Hon. Leo Housakos (Acting Leader of the Opposition): Would Senator Tannas take a question?

Hon. Leo Housakos (Acting Leader of the Opposition): My question is for the Leader of the Government in the Senate. Senator Gold, as you know, Conservative member Larry Maguire’s Bill C-208 received Royal Assent last June. It sought to correct some tax inequities that occur when an SME is transferred to a family member.

During the debate on Bill C-208, the government spokesperson, Senator Woo, Senator Harder, Senator Dalphond and you claimed that passing the bill would create a huge loophole in the tax system. You said, and I quote:

 . . . Bill C-208 as currently structured would enable loopholes within the tax system that create opportunities for tax avoidance by the wealthy at the expense of those these measures should rightfully support.

Six months have passed and your government has still not found it necessary to make amendments to the Income Tax Act. My question is simple, Senator Gold. Did the government mislead senators during the debate on Bill C-208?

Senator Housakos: Senator Gold, if what you and your fellow colleagues who spoke on behalf of the government in this chamber said was true, how do you explain the Minister of Finance’s lack of action on this huge loophole that Bill C-208 has created? According to your own speech and according to what Senator Harder said, hundreds of millions of dollars would have been lost by the treasury because of Bill C-208.

The government had two opportunities to correct this with Bill C-2 and Bill C-8. Why has the government done nothing? Is it because what you said was just not true or because the government is asleep at the switch, or is it just a question of neglect?

Senator Housakos: Senator Tannas, I understand your perspective, and you have heard me many times echo that perspective in this chamber.

Wouldn’t you think in this particular instance, given that this bill has gone through the House of Commons with unanimous support from all parties on that side, that we have an obligation as an upper chamber to respect the democratic will of the democratic house?

Second, there are a number of amendments so far in this Forty-fourth Parliament — the example you bring up — but there were many more amendments and proposals of amendments by the Senate Chamber in the Forty-third Parliament that have been ignored. Would you agree that if we had more distinguished colleagues from this chamber in the governing national caucus on the other side on a weekly basis — I know our colleagues laugh, but I come from an era in which we had some influence on building legislation at the national caucus — would you agree with that statement?

Hon. Leo Housakos (Acting Leader of the Opposition): On behalf of the official opposition, I would like to thank all our colleagues for their commitment, their cooperation, and their love for our great country, Canada. Thank you to all the leaders and the leadership of all Senate groups. In a very short period of time, just three weeks, we have accomplished a great deal as we kicked off this Forty-fourth Parliament. We have referred several public bills to committee for study, and we have referred several more to the House of Commons in the spirit of cooperation. I hope we’ll all keep up the enthusiasm and the same cooperative spirit as we continue our work in the new year.

[English]

I imagine, colleagues, in large part the last few weeks of cooperation is probably due to the spirit of Christmas. Of course, in the spirit of Christmas, we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, but also we celebrate giving and sharing with our loved ones and friends. We also spend the time just before Christmas reflecting on all the joys and wonderful things we are blessed with, but also reflecting on all the challenges that this country faces. Just last year, we were wrapping up for Christmas with a note of cautious optimism for the new year. We have taken some steps forward and some backward, but we will rise again with more hope and optimism for the coming new year.

We should also take time to reflect on the 30,000 Canadians who have perished during this existential crisis that our country is facing. We should take the time to reflect on the three colleagues we lost in this institution over the last 12 months, our dear friends and colleagues: Senator Elaine McCoy, Senator Josée Forest-Niesing and Senator Judith Keating. Over the last few months, I have thought about them on a number of occasions.

We think about our colleagues who are alive and doing well but have retired throughout this year: Senator Doug Black, Senator Linda Frum and Senator Carolyn Stewart Olsen.

We celebrate the coming of some of the new blood and talent as well.

I would also be remiss if I didn’t say goodbye to my colleague and friend Senator Thanh Hai Ngo, who is retiring on January 3. He left this place earlier today with the quiet humility he entered with many years ago, but he did work with vigour and dynamism in this place, supporting the things that were dear to his heart. He is a very respected member of the Vietnamese-Canadian community and respected by his colleagues. We wish him well.

I don’t want to take up any more time. I want to thank the leaders of the caucus and groups for their generosity in working with me for the last few weeks.

I want to thank all the administration of the Senate, each and every one of them. Without their support, we can’t do what we do here.

I want to thank Your Honour and the Deputy Speaker for steering the ship and doing their job with dignity and impartiality.

Merry Christmas to all. All I wish for everyone is health, health and more health in the new year.

[Translation]