The committee was studying Bill C-30, the spring economic update, and heard from officials from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Health Canada, the Department of Finance, and the Department of Employment and Social Development, as well as from witnesses from the Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence, Community Living Toronto, the Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work, and March of Dimes Canada.
Jay Holmes of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said Bill C-30 would formalize the CFIA's consideration of economic and food security factors in its decisions, moving those factors from the preamble into the text of the CFIA Act, but he could not provide a single definition of "food security" because the bill uses an all-encompassing term. He noted the CFIA has already created a directorate focused on regulatory efficiency and red tape reduction, but he disagreed with the suggestion that the bill lacks accountability metrics, pointing to the new formalized factors.
Shannon Laforce of Health Canada said the amendments to the Pest Control Products Act would allow the pesticides program to include economic analysis in its reviews without compromising health or environmental safety, and that definitions for "seriously detrimental infestation" are still under development and will be set in policy rather than in legislation. She noted that emergency powers under the bill would only be used when health risks are deemed acceptable and in very narrow circumstances, such as a seriously detrimental infestation with no alternatives.
Gervais Coulombe of the Department of Finance said the bill includes a temporary suspension of the excise tax on diesel and gasoline, saving a family about $5.75 per 50-litre tank, and an extension of the reduction for microbrewery beer. He declined to answer questions about the economic update's revenue increases or internal trade measures, saying those were outside the scope of Bill C-30 and that no officials present could address them.
Justin Brown of the Department of Finance explained that part 3 of the bill amends the Bank Act to ensure investments in non-financial activities by foreign banks and their affiliates are subject to a national security review under either the Investment Canada Act or the Bank Act, closing gaps where investments might escape review or be subject to overlapping reviews.
Nicolas Marion of the Department of Finance said the bill shifts cost recovery measures from various acts to consolidate them under the Bank of Canada Act.
Galen Countryman of the Department of Finance said he could not answer questions about the $6-billion team Canada strong workforce training program, the Canada health transfer, or federal-provincial relations on labour market impact assessments, as those measures are not in Bill C-30 and are handled by other departments.
Mark Maxson of the Department of Finance said the bill increases the labour mobility deduction for tradespeople from $4,000 to $10,000 and reduces the distance threshold from 150 to 120 kilometres.
Jordan Hancey of Health Canada said the bill creates two new order powers for the Pest Management Regulatory Agency, one following a postmarket review and one for emergencies, and that both require publication but do not include a binding consultation requirement, though the PMRA consults on major regulatory decisions through public consultations.
Cliff Groen of the Department of Employment and Social Development said the old age security program has an accuracy rate of 97.4%, with most payment errors caused by missing information from clients rather than system issues, and that 48,000 clients are waiting more than a month after their eligibility date, with very few waiting a year.
James Janeiro of the Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence said the proposed changes to the disability tax credit, including allowing more medical professionals to certify applications and streamlining certification for lifelong conditions, are a significant step forward for caregivers and people with disabilities. He urged the government to also reform the medical expenses tax credit and make the Canada caregiver credit refundable as part of a national caregiving strategy.
Brad Saunders of Community Living Toronto welcomed the introduction of lifelong certification under the disability tax credit for conditions like intellectual disabilities and Down syndrome, saying it removes an unnecessary burden and treats people with greater dignity. He said the reforms free up time and resources for families and signal that government is listening.
Maureen Haan of the Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work said the disability tax credit has become the entry point for multiple federal programs but is not designed for that purpose, and that tax-based criteria are deciding who is "disabled enough." She called for a comprehensive reform of federal disability eligibility outside the tax system, aligned with the Accessible Canada Act, and noted that the national disability network has made this a key priority.
Jeff Willbond of March of Dimes Canada said only 25% of people with disabilities have applied for the disability tax credit, leaving over $2 billion in unclaimed benefits each year, and that the reforms expanding conditions requiring only a confirmation of diagnosis are a meaningful first step. He recommended reimbursing practitioners directly for completing applications, aligning the DTC's definition of disability with the Accessible Canada Act, and creating a federal disability status in the social system rather than the tax system.
Amanda MacKenzie of March of Dimes Canada said the reforms will have a positive impact but called on the government to go further by reimbursing practitioners directly, aligning the definition of disability with the Accessible Canada Act, and establishing a single portable disability status in the social system. She noted that the European Union and Japan offer models for such a system.
The committee agreed to set July 3 as the deadline for parties to submit recommendations for the pre-budget consultations report, and to ask the analysts to begin drafting a "what we heard" report.
AI-generated summary — may contain errors; verify against the official evidence.