Finance

The committee met to resume clause-by-clause consideration of Bill C-30, an act to implement certain provisions of the spring economic update tabled on April 28, 2026. Officials from the Department of Finance, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, and other departments appeared to answer technical questions.

Mark Maxson, Senior Director at the Department of Finance, testified that data on the labour mobility deduction would not be available within six months of the section coming into force, as claims would not be filed until spring 2027 and reliable data would not be available until late 2027. He noted that some information is already published annually in the report on federal tax expenditures.

Mark Walsh, Senior Director at the Department of Finance, explained that the Canada Revenue Agency collects information on the number of claimants for a qualifying business transfer, but not the number of transfers, as multiple claimants may be associated with a single transaction. He stated that the same issue applies to qualifying cooperative conversions.

Shane Baddeley, Director at the Department of Finance, confirmed that information on the fiscal cost and number of beneficiaries for the greenhouse special allowance would normally be published in the report on federal tax expenditures, but geographic distribution is not typically included. He noted that Statistics Canada publishes a greenhouse survey tracking square footage by region.

Gervais Coulombe, Director General at the Department of Finance, stated that leaded aviation gasoline is the only aviation fuel currently available in Canada, used in small piston-engine aircraft for remote and agricultural needs, and that any difference in greenhouse gas emissions compared to other fuels is likely minimal. He also said the $2.41-billion estimate for the fuel excise tax suspension remains the best estimate, with final numbers to appear in the 2026-27 public accounts.

Jay Holmes, Executive Director at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, stated that the CFIA does not inspect seasonal workers and that the number of seasonal workers does not affect the agency's workload.

Galen Countryman, Director General at the Department of Finance, testified that the chief actuary is already required by law to prepare a report after any substantive amendment to the Canada Pension Plan, and that a triennial report on the plan's financial state is also required. He noted that the 33rd actuarial report was tabled on June 8, 2026, and that the proposed reduction in contribution rates from 9.9% to 9.5% was determined to be sufficient to fund the plan for 75 years.

Justin Stuart, Senior Director at the Department of Finance, confirmed that the minimum contribution rate is currently about 9.2%, leaving a 30-basis-point buffer after the proposed reduction, which is larger than the historical average of 10 to 15 basis points. He noted that contributions are projected to be lower than expenditures four years sooner under the proposed rate reduction.

The committee debated numerous Conservative amendments and subamendments throughout the meeting, most of which sought to add reporting requirements for transparency and accountability. The government opposed nearly all of them, arguing they were duplicative of existing reports, would require data not yet available, or would impose additional operational costs. Several subamendments were proposed to adjust timelines or add specific data requirements, but most were defeated. The meeting was marked by extensive debate, multiple suspensions for translation of subamendments, and procedural exchanges. No clauses were adopted during the meeting.