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Results: 1 - 10 of 10
View Lianne Rood Profile
CPC (ON)
Thank you, Chris and Christine, once again, for being here today.
I want to talk a little about the departmental plan. In the 2018-19 AAFC departmental results report, on page 13.... I'm not sure if you have that there for reference.
On page 13 you're using an average annual growth rate between 2017 and 2025 to calculate the percentage change in the economic performance of the agriculture and agri-food sector as well as the percentage change in agri-food products sold. The same criteria were used in the 2019-20 departmental plan on page 10 of that same report.
However, in the 2020-21 departmental plan report, which was just released, you've changed the criteria on both categories. Specifically, you're now using a compound annual growth rate rather than the average annual growth rate to calculate the targets between 2017 and 2025. Furthermore, this change to using compound annual growth rate changed the actual results for the previous years.
Not only that, but to calculate percentage change in economic performance of the agriculture and agri-food sector, you've now gone back to 2007 as the beginning year rather than 2017. To calculate the percentage change in agri-food products, you've gone back to 2012 as the beginning, rather than 2017.
I'm wondering if you know what the reason was for the change in the department's calculations from using average annual growth rate to compound annual growth rate.
Chris Forbes
View Chris Forbes Profile
Chris Forbes
2020-03-12 16:39
The basic answer on that is that those should be synonyms, basically. It may have been just a clarification language that when we call it a compound annual growth rate.... When we calculated an average before, it should have been the compound annual growth rate—
View Lianne Rood Profile
CPC (ON)
It was calculated differently, though. When you look at it, the numbers are completely different. Why would the average annual growth rates for the percentage change in the economic performance of the agriculture and agri-food sector be different in 2018-19?
Chris Forbes
View Chris Forbes Profile
Chris Forbes
2020-03-12 16:39
There are a couple of things. To be fair, I'm not looking at the numbers, so I apologize for that. The changes in the numbers could have come about for a couple of reasons. One could be historical revisions to data, like new date that becomes available. Sometimes Statistics Canada will revise back a couple of years.
To be quite honest with you, I'm not sure I can answer the question around the start date, but that may have been about better availability of data. I'm happy to come back if there's more information you'd like on the specifics of the calculation.
I'll just say that overall the average that we were calculating before should have been a compound annual growth rate as well, because that's sort of the way we would try to calculate. There must be, I would think, some data change in there, some historical revisions, that might have driven some of that.
View Gerald Soroka Profile
CPC (AB)
View Gerald Soroka Profile
2020-02-20 16:37
I think it was Brian who mentioned that under NAFTA we went from $9 billion to $45 billion in trade. That is pretty impressive. Now with the concessions that we're giving here, do you see a similar kind of growth, or is there even potential for much more growth? Is that even a possibility? I'm asking whoever wants to answer that question.
Brian Innes
View Brian Innes Profile
Brian Innes
2020-02-20 16:37
Yes, we do see opportunity for growth, not just in trade in North America but also in trade from our North American value chain to the world.
On the first part, within North America, expanding access for processed products like margarine and sugar-containing products does represent incremental growth opportunities that weren't available in the original NAFTA. For example, the original NAFTA was created at a time when the way we made margarine worked with the agreement, but now the technology has evolved and we no longer use hydrogenation. It was no longer possible to produce margarine in Canada and trade it to the United States without having tariffs on it.
That was not extended, unfortunately, to other products like shortening, so there are still a number of areas within NAFTA, or the new CUSMA, that are not tariff-free in agriculture, but the areas that were tariff-free remain tariff-free, and that enables us to continue to grow in the world. Being integrated makes us more competitive in exporting, whether it's to China or Japan or elsewhere.
View Mona Fortier Profile
Lib. (ON)
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
I’d also like to thank the finance committee for inviting me to discuss the pre-budget consultation process that we began on January 13. As well, I’d like to thank the department officials for being here with me this evening.
Before I begin, I would like to talk about a very important measure we put forward last year. Our government introduced a proposal that would lower taxes for the middle class and people working hard to join it. We would do that by letting people keep more of what they earn, up to $15,000, before they have to pay any federal income tax.
