Public Accounts

The Public Accounts Committee met to study Bill C-230, focusing on amendments to the registry of beneficial ownership, and heard from Isabelle Brault, Director General of the Legislative Policy Directorate at the Canada Revenue Agency.

Isabelle Brault confirmed that a coordinating amendment to Bill C-230, which aligns it with Bill C-15 (the budget implementation act) to avoid duplication or conflicts, raised no concerns regarding substance. She did not make any specific asks or recommendations, and no disagreements with other witnesses occurred.

The committee then debated a motion to invite the Minister of National Revenue, Canada Revenue Agency officials, and the mayor of Laval to appear regarding a reported requirement for the City of Laval to pay approximately $1 million to former mayor Gilles Vaillancourt for tax purposes. A Liberal member proposed amendments to remove the minister from the witness list, to add former mayor Vaillancourt as a witness, and to change "Liberal government" to "government" in the motion. The Conservative member rejected the first two amendments, arguing the minister must account for the decision and that the key parties are the agency and the city, while accepting the third amendment to depoliticize the language. The Bloc Québécois supported inviting the minister but did not support the amendments to remove him or add Vaillancourt.