FINA Committee Report
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Appendix A: Proposals by Witnesses
The following tables show the proposals made by organizations and individuals who appeared before the Committee for this year’s pre-budget consultations, as well as the proposals contained in their briefs.
Agriculture, Food and Fisheries
Witness Name |
Witness Proposal |
Date of Appearance |
Canadian Federation of Agriculture |
Fund training of agrologists and incentives for farmers for adoption of 4R nutrient stewardship. |
|
Canadian Federation of Agriculture |
Provide dedicated funding for the development of plant varieties with enhanced root mass. |
|
Canadian Federation of Agriculture |
Increase the coverage level for AgriStability for each successive year without payment, up to 85% of the historic reference margin. |
|
Canadian Federation of Agriculture |
For the AgriRecovery program, which helps farmers recover from natural disasters, a collective review must be conducted after any program response. This review would assess and report on measures that could prevent similar risks in the future, and improve future responses. |
|
Canadian Federation of Agriculture |
Formalize an aquaculture sector development mandate at Agriculture and Agri-food Canada, insulating shellfish farmers from catastrophic climate events and increasing funding for the Canadian Shellfish Sanitation Program. |
|
Canadian Federation of Agriculture |
Establish food security programming to support producers who were negatively impacted by federal government-imposed tariffs on imported Russian fertilizer. |
|
Équiterre |
Prioritize environmental risk management in agriculture by increasing the envelope for cost-shared programs. |
|
Équiterre |
Fund the training and hiring of 1,000 additional advisory services officers. |
|
Équiterre |
Develop a Canada-wide soil health strategy. |
|
Fisheries Council of Canada |
Increase funding resources for fisheries science in support of management decision-making. |
|
Fisheries Council of Canada |
Prioritize the hiring and retention of fisheries scientists specializing in quantitative stock assessment. |
|
Fisheries Council of Canada |
Engage with industry and leverage industry resources promptly to guarantee assessments can be completed in a timely manner |
|
Fisheries Council of Canada |
Complete stock assessments at the needed frequency and to a high standard via the Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat peer review process. |
|
Fisheries Council of Canada |
Revise the Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat process to address any concerns rather than doing away with the process completely and developing a new one. |
|
Fisheries Council of Canada |
Conduct a review of other countries’ conduct on fisheries science to compare to Canada’s current practices. |
|
Fisheries Council of Canada |
Implement a resource management framework that is evidence-based, predictable, transparent, and consistently applied. |
|
Fisheries Council of Canada |
Federal funding [to support] innovation [in the seafood sector] should be renewed in a national [and] coordinated manner. |
|
Fisheries Council of Canada |
Consider how [the Department of Fisheries and Oceans] can be best structured to align with growth of the sector and ensure appropriate separation between teams that explicitly support innovation and development and science & regulatory functions. |
|
Fisheries Council of Canada |
[The Department of Fisheries and Oceans’] mandate with respect to fisheries should be amended to be more ambitious. |
|
Fisheries Council of Canada |
Create a permanent Secretariat [within the Department of Fisheries and Oceans] dedicated to supporting the growth, innovation and development of the seafood sector. |
|
Fisheries Council of Canada |
Improve [the Department of Fisheries and Oceans’] performance on core fisheries science that is the foundation of sustainable fisheries management. |
|
Fisheries Council of Canada |
[Ensure] more predictability of access and timely fisheries management decisions [to] better foster sector investments. |
|
Fisheries Council of Canada |
Accelerate aquaculture facility licensing, especially for innovative projects and technologies. |
|
Fisheries Council of Canada |
Conduct faster and predictable reviews for permitting for shellfish farming and/or changes to farm sites that improve sustainable production. |
|
Fisheries Council of Canada |
Be ready to accommodate gear innovations in wild-capture fisheries that lead to more sustainable outcomes. |
|
Fisheries Council of Canada |
[Ensure] Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency … work with industry stakeholders on product approval of new novel products from side-streams. |
|
Fisheries Council of Canada |
Ensure [Transport Canada’s] fishing vessel regulations can accommodate emerging vessel designs that improve performance. |
|
Fisheries Council of Canada |
[Ensure that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans compensate incumbent fishing] licence-holders [for lost access] to respect past investments made and not hinder future investments. |
|
Green Budget Coalition |
Help producers and Canada be leaders in sustainable and innovative agriculture with a resilient and diversified food system. |
|
Keystone Agricultural Producers |
Increase the technical support and funding for implementing 4R Nutrient Stewardship to ensure more farmers can participate in reducing their emissions from fertilizer use. |
|
Union des producteurs agricoles |
Implement a special assistance program specific to the agricultural sector to mitigate the impact of inflation on the financial health of agricultural businesses. |
|
Union des producteurs agricoles |
Expand the AgriStability program by increasing the coverage rate to 85% of the reference margin while maintaining the compensation rate at 80%. |
|
Union des producteurs agricoles |
Provide a stable and predictable budget for agronomic and agri-environmental research and innovation. |
|
Union des producteurs agricoles |
Provide ongoing funding for the review and upholding of Canada’s organic standards. |
|
Union des producteurs agricoles |
Provide an organic certification cost-share program. |
|
Union des producteurs agricoles |
Eliminate or limit taxable capital gains on the gifting or low-cost sale of certain farm assets to a nephew or niece. |
|
Union des producteurs agricoles |
Create an individual forestry savings and investment plan for Canadian forest owners. |
Arts, Culture and Information
Witness Name |
Witness Proposal |
Date of Appearance |
Canadian Taxpayers Federation |
Set out a plan to end all taxpayer funding to CBC/Radio-Canada. |
|
Canadian Taxpayers Federation |
End the media [support measures] announced in budget 2019 and commit to no future subsidies. |
|
Canadian Taxpayers Federation |
[End] the Mission Cultural Fund. |
|
Community Radio Fund of Canada |
Increase funding for the Local Journalism Initiative to $20 million annually, and ensure the funding is not time limited. |
|
Community Radio Fund of Canada |
[Create] an annual allocation to all 235 community, Indigenous and campus broadcasters of a total of $25 million a year administered through the Community Radio Fund of Canada. |
