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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 171

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
March 22, 2023 01:00PM
Context: House Hansard - 171 - Mar/22/23
Mr. Tony Baldinelli
  • Mar/22/23 8:09:27 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, when I was elected, the first issue that I spoke to, and the first question I asked in the House of Commons, had to do with the WTO challenge that Australia brought about because of the escalator tax and its impact on the Canadian wine sector. The government failed to act. We told the government in 2017 not to act on putting forward that escalator tax. It did so, and it did so to the detriment of the Canadian wine sector. It is now paying the price.
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Context: House Hansard - 171 - Mar/22/23
Mr. Richard Cannings (South Okanagan—West Kootenay, NDP)
  • Mar/22/23 9:07:27 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I have to agree with the member on the subject. Beyond capping this escalator tax, we really should be looking at restructuring the excise tax, especially for spirits. We also have the craft breweries of Canada asking for that, even though they have the staggered rise in excise tax based on how much they produce. It is way more than breweries or distilleries are paying in the United States, for instance. Could the member comment further on that? This is something that should be looked at. The distillers in my riding are very concerned about the unfairness of the way the excise tax for spirits is calculated today.
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Context: House Hansard - 171 - Mar/22/23
Mr. Todd Doherty (Cariboo—Prince George, CPC)
  • Mar/22/23 9:21:43 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I appreciate our hon. colleague's speech, because for the first four minutes he entered into Hansard the names all the microbreweries and breweries in his riding. I think he owes a care package to all member who are currently present in the House. When the escalator tax was introduced and brought in back in 2017 before COVID, Finance Canada officials testified at committee that the Liberals did no modelling on how this tax would impact small businesses and breweries all across our country. Why does the government continue its mismanagement of monetary policy? Is the member hearing the same as what we are hearing? Perhaps he has some suggestions on what the government can do to scrap the tax and make things more affordable for Canadians.
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Context: House Hansard - 171 - Mar/22/23
Mr. Richard Cannings
  • Mar/22/23 9:25:17 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I do not think it would be too difficult to ask for. When the government brought in this escalator tax, inflation was pretty marginal. There was very little inflation, so it was only going up 1% or 2% per year. I would like to see something less drastic than just following inflation every year, because if it goes up 6%, that is drastic. What would be more important for these producers, especially the small producers, is to develop a fair sliding scale of excise tax payments that makes it easier for them to compete with the bigger players and especially the imports.
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Context: House Hansard - 171 - Mar/22/23
Mr. Daniel Blaikie
  • Mar/22/23 9:47:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I already said my piece on the other matter. In respect of the member's question on the motion that we are dealing with this evening, I would say that there is definitely a debate to be had about that proper balance. My point is that an automatic escalator makes it harder to have that debate, and it does not cause a debate to be had of necessity when those taxes go up. Let us have those debates and let us make those decisions here on the floor of Parliament. An automatic escalator actually deviates from that very path of having a debate about the right balance in this place.
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