Scott Brison moved, — That the Committee report the following to the House of Commons:
Whereas the Committee passed a motion on November 17th, 2010 which stated in part:
The committee also orders that the Government of Canada provide the committee with electronic copies of the following:
• Five-year projections of total corporate profits before taxes and effective corporate tax rates (2010-11 to 2014-15);
And whereas the Government of Canada responded to the committee on November 24th by stating that:
"Projections of corporate profits before taxes and effective corporate income tax rates are a Cabinet confidence. As such, we are not in a position to provide these series to the Committee."
And whereas the Committee’s motion of November 17th, 2010 also stated in part:
That the committee also orders that the Government of Canada provide the committee with electronic copies of the following documents as they relate to each justice bill listed in Mr. Brison's motion of October 6 as well as the following bills: S-2, An Act to amend the Criminal Code and other Acts, S-6, An Act to amend the Criminal Code and another Act, S-7, An Act to deter terrorism and to amend the State Immunity Act, S-9, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (auto theft and trafficking in property obtained by crime), S-10, An Act to amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and to make related and consequential amendments to other Acts, C-48: An Act to amend the Criminal Code and to make consequential amendments to the National Defence Act (Protecting Canadians by Ending Sentence Discounts for Multiple Murder Acts), C-50: An Act to amend the Criminal Code (interception of private communications and related warrants and orders) (Improving Access to Investigative Tools for Serious Crimes Act), C-51: An Act to amend the Criminal Code, the Competition Act and the Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Act (Investigative Powers for the 21st Century Act), C-52: An Act regulating telecommunications facilities to support investigations :
• the incremental cost estimates broken down by Capital, Operations & Maintenance and Other categories
• the baseline departmental funding requirement excluding the impacts of the bills and Acts, broken down by Capital, Operations and Maintenance and Other categories;
• the total departmental Annual Reference Level (ARL), including all quasi-statutory and non-quasi-statutory items, including Capital, Operations and Maintenance and Other categories, including the incremental cost estimates;
• detailed cost accounting, analysis and projections, including assumptions, for each of the bills and Acts, conducted in accordance with the Treasury Board Guide to Costing;
And whereas the Government of Canada responded to the committee on December 1st by stating that:
"The issue of whether there are any costs associated with the implementation of any of the Government’s Justice bills is a matter of Cabinet confidence and, as such, the Government is not in a position to provide such information or documents."
Accordingly, the Committee wishes to draw the attention of the House on what appears to be a breach of its privileges by the Government of Canada’s refusal to provide documents ordered by the Committee, and recommends that House take whatever measures it deems appropriate.