Children, Families and Social Policy
Witness Name |
Witness Proposal |
Date of Appearance |
Campaign 2000 |
Commit to reducing overall poverty and poverty in marginalized communities by 50% by 2026. |
|
Campaign 2000 |
Create a Canada Child Benefit End of Poverty Supplement targeted to families in deep poverty. |
|
Campaign 2000 |
Broaden access to the Canada Child Benefit (CCB) for families with precarious status by repealing legislation tying eligibility to immigration status [and] expand the circle of people able to attest to a child’s residency, ensuring that kinship, customary care and families caring for children outside a formal arrangement have access to the CCB. |
|
Campaign 2000 |
Reverse Canada Child Benefit reductions due to receiving the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) for moderate income mothers, implement CERB repayment amnesty for everyone living below or near the low income measure [and] immediately cease treating CERB and recovery benefits as taxable income. |
|
Campaign 2000 |
Create a parallel cash transfer system for marginalized non-taxfilers outside of the personal income tax system. |
|
Campaign 2000 |
Implement a Canadian Livable Income for working age individuals. |
|
Campaign 2000 |
Immediately implement the Canadian Disability Benefit. |
|
Campaign 2000 |
Invest $10 billion over three years to support expansion of public and non-profit childcare facilities. |
|
Campaign 2000 |
Provide equitable funding for child welfare services on First Nations reserves and ensure the full application of both Jordan’s Principle and the Spirit Bear Plan. |
|
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives |
[Create] a supplement to the Canada Child Benefit called the end poverty supplement, [which would provide] additional supports for families with children in particularly deep poverty, … up to $8,500 more for the first child. |
|
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives |
[Create] a new program [called] the Canada Livable Income, [which] would be a universal benefit for Canadians of working age without children, and [fill] an important gap in our present system for working-age Canadians. … [The] Canada livable income would provide $5,000 for individuals or $7,000 for couples who live in particularly deep poverty. |
|
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives |
[Establish] a rapid support guarantee. The goal here would be for the Canada Revenue Agency to provide income supports within a month of Canadians' becoming eligible. |
|
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives |
[Create] a Canada Disability Benefit. |
|
Canadian Taxpayers Federation |
End the government’s national daycare program introduced in Budget 2021. |
|
Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs |
Establish a national non-profit strategy that will provide the multi-year support needed to stabilize the non-profit sector. |
|
Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs |
Reintroduce emergency funding, or, through the Canada Social Transfer, direct support for non-profit social services to address the short-term urgent capacity needs. |
|
Équiterre |
Enhance and expand existing school food programs. |
|
Équiterre |
Enhance the infrastructure and capacity of partner institutions and organizations that offer these programs in schools. |
|
Équiterre |
Work with First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples to negotiate a food policy agreement and fund school programs that promote nutritious meals in Indigenous schools. |
Consumption Taxes and Carbon Pricing
Witness Name |
Witness Proposal |
Date of Appearance |
Aerospace Industries Association of Canada |
Exclude aircraft from the Select Luxury Items Tax Act. |
|
Canadian Chamber of Commerce |
Implement a two-year pause on further increases to the automatic excise escalator tax on all alcoholic beverages. |
|
Canadian Chamber of Commerce |
Work with industry and provinces to develop a single national cannabis excise stamp across Canada and eliminate the excise tax on medical cannabis. |
|
Canadian Federation of Independent Business |
Freeze the carbon tax at the current level and temporarily reduce the federal excise tax on fuel. |
|
Canadian Federation of Independent Business |
Overhaul the carbon tax backstop to ensure that small firms are provided with a rebate scheme that reflects their contribution. |
|
Canadian Federation of Independent Business |
Expedite the passing of Bill C-234, to provide farmers with a tax break from the carbon tax on natural gas and propane used for various on-farm activities. |
|
Canadian Taxpayers Federation |
End the escalator tax on alcohol. |
|
Canadian Taxpayers Federation |
Do not impose a second carbon tax. |
|
Electric Mobility Canada |
[Create] a luxury tax exemption for zero-emission vessels. |
|
Keystone Agricultural Producers |
Exempt from the carbon tax the use of propane and natural gas used to heat and cool livestock buildings and to dry grain. |
Corporate and Personal Taxation
Witness Name |
Witness Proposal |
Date of Appearance |
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives |
[Increase] corporate income tax rates, [implement] a minimum tax on book profits [and cap] the deductibility of executive pay. |
|
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives |
[Limit] the dividend tax credit to actual taxes paid. |
|
Canadian Chamber of Commerce |
Delay implementation of interest deductibility changes until 2024, grandfather existing debt obligations, and create an exemption for large infrastructure projects. |
|
Canadian Chamber of Commerce |
Implement a three-year extension of the Accelerated Investment Incentive at the current rate, with an expanded scope to include mining and metal manufacturing activities (included in tax classes 41, 41.2 and 43), and a delay of the phase-out period to fiscal year 2027. |
|
Canadian Federation of Independent Business |
Increase the small business deduction threshold to $600,000 and index it to inflation going forward. |
|
Canadian Federation of Independent Business |
Lower the federal small business tax rate from 9% to 8%, at least for the next two years. |
|
Canadian Federation of Independent Business |
Delay, by at least three years, the phase out of the Accelerated Capital Cost Allowances measures and make permanent immediate expensing. |
|
Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters |
Introduce a nationwide 10 per cent refundable investment tax credit on the purchase of new machinery, equipment and software. |
|
Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters |
Extend the Accelerated Investment Incentive’s current rate for three more years. In line with Canada’s Critical Mineral Strategy, the incentive should be expanded to include mining and metal manufacturing activities (included in tax classes 41, 41.2 and 43). |
|
Canadian Taxpayers Federation |
[End] the political contribution tax credit. |
|
Union des producteurs agricoles |
Implement a 30% refundable investment tax credit for the purchase of new or used equipment by farm businesses with gross annual revenues under $50,000. |
