Hill Times
'I appreciate we're not going for the Cadillac option. ... The larger option was much more expensive,' says NDP House Leader Peter Julian. 'We're talking about over $110-million in savings.'
by: Beatrice Paez, Palak Mangat
A House Board of Internal Economy's subcommittee overseeing the decade-long project to renovate Centre Block says the government should opt for a more modest and less costly option for the next phase of the Visitors' Welcome Centre.
National Post (QUEBEC)
CANADA | A4
Prime minister won't say if he plans to testify
by: Ryan Tumilty
OTTAWA - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau faces multiple parliamentary investigations over his handling of a sole-sourced contract to WE Charity, but unlike during the SNC-Lavalin scandal he could be forced to testify about his actions.
Trudeau apologized Monday for failing to recuse himself from the decision to put WE in charge of a $900-million student-volunteer program, despite hefty speaking fees his mother and brother received from the organization. Finance Minister Bill Morneau issued a similar statement because his daughters are involved in the charity.
Hill Times
The governing Liberals 'will pay a heavy political price,' if they don't introduce a new wealth tax, said NDP finance critic Peter Julian.
by: Aidan Chamandy
NDP finance critic Peter Julian is calling on the federal government to immediately introduce legislation to bring in a wealth tax, which a new report from the Parliamentary Budget Officer says could bring in $5.6-billion in new revenue.
https://news.bloombergtax.com/daily-tax-report-international/canadas-stricken-budget-stirs-talk-of-digital-wealth-taxes
Canada’s Liberal government may have to abandon its plan not to raise taxes this year.
Last week’s announcement that the fiscal year 2021 budget deficit will hit C$343.2 billion ($252.4 billion) sent shock waves. Finance Minister Bill Morneau hasn’t said yet said how the government will deal with a budget shortfall that’s up tenfold from the previous fiscal year.
Canadian Press Newswire
OTTAWA _ The federal Conservatives want Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to testify before a parliamentary committee about his government's controversial decision to enlist WE Charity to administer a $900-million student volunteer program.
Conservative finance critic Pierre Poilievre laid out the demand Sunday amid growing pressure on Trudeau and Liberal cabinet ministers to explain the genesis of the sole-sourced deal with WE, which was announced late last month before being cancelled days later.
Globe and Mail (Ontario)
News | A1, Words: 1,136
Finance Minister says Ottawa planning for 'recovery phase' but declines to say how much it will cost
by: Bill Curry, Daniel Leblanc
A big spike in deficit spending related to the COVID-19 pandemic will push Canada's federal debt through the $1-trillion mark for the first time in the country's history.
The threshold was breached after the federal government forecast a deficit of $343.2-billion this year because of the economic fallout of the coronavirus - with Finance Minister Bill Morneau leaving the door open to more spending.
Globe and Mail (Ontario)
News | A3, Words: 646
by: Marieke Walsh
Opposition MPs have forced the Liberal government to release documents related to WE Charity's now-cancelled contract to administer a $912-million student volunteer program.
A motion NDP MP Peter Julian introduced at a meeting of the House of Commons finance committee on Tuesday got the support of all six opposition MPs and three of four Liberal MPs.
received: 2020-07-08 06:10 (EST)
Red Deer Advocate
Covid-19 | A17, Words: 521
OTTAWA - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's promise to provide a payment worth up to $600 to some disabled Canadians to help with additional COVID-19 costs remains in limbo.
The measure, announced on June 5, was contained in a piece of legislation that failed to pass later that month after the Liberals didn't win unanimous consent.
Red Deer Advocate
Covid-19 | A15, Words: 840
OTTAWA - Providing almost all Canadians with a basic income for six months beginning this fall could cost about $98 billion, the parliamentary budget officer said in a report on the eve of a preview of how COVID-19 will shape government spending until next spring.
The figure is the upper range of the scenarios the budget watchdog was asked to research as part of a report released Tuesday morning as policy-makers consider how to shape emergency supports set to expire in the fall.
National Post (NATIONAL)
CANADA | A1 / FRONT, Words: 834
Parliamentary committees to study deal
by: Christopher Nardi
OTTAWA In addition to the ethics commissioner, two parliamentary committees are now expected to dig into the Trudeau government's controversial decision to outsource a $900-million student volunteer grant program to WE Charity.
On Tuesday, a majority of members on the Commons finance committee voted to spend at least 12 hours investigating how WE Charity was chosen to administer the Canada Student Service Grant (CSSG).
"The crisis has highlighted the importance of delivering supports to people who need them,� said New Democrat Finance Critic, Peter Julian. “When looking at their numbers, some will dig out the old calls for deep cuts, but we can’t let the government make things worse for people struggling to get back on their feet. We have an opportunity do things differently. We can stop the very rich and large corporate CEOs from using offshore tax havens, we can make the ultra-wealthy pay just a little bit more, and we can build a fair system for everyone across the country.�
Speech
Mr. Peter Julian (New Westminster—Burnaby, NDP): Madam Chair, any Canadian who wants to know what the attendance figure is can look in the House of Commons website and they will see the respective parties and which party, which will remain nameless, had only 40% attendance during the course of the last month. The member who just spoke could perhaps defend that record at some point.