NDP Finance Critic Peter Julian. “Instead of threatening Canadians on CERB with new redundant and punitive laws, the Liberal government should be going after wealthy tax dodgers who are robbing Canadians of tax dollars needed to improve health care and infrastructure here at home.�

IN THE NEWS
Canada's wealthiest one per cent hold 25.6% of riches, new PBO report says

The concentration of wealth among Canada's richest one per cent is deeper than previously believed, according to a federal government report based on a new modelling approach.

The top one per cent of Canada's families hold about 25.6 per cent of the wealth _ roughly $3 trillion _ up from 13.7 per cent estimated under previous methodology, says the report from the Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer.

IN THE NEWS
10,000 in New West receive CERB, but that’s not enough: MP

An estimated 10,000 New Westminster residents are receiving the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), says New Westminster-Burnaby MP Peter Julian.

That’s a big figure, but even that’s not enough for Julian, who says many people with disabilities are being unfairly left out of much-needed funding.

Burnaby South MP and federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and Julian have been leading the charge to have more people with disabilities qualify for CERB. Right now, people who don’t qualify for the federal disability tax credit also don’t qualify for CERB, Julian said.

IN THE NEWS
Known fraudsters targeting CERB for wrongful benefits, Commons committee told

Canadian Press Newswire

OTTAWA _ Harsh penalties for defrauding the Canada Emergency Response Benefit are needed because organized crime and identity thieves are trying to scam the program, a House of Commons committee was told Thursday.

A Canada Revenue Agency official said federal systems have already flagged a number of potential fraudulent applications for the $2,000-a-month CERB, including people involved in criminal activity that have now targeted the pandemic-aid program.