Employment and Labour
Witness Name |
Witness Proposal |
Date of Appearance |
Aerospace Industries Association of Canada |
Invest in and develop a workforce development plan for aerospace including skilled labour programs and a streamlined immigration process. |
|
Campaign 2000 |
Ensure all who are unemployed or underemployed have access to income security measures within a revamped Employment Insurance program that increases access, amount and duration of benefits. |
|
Canadian Chamber of Commerce |
Work with provinces and territories to establish supports needed to upscale/retrain workers, to reduce the barriers to hiring highly skilled foreign talent, and to enhance the systems and processes for foreign credential recognition. |
|
Canadian Federation of Agriculture |
Provide $10 million in funding to support the ongoing implementation of the National Agriculture, Food and Beverage Manufacturing Workforce Strategy. |
|
Canadian Federation of Agriculture |
Establish a public awareness campaign demonstrating the career pathways in Canadian agriculture. |
|
Canadian Federation of Independent Business |
Use general revenues to pay down pandemic-related costs incurred by the Employment Insurance plan. |
|
Canadian Federation of Independent Business |
Split Employment Insurance premiums 50/50 between employers and employees or introduce a lower rate for smaller payrolls. |
|
Canadian Federation of Independent Business |
Simplify the application process to bring in foreign workers. |
|
Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters |
Speed up the Temporary Foreign Worker program by creating a trusted employer program that pre-approves qualifying companies and by streamlining the Labour Market Impact Assessment application. |
|
Hotel Association of Canada |
Revive the Destination Employment Program previously used for Syrians to successfully connect Ukrainians arriving through special immigration measures with hospitality and hotel sector careers. |
|
Hotel Association of Canada |
Prioritize Temporary Foreign Worker program applications with hotel sector National Occupational Classification codes. |
|
Hotel Association of Canada |
Provide quarterly processing updates to the Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance on the status of [recommendations 1 through 5 contained in Hotel Association of Canada’s submission]. |
Environment and Climate Change
Witness Name |
Witness Proposal |
Date of Appearance |
Canadian Chamber of Commerce |
Develop a common definition for what constitutes “net-zero aligned investment” by governments and include emission reduction estimates alongside policies. |
|
Canadian Chamber of Commerce |
Design policy options to incentivize emission reductions in Canada’s international supply chains. |
|
Canadian Chamber of Commerce |
Develop a plan for funding decarbonization fairly, reviewing the distribution of costs for businesses, households and the government and being clearer on who pays to ensure vulnerable households are not left behind. |
|
Canadian Federation of Agriculture |
Establish an agri-environmental working group to engage on-farm and technical expertise early in the development of all agri-environmental policies. |
|
Canadian Federation of Agriculture |
Expand the Agricultural Clean Technology Fund's Adoption Stream to include funding for smaller budget projects and larger government cost-share for farms with insufficient capital. |
|
Canadian Federation of Agriculture |
Expand the Agricultural Clean Technology Fund's Research and Innovation Stream to include technology for directly measuring on-farm emissions. |
|
Canadian Federation of Agriculture |
To help preserve native grasslands, producers need direct support from government to bolster on-farm conservation efforts. |
|
Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters |
Provide direct investment supports for emitters of all sizes to help them adopt emissions reduction technologies, ensuring that support approaches are technology-agnostic. |
|
Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters |
Provide financial support for the creation, commercialization, and manufacture of low and no-carbon products in Canada through tax incentives and government procurement. |
|
Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters |
Create an effective and targeted SME net-zero transition strategy that focuses on education and awareness campaigns, operational assessments and strategic business plans, and global supply chain competitiveness. |
|
Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters |
Expand and make permanent the Net Zero Accelerator Fund, … to support large-scale investments that reduce emissions in manufacturing. |
|
Electric Mobility Canada |
Make purchase incentives available for used / pre-owned EVs. |
|
Electric Mobility Canada |
Adopt clear targets so 20% of light-duty vehicle sales be ZEVs by 2026; 60% by 2030 and 100% by 2035. |
|
Electric Mobility Canada |
Align [Canada’s] auto tailpipe emission standards with the toughest standards in North America, in addition to establishing a national ZEV mandate. |
|
Electric Mobility Canada |
Establish a financially neutral feebate system to make polluting passenger vehicles pay for ZEV rebates, so the rebate programs can finance themselves. Feebate exemptions could be considered for special use and large families. |
|
Electric Mobility Canada |
Progressively remove the federal rebate for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles with less than 50 km of electric range or make the rebates proportional to their official range: $2,000 from 40 to 59 km, $3,000 from 60 to 79 km, $4,000 from 80km or more. |
|
Electric Mobility Canada |
[Introduce] an incentive for lower- and modest-income Canadian individuals and families to transition to ZEVs by offering a dedicated $2000 rebate for a new or used ZEV via a program like the California Income Eligibility program. |
|
Electric Mobility Canada |
Develop a [green cash for clunkers] program focused on Canada’s long-term climate objectives, meaning funds should be only available for the purchase of new or used ZEVs, transit passes or active transportation tools (e.g., bikes or e-bikes). |
|
Electric Mobility Canada |
Offer a $2000 rebate for taxis, car sharing and carpooling businesses and individuals who want to transition to electric vehicles and remove the 10-vehicle cap on fleet rebates. |
|
Electric Mobility Canada |
Work with leading and trusted organizations … to establish a suite of programs to educate and support consumers in making the transition to electric vehicles. |
|
Electric Mobility Canada |
Phase out fossil-fuel vehicles at federally regulated properties, such as ports and airports, through a combination of tolls on polluting vehicles, restrictions on access for polluting trucks, and through support for charging infrastructure. |
|
Electric Mobility Canada |
[Introduce] a federal rebate for the purchase of an electric snowmobile, personal watercraft or RV in line with the Yukon electric snowmobile rebate of $2,500. |
|
Electric Mobility Canada |