We made this proposal because we know a lot of people are feeling the squeeze at the end of the month and need a little help to make ends meet. All told, it's a change that would mean lower taxes for close to 20 million Canadians. At the same time, we've also chosen to take steps to ensure that this help goes to the people who need it most. The wealthiest people in Canada, those in the top 1% of income earners, wouldn't benefit from this change.
This brings me to our work as we prepare budget 2020.
To establish policies that work for everyone and that contribute to a country based on inclusive growth, we need to know more about what Canadians need.
As you know, we have undertaken pre-budget consultations in an effort to reach out to Canadians in every corner of the country to learn what their priorities are. We are meeting with important stakeholders in rural, urban and remote communities across the country to find out what matters most to Canadians.
We recognize that there is still much to do in order to build an even stronger middle class. We are asking stakeholders and individual Canadians specific questions that will shed light on their priorities. We want to know what will make the biggest difference to Canadians’ to improve their quality of life, whether that means reducing the cost of living or supporting well-being.
To better understand the situations facing Canadians and the problems they are dealing with, during our meetings and round tables, we are focusing on four key themes: strengthening the middle class and growing the economy; fighting climate change and protecting the environment; keeping Canadians healthy and safe; and moving forward on reconciliation with indigenous peoples.
As these four themes demonstrate, we are building on the work we started during our last mandate. In that time, we grew the economy while protecting the environment. The themes are also in line with the mandate I was given to establish growth indicators that will provide a clear picture of Canadians’ quality of life and the economy.
Budget 2020 will take into account the findings that have emerged from these pre-budget consultations. Understanding the priorities of Canadians living in different realities—whether they are in Vancouver, Napanee or Montreal—has been very informative to us as we develop the next budget, because we know that a strong economy is one that works for everyone.
I would like to highlight some key ways in which we have helped strengthen the middle class over the last four years.
Since 2015, through government investment and the hard work of Canadians, our economy has added over one million new jobs. The unemployment rate is at its lowest levels in more than 40 years. Our policies have lifted almost 900,000 Canadians out of poverty, including 300,000 children and almost 60,000 seniors.
Our investments in people have also strengthened our economy. We have continually reduced our debt-to-GDP ratio, which is the lowest in the G7. Canada continues to have the best balance sheet in the G7, which gives us a real competitive advantage.
Canada is predicted to have continued growth through 2020. Wages are on the rise. Business profits are solid. We maintain a AAA rating. Thanks to the Canada child benefit, nine out of 10 families with children now receive more money than they did previously. With the enhancements to the guaranteed income supplement and the Canada pension plan, seniors have and will continue to have a more secure and dignified retirement. We created the Canada workers benefit, a strengthened, more generous and more accessible benefit to help low-income workers keep more of their hard-earned money.
We have put gender at the heart of government decision-making. Today, more women are employed and contributing to our shared economic success than at any point in Canadian history. We've made a lot of progress these past years. However, we recognize that far too many families still feel that they are struggling to make ends meet. We know that we still have work to do.
During the pre-budget consultations in Hamilton, I heard that parents see real value in the Canada child benefit, but there is still more work to do to help those caring for young children find available, flexible and affordable child care.
Meeting and round table participants in Montreal highlighted the important role entrepreneurs play in strengthening competitiveness. In every city, we’ve heard about the importance of skilled trades in the workforce.
Another theme at the heart of our conversations with Canadians has been fighting climate change and protecting the environment. We all know that one of the most important issues of our time is the effects of climate change on our communities, our lives and our economy.
From forest fires to floods and droughts to the extreme temperatures and intensifying storms, we are feeling the impacts of climate change everywhere in the country and around the world. Canadians have been clear. They expect their government to take action on climate change and to protect the environment. This is why, over the past four years, we've taken serious action to fight climate change and to protect our communities from its impacts.
Since last year, it hasn’t been free to pollute anywhere in Canada. We put a price on pollution to protect the environment, while putting more money in the pockets of Canadian families. We are phasing out coal power and moving towards 90% clean electricity for cleaner air and healthier communities. Canadians know that climate action can no longer be put off, and we, as a government, know that too. We need to be ambitious as we fight climate change. Finding solutions to both challenges is what will make a real difference in the lives of middle-class Canadians.
