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Libby speaking out against HST
Libby speaking out against HST
HST and Home Heating
Question Period
House of Commons
HANSARD
Ms. Libby Davies (Vancouver East, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, another cold winter is coming and times are tight. The Conservatives have decided to hit Canadians where it hurts the most by imposing the HST on home heating.
This country is struggling to emerge from the recession. The last thing Canadians want to see is higher home heating bills. That is why the NDP leader has proposed something to make life more affordable for Canadians.
Will the government agree to implement this practical plan and take the federal sales tax off home heating?
Hon. John Baird (Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, it is our government that has a plan to create jobs across. That plan is all based on low taxes.
We have seen the benefit of those low taxes over the last four and a half years, the creation of some 400,000 jobs in the last 16 months. That is good news for Canadian families.
The difference between us and the NDP members is we actually believe cutting taxes is a good thing and they and their coalition partners absolutely believe that taxes are not high enough and they are going to take a bigger bite out of the family budget and we think that is wrong.
Ms. Libby Davies (Vancouver East, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, please note that the member directly avoids the issue of the HST.
The fact is families are already feeling squeezed and soaring home heating costs can only mean that things will get worse for them.
What kind of Canadian leader does not get that?
Why are the Conservatives giving more tax breaks to the big polluters while getting rid of programs to help people retrofit their homes?
Why will they not choose to help ordinary Canadians by reinstating the eco-energy program instead of hiking the sales tax on home heating?
Why won’t they choose to help ordinary Canadians, by reinstating the ecoENERGY program, instead of hiking sales tax on home heating?
Libby speaking out against HST
Libby speaking out against HST
A week for housing
A week for housing
A week for housing
It’s the end of a busy week and first chance to think about how things went on Bill C-304, to ensure secure, adequate, accessible and affordable housing for Canadians.
It was great to see the Red Tents on Parliament Hill on Tuesday! They are a familiar site from Vancouver, where during the 2010 Olympics last February, hundreds of red tents “popped” up as a visible reminder of homelessness. The fact they made it to Parliament Hill is a reflection of the huge campaign (www.redtents.org) that’s been underway to increase awareness about housing issues.
Thankyou to the many dedicated folks who made it out and also organized actions in many communities on that day including a rally in Victory Square in my riding of East Van.
Bill C304 was debated on Wednesday and though some thought it was a final vote on the Bill, it was actually what’s called Report Stage and 3rd Reading. This takes two hours of debate – and the first hour was Wednesday. Support is still going strong for the Bill both within Parliament and outside. In fact, the broad support in the community has made an enormous difference and has given the Bill momentum to go forward.
Getting a Private Members Bill through Parliament is no easy task and there are many potential procedural and political roadblocks to overcome. C-304 is no exception, and it’s been an eye opener to navigate and resolve various issues and problems. But so far, so good! During the debate on Wednesday, the BQ moved an amendment with my agreement that if approved, when the vote comes up, will see the Bill returned to Committee. The reason for this is to consider further amendments on the question of provincial jurisdiction. I am supportive of doing this as I want to ensure that members of the BQ and Quebec housing groups are in full support of the Bill. A previous amendment on this issue was ruled out of order by the Speaker – so it’s a good opportunity to look at this again and make it work!
Lots of folks have asked me when the “VOTE” will be! At this point, the vote on the amendment will be in a few weeks (as Bills are put on a rotation list) after we’ve had the 2nd hour of debate.
So stay tuned ….. And sincere thanks to the many amazing people who have supported this Bill all the way. It’s a real testament to what we can accomplish together, from many differing perspectives, but united in a firm belief that we must do much more to make good housing a basic right and priority in Canada.
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Libby speaking out against tax havens
Libby speaking out against tax havens
KEHRSATZ, Switzerland — Prime Minister Stephen Harper signed a treaty here Friday that he says gives Canada an important new tool to track tax cheats who hide their money in Swiss accounts. But a new “double taxation” treaty Harper signed with Swiss president Doris Leuthard will only affect future taxation years, Canadian officials said, and won’t give Revenue Canada any new ways to track down a reported 1,800 Canadians who are hiding millions from Canada’s taxman… In the House of Commons, though, the NDP said Harper needs to do more to track rich tax cheats. “This government is letting wealthy tax evaders off the hook,” NDP MP Libby Davies told the Commons. “It is bragging about a tax treaty with Switzerland that will do little to recover billions of tax dollars hidden overseas by tax chiefs and corporations. What little information we do have on Canadian tax evaders is the result of the efforts of other countries, France and the United States.”
The original article, Canada opens cracks on Swiss bank account secrecy was published on October 22, 2010 in The Toronto Sun. Author(s): David Akin