[Establish] a ZEV mandate for off-road vehicles in line with the most ambitious jurisdictions in North America, whether at the federal or state level. |
|
Electric Mobility Canada |
Launch a program to support the electrification of ferries. |
|
Electric Mobility Canada |
Develop an integrated electric mobility strategy to achieve Canada’s climate and electrification targets in coordination with Canada’s First Nations, Inuit and Métis. |
|
Electric Mobility Canada |
[Adopt and implement] a framework based on the highest international standards of circular economy [for EV batteries]. |
|
Équiterre |
Reform the Incentives for Zero-Emission Vehicles (iZEV) Program by including the levy program or replacing the green levy program with a structured levy based on GHG emissions when a gasoline vehicle is purchased. |
|
Équiterre |
Expand the scope of the program by making electric bicycles eligible. |
|
Équiterre |
Make used ZEVs eligible for the iZEV program. |
|
Équiterre |
Adapt incentives for the purchase of ZEVs based on household income and cap eligibility based on income. |
|
Équiterre |
Advance ongoing support for public transit operations to fiscal year 2024/25 and increase the amounts planned for operations |
|
Équiterre |
Make electric school buses eligible for the Incentives for Medium- and Heavy-Duty Zero-Emission Vehicles Program. |
|
Équiterre |
Support capacity building, education and awareness activities to accelerate the electrification of school bus fleets. |
|
Équiterre |
Enhance the On-Farm Climate Action Fund to include the following six practices: organic amendments, crop diversification, buffer zones, compaction prevention, agroforestry and integrated pest management. |
|
Green Budget Coalition |
Advance a zero-emission electricity grid based on renewables, [which involves] essential steps towards the major transformational investments required in the generation, transmission and demand side of electricity, including remote Indigenous communities. |
|
Green Budget Coalition |
Upgrade the energy efficiency and comfort of Canada's residential building stock across the country, including low-income households and Indigenous communities, and skills development for the retrofit economy. |
|
Green Budget Coalition |
Deliver on Canada's land and ocean protection commitments, integrating indigenous-led conservation, permanent funding for protection and stewardship, ecological connectivity and NGO collaboration. |
|
Info-Electronics Systems Inc. |
Part of that [Canada’s international climate finance commitment] should go towards safety, [which means] building capacity in Africa and in other less developed countries, infrastructure[and] early warning systems. |
|
Keystone Agricultural Producers |
Increase and expand the Agricultural Clean Technology Program’s Adoption Stream, including funding for smaller projects and increasing government cost-sharing for smaller operations |
|
Société d'aide au développement des collectivités et Centre d'aide aux entreprises |
[Increase] funding for the Virage vert program, [which will] expire in March 2024. |
|
Société d'aide au développement des collectivités et Centre d'aide aux entreprises |
Increase funding for the sociétés d'aide au développement des collectivités and centres d'aide aux entreprises, to develop a new innovation program that would allow SMEs in rural and semi-urban areas to better handle the green transition. |
|
Union des producteurs agricoles |
[Ensure] a continuum of support and accompaniment over a 10-year horizon in terms of compensation for agri-environmental goods and services, as well as the fight against climate change, both in terms of adaptation to climate change and reduction of greenhouse gases. |
Equity Diversity and Inclusion
Witness Name |
Witness Proposal |
Date of Appearance |
Campaign 2000 |
Fund full implementation of the 94 Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the 231 Calls to Justice from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. |
|
Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters |
Renew and increase funding for programs that encourage more members of underrepresented groups to seek a career in manufacturing, including CME’s Women in Manufacturing initiative. |
|
Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs |
Provide dedicated funding and work with community stakeholders to ensure that government funding never again goes to an organization that promotes anti-Semitism and racism in general. This funding should include education on anti-Semitism for government decision-makers; a genuine and measurable implementation of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition, already adopted by the government; and continued funding for the office of Canada’s Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism. |
|
Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs |
Undertake a national social media literacy campaign to sensitize Canadians—especially the younger, more vulnerable demographic—about the appropriate use and abuse of social media. |
|
Green Budget Coalition |
Establish an Office of Environmental Justice and committing an appropriate portion of benefits from climate and clean energy spending to disadvantaged communities. |
|
Tourism Industry Association of Canada |
Introduce new tax credits for businesses that develop specialized recruitment programs for equity seeking groups and allocate resources for the implementation of an Indigenous-led workforce strategy. |
Federal Finances
Witness Name |
Witness Proposal |
Date of Appearance |
Business Council of Canada |
Adopt a new fiscal anchor based on debt servicing costs [and] commit to ensuring that … debt service costs do not exceed 10% of annual government revenues going forward. |
|
Campaign 2000 |
Support social assistance adequacy through the Canada Social Transfer [and] tie investments to adequacy standards. |
|
Canadian Health Coalition |
Work with the provinces and territories to increase federal funding through the Canada Health Transfer that is accountable while improving outcomes for people in Canada through new public health care programs such as dental care and pharmacare. |
|
Canadian Taxpayers Federation |
Balance the budget in 2023-24 by reducing program spending to match of [levels of the 2018–2019 fiscal year], adjusted upward for inflation and population growth. |
|
Canadian Taxpayers Federation |
[Cancel] all pandemic tax hikes, including the alcohol tax, payroll taxes, and scrap the carbon tax. |
|
Canadian Taxpayers Federation |
Reject future tax hikes, such as (but not limited to) a home equity tax, an annual surtax on homes, wealth tax, excess profits tax, luxury taxes, fat, sugar and meat taxes. |
|
Canadian Taxpayers Federation |
Use part of the annual surpluses to cut taxes. |
|
Canadian Taxpayers Federation |
[End] all corporate welfare, including direct cash subsidies, niche tax credits, loans and loan guarantees. |
|
Canadian Taxpayers Federation |
End the federal subsidies to businesses through Crown corporations and regional development agencies and return any remaining federal funds within those corporations to taxpayers. |
|
Canadian Taxpayers Federation |