We know that, for Canadians to thrive, they need to be healthy and safe. This is why, in our pre-budget consultations, we have focused our discussions on how we can better meet the needs of Canadians when it comes to health care and pharmacare.
We also discussed the needs of communities and the need for people to feel safer. What does a safer community mean for Canadians? How can we protect our communities to ensure the overall well-being of Canadians? This is a vital point of focus as we move forward to better understand what contributes to the quality of life of Canadians and how we can build stronger, healthier and safer communities.
Budget 2020 will also continue to walk the path toward reconciliation with indigenous peoples. Real progress has been made over the last four years, but much more work needs to be done. We are delivering on a renewed relationship with indigenous peoples, working together to improve quality of life and advance self-determination. We know we have a long way to go, and we will continue to work in partnership with indigenous peoples toward closing the socio-economic gaps that exist today.
Clearly, then, our pre-budget consultations are useful. They give us an opportunity to hear what Canadians think about many issues affecting their everyday lives and how they feel those issues should be addressed. We want to know what further actions we should take to make their lives more affordable. We’d like to know what other measures we could implement to put good jobs within their reach.
In short, we want to know what we can do to strengthen the middle class and continue growing the economy.
Our goal is an economy that works for everyone. That said, Canadians have made it clear, both online and during round tables, that helping them earn a good income and keep more money in their pockets is not enough to improve their lives. While they are important elements, truly making the lives of middle-class Canadians better also means ensuring that Canadians are safe, secure and healthy, that the environment they live in is protected, and that the progress towards reconciliation continues.
Whether it’s strengthening our public health care system, providing better access to medications, cracking down on gun crime, protecting the environment or fighting climate change, we know these are the issues that matter to Canadians. The issues raised by meeting participants are complemented by suggestions we receive from Canadians online.
Not only have we been meeting with Canadians in person, but our pre-budget consultation process has spread a wide net, using the Department of Finance's online consultations website. Since the start of the consultations, more than 16,000 Canadians have submitted their ideas on how budget 2020 can best meet their needs. This engagement is very valuable and will be used as we develop this very important budget.
While I have the opportunity, I would like to talk a bit about my mandate as Minister of Middle Class Prosperity and Associate Minister of Finance and the importance of it in the pre-budget consultations, as well as within our government.
While the economy is strong and growing, we know that families are struggling to make ends meet. My role is to work alongside my cabinet colleagues to ensure that economic growth is shared fairly and that opportunities are created for all. This is what the OECD and other countries worldwide have identified as inclusive growth. By factoring inclusive growth as the baseline of our government decisions, we are ensuring that our policies address the gap between economic growth and the financial squeeze felt by too many Canadians. We will work, using a whole-of-government approach, to ensure that the prosperity of the middle class is at the heart of policy decisions.
Through these pre-budget consultations and within my mandate, we want to know how we can best help Canadians have a safe and affordable place to call home, a good well-paying job to support their family, a secure retirement, access to health care and the ability to build a better future for themselves and their families. It is by understanding the full scope of the well-being of Canadians that we can build a framework that informs how we grow the economy in ways that it grows for everyone.
On that note, Mr. Chair, I would be happy to answer any questions you or the committee members have about our pre-budget consultation work.
Thank you.
View Pierre Poilievre Profile
CPC (ON)
You've given some suggestions on how we can consume less wealth. How can we produce more of it?
Ian Lee
View Ian Lee Profile
Ian Lee
2020-02-04 13:24
I'm glad you asked that because these aging numbers are not theories. They're not opinions. It's called demography, and the demography is just relentless. We're going to have one in four people over 65. What we can do though, as you just suggested, is to try to reduce the barriers to economic growth. We're going to have to do that. We should be looking at ways....
I'm not talking about cutting taxes. For those who think that's always the solution and people like me just advocate for cutting taxes, I'm not arguing that. We have a lot of barriers to growth right now. We have barriers to pipelines in this country. We have barriers to natural resource development. We have to reduce those barriers, without compromising the environment of course.
