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(Jean-Philippe Thibault and Dominique Fortier) The National Revenue Minister has made headlines more often than himself in recent weeks in Ottawa.
Diane Lebouthillier recently had to answer several questions from the opposition and journalists, raising a lot of criticism of her and even earning her a caricature of Chapleau. Overview of the latest hot files it has had to deal with.
December 5 – Credits to diabetics
Earlier last week, several national media reported that people with type 1 diabetes have now been denied disability tax credit (approximately $ 1,200 per year). When questioned on the subject, the minister indicated that the rules had not changed and that the eligibility criteria were the same as before. An email sent to the officials responsible for the file obtained through the Access to Information Act, however, appears to suggest otherwise.
“We would like to inform you of the changes to the lines and procedures of essential therapeutic care for adults with diabetes. Barring exceptional circumstances, adults with diabetes can usually manage their insulin therapy on a daily basis without requiring 14 hours a week. The tax credit is usually granted when patients have to devote more than 14 hours per week to their therapy, which implies they are no longer eligible. The Revenue Agency and the Minister were accused by some of lying, by others of spreading inaccurate news.
December 4 – The 25 billion
The day before, Diane Lebouthillier was on the front pages of La Presse +. The member of Gaspésie-Les-Îles-de-la-Madeleine has repeatedly stated that Canada has recovered nearly $ 25 billion in the past two years thanks to its department’s work in tackling the problems of tax evasion and avoidance . However, the newspaper showed that “the highest officials of his own ministry admit to ignoring the sums that have actually been returned to the tax coffers so far. It seems that the 25 billion has been identified, but it is impossible to know what percentage was actually recovered. An important nuance that has not failed to be underlined by the opposition; Conservative MP Gérard Deltell speaking of improvisation or misunderstanding in running a ministry, neo-democrat Alexandre Boulerice said the minister was misleading citizens. Last year, the federal budget provided $ 444 million over five years to the Canada Revenue Agency to crack down on tax evasion and tackle tax avoidance.
November 30 – Trudeau investigation?
Young NDP MP Pierre-Luc Dusseault visibly upset the Revenue Minister during a discussion on tax havens. It was Justin Trudeau’s former treasurer Stephen Bronfman, accused of having a connection with former Senator Leo Kolber’s multimillion-dollar trust in the Cayman Islands.
The NDP MP first asked the minister if he had the right to comment on Stephen Bronfman’s situation. After avoiding the question for the first time, the minister finally replied that the law strictly forbade her to comment on a particular case: “I could be liable to imprisonment”.
The NDP MP then asked if he was aware that Justin Trudeau had publicly commented on the Bronfman case. After a long silence and some laughter in the room, Diane Lebouthillier replied that no one was above the law.
Pierre-Luc Dusseault then stated that he was impatient to hear the results of the investigation by the Minister of National Revenue on the Prime Minister and that a prison sentence could be expected …
November 24 – Clumsy statements
While the Auditor General’s report revealed that Canadians receive false information 30% of the time when they call the Canadian Revenue Agency, Diane Lebouthillier replied that the agents are not experts in the field. “The people in the call centers are not tax specialists. They are not accounting specialists. This has earned the minister a barrage of criticism from all opposition parties, ranging from disrespect towards officials to amateurism. Diane Lebouthillier later released a press release indicating that steps would be taken to rectify the situation, notably by offering more training to employees of the Canadian Revenue Agency phone line.
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