Include minimum transparency requirements around corporate welfare such as the amounts disbursed or guaranteed, repayment schedule, amounts paid back, interest rates on loans, and frequent reporting on repayment. |
|
Canadian Taxpayers Federation |
[Obtain parliamentary approval before granting subsidies to businesses]. |
|
Canadian Taxpayers Federation |
Reduce the size of equalization with the goal of eventually ending the program through the Canadian Taxpayers Federation’s 20-year equalization phase out proposal. |
|
Canadian Taxpayers Federation |
Consult with the provinces on equalization. In addition, the federal government should pass a bill that requires the federal government to publish all documents from provincial negotiations on the Department of Finance’s website. |
|
Canadian Taxpayers Federation |
Freeze the Canada Health Transfer and Canada Social Transfer [at their current levels and] set a maximum transfer cap to the annual rate of inflation for future years. |
|
Canadian Taxpayers Federation |
End the campaign reimbursements for political parties and candidates, which includes not reimbursing campaigns for the 2021 election. |
|
Canadian Taxpayers Federation |
Introduce a comprehensive expenditure review similar to that [of] the 1990s |
Federal Departments and Institutions
Witness Name |
Witness Proposal |
Date of Appearance |
Canadian Chamber of Commerce |
Create an organization in government with Deputy/Senior ADM level accountability for delivering on Biomanufacturing and Life Sciences Strategy (BLSS) and developing BLSS 2.0. |
|
Canadian Chamber of Commerce |
Establish an agile procurement implementation process focused on piloting/deploying promising products and technologies to increase health system security. |
|
Canadian Chamber of Commerce |
Create a cabinet-level position for cybersecurity. |
|
Canadian Council of Innovators |
Develop a procurement strategy for domestic small and medium sized enterprises. |
|
Canadian Council of Innovators |
Develop a procurement fund dedicated to technology that can be utilized by specific departments in need of timely innovative, technological solutions. |
|
Canadian Council of Innovators |
Implement a Procurement Concierge Program to be delivered by either Innovative Solutions Canada and Procurement Assistance Canada, [and] modeled after British Columbia’s Concierge Program. |
|
Canadian Taxpayers Federation |
Reverse the pandemic pay raises for politicians and reduce the size of Cabinet to 2015 levels. |
|
Canadian Taxpayers Federation |
Reverse the pandemic pay raise and reduce the salary of the governor general to the pre-pandemic salary of cabinet ministers. |
|
Canadian Taxpayers Federation |
[Replace] the annual lifetime pensions [for governors general with] an RRSP-style pension payment for years served, and [eliminate] the expense account once a governor general retires. |
|
Canadian Taxpayers Federation |
Return the Senate’s spending to the inflation-adjusted 2015-16 level. |
|
Canadian Taxpayers Federation |
[Cancel] all pay raises [to federal employees] since the beginning of the pandemic. |
|
Canadian Taxpayers Federation |
Implement a sunshine list to disclose the salary of all federal employees who receive an annual salary that’s more than $100,000. |
|
Canadian Taxpayers Federation |
Bring inflation-adjusted labour costs back to the levels in 2018-19, which is the last full year before the pandemic. |
|
Canadian Taxpayers Federation |
Reduce the aggregate government funding to federal crown corporations by 25 per cent. |
|
Canadian Taxpayers Federation |
Set a plan to remove government funding to CBC/Radio-Canada, Via Rail, Marine Atlantic, the National Capital Commission and Telefilm Canada. |
|
Canadian Taxpayers Federation |
Reverse the pay raises and bonuses that Crown corporations gave their employees during the pandemic. |
|
Electric Mobility Canada |
Create a dedicated Privy Council Office to coordinate EV responsibilities across departments and advise the Prime Minister on progress being made towards achieving the government’s electrification goals. |
|
Electric Mobility Canada |
Make government and parliamentarians EV education a priority. |
|
Electric Mobility Canada |
Ensure federal fleets and buildings are 100% electric and EV ready by 2030. |
Health
Witness Name |
Witness Proposal |
Date of Appearance |
Canadian Chamber of Commerce |
Provide funds to support a digital health strategy. |
|
Canadian Health Coalition |
Pass Bill C‑31, which includes the dental benefit, and transform the benefit into a robust program for everyone in Canada with universal coverage as soon as possible. |
|
Canadian Health Coalition |
Provide [funding] to the provinces and territories for the hiring of 7,500 family doctors, nurses and nurse practitioners, … train up to 50,000 new personal support workers and fund their guaranteed minimum wage of at least $25 per hour. |
|
Canadian Health Coalition |
Enforce the five principles and the conditions of the Canada Health Act to ensure Canadians are not faced with extra billing, user fees and diminished accessibility to health care as some provinces move forward to for-profit care providers, beginning with funding more robust monitoring and sanctioning capacity by the strategic health care policy branch. |
|
Canadian Health Coalition |
Move forward with the Canada Pharmacare Act by 2023 to provide free coverage for prescribed medicines, [with funding] for essential medicines, as recommended by the … Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare. |
Housing
Witness Name |
Witness Proposal |
Date of Appearance |
Campaign 2000 |
Ensure that federally financed housing is affordable for low-income families and reflects the diverse needs of families with children. |
|
Campaign 2000 |
Adopt and robustly fund an Urban, Rural and Northern Indigenous Housing Strategy that articulates clear goals and timelines for the elimination of homelessness and core housing need. |
|
Hotel Association of Canada |
Invest in a corresponding affordable housing strategy to support immigration growth targets |
|
S.U.C.C.E.S.S. |
We need a deep federal commitment to build up our affordable housing stock, and we need federal, provincial, municipal, business and non-profit partners at the table together to find innovative solutions and to expedite zoning, permitting and development processes. |
Immigration
Witness Name |
Witness Proposal |
Date of Appearance |
Business Council of Canada |
Canada's future prosperity depends on change to our immigration system to significantly increase the number of economic-class applicants who are granted permanent resident status. |
|
Canadian Council of Innovators |
Address talent shortages and immigration system shortfalls impacting strategic high-growth sectors in Canada. |
|
Canadian Council of Innovators |
Enhance support for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and Employment and Social Development Canada to eliminate backlogs, return existing immigration pathways to regular service standards, and ensure the steady flow of skilled talent to Canada. |
|
Canadian Council of Innovators |
Implement a high potential tech visa to increase labour density of skilled talent across Canadian communities. |