I've been very lucky in my career over a third of a century. I've travelled around the world to many countries. I'm talking about developing, third world countries. We have, without any doubt, one of the cleanest countries in the world in terms of air, water and soil.
Marta Morgan
View Marta Morgan Profile
Marta Morgan
2020-01-30 9:34
Thank you, Mr. Chair and members of the committee. My colleagues and I are very grateful today to have the opportunity to give you some background on China and Canada's relationship with it.
Let me start by acknowledging the preoccupation that I know we all have with the coronavirus outbreak in China and the impact this is having on Canadians. The safety and well-being of Canadians at home and abroad is of paramount importance to the Government of Canada. Canada is deeply concerned by the current outbreak of the novel coronavirus, particularly regarding its potential impacts on Canadians in the Wuhan area.
Global Affairs Canada is working closely with the Public Health Agency of Canada and supporting their engagement with Chinese health officials to provide a timely and coordinated response to the outbreak. Some 156 Canadian citizens have contacted Global Affairs Canada for departure assistance. The government has secured a chartered aircraft and is now working on the diplomatic front with officials in China to obtain the authorizations to proceed with an assisted departure.
This latest crisis is occurring after a long period of instability in Hong Kong and, as you are well aware, a difficult year in Canada-China relations. Canada's relations with China are complex, with both opportunities and challenges. Now more than ever, Canadians are asking questions about what China's economic growth and governance model means for their future prosperity, their security and Canada's place in the world.
The committee is taking on important work at a crucial time. A common understanding of where the People's Republic of China is going and how it touches Canada's national interests will make our policy better. The committee will decide what issues to examine in closer detail and will have the opportunity to hear a wide variety of views from experts and stakeholders. Ambassador Dominic Barton, whom you will meet next week, will provide an excellent view from the ground in Beijing.
The governments of Canada and China have, or at least had until the end of 2018, close ties in a number of areas. Few government departments or agencies do not have a partnership with their counterparts in China, in one form or another, and do not have a mandate in which China occupies a major place. Global Affairs Canada is taking a lead role in coordinating the Government of Canada's approach to China, in order to ensure that our relationships are consistent.
I am here to present a general background, which I invite you to consider when you are establishing your program.
For many years, citizens of Canada and the People's Republic of China have built bridges between our countries. While October 2020 will mark 50 years since we established diplomatic ties, many years before that Canadian missionaries helped found leading medical schools in China, and Canada traded wheat to stave off famine across China in the early days of the People's Republic.
It is remarkable that Canada and Canadians, despite our ideological differences, reached out across the Pacific to support the people of China even without an embassy to support them. With the founding of diplomatic relations, Canada launched a broad official relationship, including a bilateral aid program that wound down in 2013.
Through our aid and engagement, Canada supported China's modernization and opening up. Canadians made substantial contributions to reform in the non-profit, legal, educational and agricultural systems over the decades. For example, Canadian programming helped Chinese farmers adapt to the WTO as China completed a accession process.
Reform was critical to China's success in alleviating poverty. According to the World Bank, China has lifted 850 million people out of poverty. China's poverty rate fell from 88% in 1981 to 0.7% in 2015. In 2018 China's GDP was 174 times the size it was in 1952, and per capita annual income had surpassed $10,000 U.S.
As China's economy opened and grew, Canadian trade and investment in China did as well. China is now Canada's third-largest trading partner after the U.S. and the EU.
While still only accounting for roughly 5% of Canadian exports, Canada's trade with China has grown rapidly in recent years. In 2018 two-way merchandise trade between Canada and China reached $103.2 billion, including $27.6 billion in Canadian exports and $75.6 billion in imports.
As my colleague Steve Verheul will explain in the next session, Canadian exports to China fell in 2019. Canada exports mostly raw materials to China under the direct oversight of the Chinese government. As we have been able to see, Canadian exports of canola can be vulnerable to interventions from the Chinese government, interventions that contravene international rules and standards.
Our commercial relations with China have grown not only in exchange of goods, but more broadly. In 2018 service exports to China were valued at $7.4 billion, while imports from China were valued at $2.8 billion, a 6.1% year-on-year increase in two-way services trade.
