9 May, 2013 | By | Today, Senator James S. Cowan, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, made the following statement on the tabling of the report of the Board of Internal Economy:
8 May, 2013 | By | Charlottetown Senator Percy Downe has written Interim Parliamentary Budget Officer (letter attached), Sonia L’Heureux, requesting that she follow up with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) regarding the Agency’s refusal to provide her predecessor, Kevin Page, with information necessary to calculate Canada’s tax gap (the difference between what is owed in taxes and what is actually collected).
8 May, 2013 | By | Yesterday, Senator Pierrette Ringuette, the Liberal Senate Critic of Bill C-377 An Act to amend the Income Tax Act (requirements for labour organizations), spoke in opposition to the bill.
6 May, 2013 | By | Charlottetown Senator Percy Downe has said that the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance report entitled Tax Evasion and Tax Havens is “a good start”, but that the way the report addresses – or fails to address – some issues is a cause for concern.
26 Apr, 2013 | By | Senator Hervieux-Payette denounced the decision of the General Court of the European Union, which confirmed the moratorium on Canadian seal products unilaterally proclaiming that "the fundamental economic and social interests of Inuit communities" are preserved. Interestingly, Inuit communities were at the forefront of the legal challenge on the European boycott and they state just the opposite- their economic and cultural futures are threatened.
25 Apr, 2013 | By | This afternoon, Senator Mobina Jaffer delivered her second reading speech on Bill S-216, An Act to amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and the Criminal Code (mental health treatment).
17 Apr, 2013 | By | Canada needs a single, cohesive national air travel strategy, which must take into account the needs and challenges of all regions, particularly in the North, to chart a new course toward increased air travel in Canada.
27 Mar, 2013 | By | “The fact is, there is a reason this Government has no idea ‘how much evasion’ there is: they have made a conscious decision not to find out,” said Charlottetown Senator Percy Downe.
26 Mar, 2013 | By | Canada needs to improve and modernize the monitoring of drugs that have already been approved and are in use currently, says a report entitled Prescription Pharmaceuticals in Canada: Post-Approval Monitoring of Safety and Effectiveness tabled today by the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology.
26 Mar, 2013 | By | Charlottetown Senator Percy Downe is disappointed that the Government of Canada has decided to handicap the Canada Revenue Agency by cutting millions from its budget and questions how the Agency can effectively address the issue of overseas tax evasion when the 2013 Budget calls for cuts to the Canada Revenue Agency of $19 million for this year alone – almost tripling to $58 million next year.
21 Mar, 2013 | By | The Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence Subcommittee on Veterans Affairs has concluded its current study on the New Veterans Charter (NVC) and tabled its report in the Senate today.
20 Mar, 2013 | By | Canada needs to strengthen its Regime to fight money laundering and terrorist financing says a report entitled Follow the Money: Is Canada Making Progress in Combatting Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing? Not Really tabled today by the Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce.
8 Mar, 2013 | By | Charlottetown Senator Percy Downe has written to Revenue Minister Gail Shea calling upon her to reverse her position and allow Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page access to the information he requires to estimate the size of the “tax gap” in Canada (the difference between what is owed in taxes and what is actually collected).
6 Mar, 2013 | By | Charlottetown Senator Percy Downe is questioning why Revenue Minister Gail Shea is stonewalling the Parliamentary Budget Officer in his efforts to determine how much money is lost to Canadians by overseas tax evasion.
19 Feb, 2013 | By | Since Senator Pierrette Ringuette introduce her bill, S-215 An Act to amend the Payment Card Networks Act (credit card acceptance fees) last December, VISA and MasterCard have been in the giving spirit, both have given merchants significant boosts to the fees charged to them on each credit card transaction.