|
Canadian Federation of Independent Business |
Create a pathway to permanent residency for lower-skilled foreign workers. |
|
Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters |
Increase the intake of economic class immigrants to 500,000 a year by 2025 and reform Canada’s immigration point system to better align it with the skills needed in the manufacturing sector. |
|
Hotel Association of Canada |
Create a dedicated pathway to Permanent Residency through Express Entry designed for National Occupational Classification C and D workers in the hotel sector, workers with previous Canadian work experience, or offers of employment. |
|
Hotel Association of Canada |
Increase Provincial Nominee Program immigration levels for those provinces with In-Demand Skills streams that include tourism and hospitality. |
|
S.U.C.C.E.S.S. |
Invest in critical services for newcomers, such as language, employment and entrepreneurship training, settlement supports and community programming, to ensure that they can enter the workforce smoothly. |
|
S.U.C.C.E.S.S. |
Targeted programs to help foreign-trained professionals overcome barriers to practise in Canada are also crucial, as well as work permit and residency pathways for temporary foreign workers and international students. |
Industry and Innovation
Witness Name |
Witness Proposal |
Date of Appearance |
Aerospace Industries Association of Canada |
Develop a long-term national aerospace industrial strategy that includes clear plans for defence and a dedicated strategy for space. |
|
Business Council of Canada |
Canada must become more competitive on technological innovation, and science must be translated into productivity growth and future prosperity. |
|
Canadian Chamber of Commerce |
Renew Biomanufacturing and Life Sciences Strategy innovation support programs. |
|
Canadian Council of Innovators |
Enhance tax structures to drive investment and stimulate economic growth. |
|
Canadian Council of Innovators |
Reform the Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) tax incentives for Canadian scale-ups and bring more accountability to this program to ensure that funds are going to domestic firms instead of foreign multinationals. |
|
Canadian Council of Innovators |
Incorporate freedom to operate strategies within innovation programming to encourage IP generation inside Canadian companies and increase business expenditure on R&D outputs for Canada. |
|
Canadian Council of Innovators |
Move forward with [a patent box regime] as viable means to strengthen IP protection and commercialization in Canada. |
|
Canadian Council of Innovators |
Study the negative spillovers of foreign direct investment in the technology sectors, such as the impact multinationals have on wage inflation and the effects this can have on smaller, scaling companies that are hungry for talent. |
|
Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters |
Expand and make permanent the Strategic Innovation Fund and commit … funding to support large capital projects in manufacturing. |
|
Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters |
Reform the SR&ED program to close the commercialization gap by expanding the list of eligible activities beyond early-stage R&D to include capital improvements and product and process innovations, increasing the refundable portion of the tax credit, streamlining administration to improve certainty in claims, and by raising the tax credit rate to 20 per cent. |
|
Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters |
Implement a patent box regime to incentivize the commercialization and production of goods in Canada. |
|
Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters |
Expand the Canada Digital Adoption Plan by creating a dedicated manufacturing stream including a non-repayable component to offset the high cost of software critical to process automation. |
|
Electric Mobility Canada |
Focus on attracting more investment to accelerate EV manufacturing and related industries in Canada, including assembly, parts, machinery, charging equipment, and battery materials extraction/processing with a “Canadian EV Economic Development and Investment Attraction Strategy.” |
|
Electric Mobility Canada |
Develop an integrated electric mobility strategy to achieve Canada’s climate and electrification targets in coordination with Canada’s First Nations, Inuit and Métis. |
|
Electric Mobility Canada |
Focus … on accelerating technologies, research, development and manufacturing associated with reducing the costs of vehicle batteries and thus vehicle costs per unit of range. |
|
Info-Electronics Systems Inc. |
[Regarding the support for high-tech SMEs], there should be no development within the government, and industry should be given contracts to work, especially in environmental areas where most of the industry is dependent upon the government projects. |
|
Info-Electronics Systems Inc. |
[Organize] a conference where the government and people—which includes politicians, as well as bureaucrats and high-tech industry people—all get together and discuss what really is required to increase our economic output. |
Infrastructure
Witness Name |
Witness Proposal |
Date of Appearance |
Canadian Federation of Agriculture |
Extend further funding to the National Trade Corridor Fund. |
|
Canadian Federation of Agriculture |
Improve accessibility of federal connectivity funding through a single portal, with more nuanced eligibility criteria, and support for high-cost service areas. |
|
Electric Mobility Canada |
Sets up clear [light-duty vehicle charging infrastructure] targets in accordance with [Natural Resources Canada’s 2022 report entitled Canada’s Public Charging Infrastructure Needs]. |
|
Electric Mobility Canada |
Provide sufficient funding so Canada reaches the following targets: 53,000 public ports by 2025 [and] 200,000 public ports by 2030. |
|
Electric Mobility Canada |
Set a goal to make 1-million existing apartment and condominium/strata parking stalls EV-ready by 2030 and establish new funding programs to achieve this target. |
|
Electric Mobility Canada |
Incorporate EV-ready requirements into the Model National Building Code and Energy Code for Buildings and/or support EV-ready municipal zoning bylaws. |
|
Electric Mobility Canada |
Put underutilized government lands to work by facilitating multi-service provider “charging hubs,” particularly in high density and high-cost real estate markets. |
|
Electric Mobility Canada |
Include EV charger installation or EV-readiness as part of energy efficiency programs to help Canadians who live in older houses (40 years and older) retrofit to the electric infrastructure requirements for EV charging. |
|
Electric Mobility Canada |
Establish clear infrastructure deployment targets and a total funding envelope that is scaled to what the California Energy Commission has invested in medium- and heavy-duty vehicle charging (approximately USD $390m) through its Clean Transportation Program for 2021–2023. |
|
Electric Mobility Canada |
Convene electricity stakeholders to develop EV solutions for the future of Canada’s electric grid. |