China is Canada's third-largest source of tourists and its second-largest source of international students to Canada.
But as China's market grew, so did competition for access to it, and China itself has become more competitive. China's economy now accounts for nearly one third of global growth each year. Even at modest rates for China of 6% annual growth, China adds the equivalent of an Australia to its economy every year.
China has enormous potential to contribute to resolving common global challenges. Indeed, when it comes to global problems such as climate change and health, China, by virtue of its population and economic weight, will continue to play a significant role in tackling our collective problems.
As a permanent member of the UN Security Council and an increasingly important economic and military power, China's influence on Canada's international security priorities cannot be ignored.
On December 10, 2019, Parliament passed the motion establishing this special committee to examine all aspects of the Canada-China relationship. December 10 is also International Human Rights Day, and December 10 is also the day in 2018 when Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor were detained arbitrarily by authorities of the People's Republic of China.
December 10, 2018, is a day that changed Canada's outlook on its relations with China. Canada and many of our partners were shocked and saddened by the detention of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor.
We condemn arbitrary detentions and sentencing. Coercive practices, especially those that target innocent individuals for political ends, undermine the norms and principles that are the foundation of international relations. International partners have also condemned the detention and the practice of residential surveillance at a designated location that falls outside of any recognized judicial process for many detained in China.
We have also raised concern about the failure to recognize the residual immunities of Michael Kovrig, who is a colleague and friend for many in Global Affairs Canada.
These detentions reflect broader features of China's governance that pose challenges to human rights and the rule of law: the Communist Party's increasingly authoritarian grip on power; restrictions on civic freedoms in Hong Kong and abuses of human rights in Xinjiang; coercive diplomacy against individuals and countries that threaten the Chinese government's interests; and threats to democracy and democratic institutions.
The Government of Canada has not shied away from disagreements with the Government of the People's Republic. We have called at every opportunity for the immediate release of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, as well as clemency for Robert Schellenberg and all death penalty cases.
As an absolute priority for the Government of Canada, Canadian officials have worked tirelessly to advocate for these cases bilaterally and multilaterally, while remaining consistent in our policy approach to bilateral relations with China.
We have always indicated our deep concern with the restrictions on the rights and freedoms of the Uighurs and other Muslim minorities. We do so both in our bilateral relations and in multilateral forums such as the Human Rights Council. We have asked the Chinese authorities to respect the freedom of religion of all Chinese citizens in Xinjiang and in Tibet, whatever their faith—Muslim, Christian, Buddhist or practitioners of Falung Gong. We have also asked them to put an end to the efforts to silence those standing up for human rights.
We have argued in favour of Taiwan's genuine participation in international forums where international action is needed, such as the World Health Organization.
On these issues, Canada is not alone. Like-minded partners have added their voices to call for the release of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor and an end to arbitrary detention. Canada enjoys the good company of many democratic nations in our call for an end to human rights abuses in China.
In the face of these challenges, however, we must also recognize our deep people-to-people ties, including the nearly two million Canadians of Chinese descent. Exchanges take place not just between governments, but between companies, students, tourists, artists and athletes. Governments play a facilitating role in these people-to-people exchanges, which are an important foundation for progress.
Looking forward, the relations with China will continue to be complex, and Canada will need to chart a path that allows us to protect Canada's interests, to work with China on issues of mutual benefit and to continue to press for justice and human rights.
Canadian businesses will benefit from the growth of the Chinese economy, which will become the biggest in the world, and from an increasing role in the value chain for goods and services.
Whether we are involved in global solutions to climate change, financial systems, or pandemics, we have to rely on participation from China. Multilateral cooperation begins with the creation of solid bilateral relationships.
Canada needs to enhance our understanding of China, not only to adapt to the opportunities it presents, but also to better defend the core values of democracy, human rights and freedoms that Canadians enjoy at home and abroad. This can only happen, I believe, with enhanced people-to-people ties and ongoing engagement, all of which starts with the return of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor and clemency for Robert Schellenberg.
The work of this committee presents an important opportunity to review all aspects of the Canada-China relationship and to chart a path forward that takes into account both risks and opportunities.
I wish you much success in this important work.
I will be pleased to answer your questions.
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