Regulatory Environment
Witness Name |
Witness Proposal |
Date of Appearance |
Aerospace Industries Association of Canada |
Inject resources to enhance Transport Canada’s aeronautical certification capacity and use Canadian Aviation Regulations Part I-104 revenues for service enhancements. |
|
Business Council of Canada |
Demonstrate to the world that [Canada] can successfully complete major projects and build the infrastructure that is required to access global markets. For such projects to go ahead, however, investors need regulatory predictability and a clear understanding of the rules of the road. |
|
Canadian Chamber of Commerce |
Modernize Canada’s regulatory regime by committing to evidence-based regulation and applying an economic lens to all regulatory mandates. |
|
Canadian Federation of Independent Business |
Expand the One-for-One rule, so that it applies to legislation and policies, not just regulations. |
|
Canadian Federation of Independent Business |
Champion a policy of “mutual recognition” to improve internal trade. |
|
Canadian Federation of Independent Business |
Lower card fees for small business. |
|
Équiterre |
[Create] an appliance repair fund [and] intervene through regulations and taxation to help consumers keep their appliances longer and thus reduce their bills. |
Retirement Income and Seniors
Witness Name |
Witness Proposal |
Date of Appearance |
Campaign 2000 |
Lower Guaranteed Income Supplement eligibility [criteria] for seniors. |
|
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives |
[Lower] the age of eligibility for the Guaranteed Income Supplement to 60 [since] poverty rates remain particularly high for Canadians ages 60 to 64 before they gain access to seniors programs at age 65. |
|
Canadian Federation of Independent Business |
Delay upcoming increases to Canada Pension Plan premiums. |
|
Canadian Health Coalition |
Introduce and pass a Safe Long-Term Care Act by 2025, which must enforce national standards as well as ensuring patients receive at least four hours of direct care [and] provide funding to promote publicly owned non-profit long-term care facilities while phasing out for-profit investors from the long-term care sector. |
|
S.U.C.C.E.S.S. |
Reimagine what quality senior care looks like in the community. That means we need to find more ways to support healthy seniors to age better at home. |
|
S.U.C.C.E.S.S. |
In long-term care and assisted living facilities, we need to provide culturally appropriate quality services. This requires expert, well-trained and well-compensated staff. Given the severe shortage of health care staff, it is critical that we look at long-term care standards and work towards better wage parity for those roles. |
Safety and Security
Witness Name |
Witness Proposal |
Date of Appearance |
Aerospace Industries Association of Canada |
Consult with industry on NORAD modernization as well as the defence policy review |
|
Canadian Chamber of Commerce |
[Provide funding] to enable critical infrastructure and essential service providers at federal, provincial, municipal, and territorial levels, to prevent their systems and supply chains from falling victim to cyber attacks. |
|
Canadian Chamber of Commerce |
[Provide funding] through a dedicated SME Cyber Defence Fund to improve the cyber resilience of SMEs and close the cybersecurity investment gap. |
|
Canadian Chamber of Commerce |
[Provide funding] to accelerate the commercialization of cybersecurity products and services, including through direct funding to help firms obtain the security certifications and compliances |
|
Canadian Chamber of Commerce |
[Provide funding] to grow the future workforce through new cybersecurity education, talent development and retention programs. |
|
Canadian Chamber of Commerce |
Enable businesses of all sizes to make investments in preventative cybersecurity products and services tax deductible. |
|
Canadian Council of Innovators |
Implement an economic lens in the next phase of the National Cyber Security Action Plan to support the pipeline of cyber commercialization, talent, and collaboration. |
|
Canadian Council of Innovators |
Develop a trusted domestic partners list of domestic cybersecurity companies with capabilities who meet high security standards relevant to the public sector, private sector and globally. |
|
Canadian Council of Innovators |
Develop a dedicated cyber testing stream to validate cyber-solutions developed by trusted domestic partners, rather than on a project-by-project basis. |
|
Canadian Taxpayers Federation |
End the gun ban and buyback program. |
|
Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs |
Fund a pilot project to complement the Security Infrastructure Program, giving communities the capacity to deter threats and assume some responsibility for protection of their communal institutions and users. |
Skills Training
Witness Name |
Witness Proposal |
Date of Appearance |
Canadian Council of Innovators |
Accelerate funding for Canadian businesses that develop upskilling and retraining programs to enhance the domestic workforce. |
|
Canadian Council of Innovators |
Create a comprehensive and dynamic training program to address the severe shortage of global cybersecurity talent available. |
|
Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters |
Provide employer-led training benefits including a 50 per cent tax credit to offset half the costs of employee training |
|
Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters |
Increase funding of the Canada Job Grant …, make it permanent, and expand it to include on-the-job training. |
|
Electric Mobility Canada |
Work with provinces to revamp the vehicle mechanic curriculum to prioritize EVs by fast-tracking training for EV mechanics, and provide them with more apprenticeship opportunities. |
|
Electric Mobility Canada |
Support training and retraining programs to help workers make the transition to a decarbonized economy. |
|
Hotel Association of Canada |
Invest in a Domestic Workforce Strategy, including awareness campaigns, skills development and worker engagement, through sustainable funding to Tourism HR Canada. |
Tax Reform and Compliance
Witness Name |
Witness Proposal |
Date of Appearance |
Campaign 2000 |
Address growing income inequality and generate revenue for poverty reduction programing by eliminating tax loopholes, closing tax havens, taxing extreme wealth, making the personal income tax system more progressive and implementing an excess profit tax focused on corporate pandemic windfalls. |
|
Canadian Chamber of Commerce |
Maintain a commitment to the OECD multilateral tax agreement and not pursue a unilateral and retroactive Digital Services Tax. |
|
Canadian Chamber of Commerce |
Align implementation plans to those of its main trade competitors and articulate the postponing of the implementation timeframe of OECD’s Pillar II model rules. |
|
Canadian Chamber of Commerce |
Consider that the routine rate of return should equate to 5% plus the published inflation rate in the country that issued the functional accounting currency of the multinational, ensuring that fixed asset investments are really incentivized. |
|
Canadian Taxpayers Federation |
Remove the requirement to report the sale of your home with the Canada Revenue Agency. |
Temporary Support for Organizations
Witness Name |
Witness Proposal |
Date of Appearance |
Aerospace Industries Association of Canada |
Make needed changes to the Strategic Innovation Fund and to the Aerospace Regional Recovery Initiative to increase access to funding support. |
|
Canadian Chamber of Commerce |
Ensure that the small businesses that took on a significant amount of pandemic debt are not being unfairly penalized [and] that non-fraudulent cases are being handled appropriately and fairly based on the terms of their original Canada Emergency Business Account agreement. |
|
Canadian Federation of Independent Business |
Increase the forgivable portion of the Canadian Emergency Business Account (CEBA) loan to at least 50% and extend the repayment deadline for an additional year (to December 2024). Similar provisions should be extended to other federal COVID-19 subsidy programs, like the Highly Affected Sectors Credit Availability Program. |
|
Canadian Federation of Independent Business |
Allow all CEBA loan recipients who received it in good faith, but are now deemed ineligible, to keep the forgivable portion and not be asked to repay the balance early. |
|
Canadian Taxpayers Federation |
Require all political parties to pay back the federal wage subsidy. |
|
Société d'aide au développement des collectivités et Centre d'aide aux entreprises |
Allow the money that was invested in the Regional Relief and Recovery Fund and that is supposed to be repaid into our financial tool, Capital Réseau, to be cleared quickly, before 2026. |
Tourism and Hospitality
Witness Name |
Witness Proposal |
Date of Appearance |
Hotel Association of Canada |
Invest in a Destination Development Strategy to align all tourism investment stakeholders, including funding agencies. |
|
Hotel Association of Canada |
Create a bid fund in support of destination bids for major events and conferences. |
|
Hotel Association of Canada |
Incentivize hotel investments with tax credits for energy efficient retrofits and renovations. |
|
Hotel Association of Canada |
Incentivize investments in new hotel assets through a new Capital Cost Allowance category. |
|
Hotel Association of Canada |
Facilitate lending to the hotel sector through government backed loans and an optional federal mortgage insurance for hotels. |
|
Hotel Association of Canada |
Stimulate innovative tourism and hospitality products with a dedicated federal grant. |
|
Hotel Association of Canada |
Take a leadership role in encouraging Canadians and international visitors to travel to and within Canada. |
|
Tourism Industry Association of Canada |
Allocate [funding] to targeted domestic recruitment campaigns and an Indigenous Workforce Strategy. |
|
Tourism Industry Association of Canada |
Allocate [funding] to increase the number of tourism and hospitality high school programs, modernize post-secondary tourism programs, launch comprehensive national tourism “job ready” bridging programs, and invest in skills development and training. |
|
Tourism Industry Association of Canada |
[Provide funding] in support of Tourism Human Resources Canada’s operations to enable it to effectively carry out the important role of oversight in redressing labour shortages. |
|
Tourism Industry Association of Canada |
Allocate additional resources to support the greater adoption of biometrics and the use of other digital tools, such as E-Gates, to improve pre-board screening wait times and congestion at airports as well as invest in the Canada Electronic Travel Authorizations program to harmonize and streamline a number of Canadian-recognized global security agreements. |
|
Tourism Industry Association of Canada |
Take a leadership role in redeveloping routes to reconnect Canada via motor coach and provide financial support to private operators through new programs and/or by earmarking 5% of the federal transit investment to support operators. |
|
Tourism Industry Association of Canada |
Introduce a suite of financial measures to support the creation, maintenance, and refurbishment of tourism assets, including a new tax credit for retrofits and upgrades; a new Capital Cost Allowance allowing 100% of an investment in new hard assets and major renovations to be claimed in the year in which it is incurred; [and] the establishment of pools of public lending capital for the creation of new assets and major renovations. |
|
Tourism Industry Association of Canada |
Allow airports to retain and then reinvest the ground rent they now pay to the treasury into the development of world-class sustainable airports. |
|
Tourism Industry Association of Canada |
Increase its annual allocation to Destination Canada to a level on par with its counterparts in other countries and commitment to those new resources for 5 years. |
|
Tourism Industry Association of Canada |
Introduce a National Meetings, Incentives Conferences and Events Fund. |
|
Tourism Industry Association of Canada |
Encourage its Regional Economic Development Agencies to provide greater assistance to Destination Marketing Organizations. |
|
Tourism Industry Association of Canada |
Invest in regenerative tourism by introducing programs in support of businesses for new sustainable initiatives and retrofits across the country |
Trade
Witness Name |
Witness Proposal |
Date of Appearance |
Aerospace Industries Association of Canada |
Accelerate the development of export control measures and harmonize them with those of our allies. |
|
Canadian Federation of Agriculture |
Ensure full and fair compensation to producers in supply-managed sectors for market access concessions in the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement. |
|
Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters |
Fund the creation of an Exporter Concierge Service that enables trade associations to develop programs that link their members to government export agencies and services. |
|
Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters |
Create a “Trade Barrier Hotline” for exporters to call and report trade barriers and to offer exporters assistance to overcome them. |
|
Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters |
Increase investments in infrastructure that facilitates trade and industrial development. |
|
Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters |
Expand funding for existing programs and services—regional development agencies, Export Development Canada, Canadian Commercial Corporation, Business Development Bank of Canada—to help SMEs go global. |
|
Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters |
Reduce the red tape involved in administering Canada’s export permits system so that it not only protects Canada’s foreign policy interests, but it also streamlines export procedures. |
|
Union des producteurs agricoles |
Provide full compensation to dairy farmers to mitigate losses resulting from the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement. |
|
Union des producteurs agricoles |
Make no further concessions on supply-managed products in future trade negotiations. |