Standing Committee on Finance (FINA)

This week, the Standing Committee on Finance examined income inequality (FINA 117), economic and fiscal outlook (FINA 118), and Main Estimates 2013-14: Votes 1 and 5 under CANADA REVENUE AGENCY and Votes 1, 5, 10, L15, 25, 30, 35, 40 and 45 under FINANCE (FINA 119).

On April 30th (FINA 117), the committee heard testimony from Steven Richardson (executive fellow at the University of Calgary), Michael R. Veall (Economics Professor at McMcaster University), Peter Dinsdale (Chief Executive Officer at the Assembly of First Nations), Armine Yalnizyan (Senior Economist at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives), Peggy Taillon (President and Chief Executive Officer at the Canadian Council on Social Development), Michelle Venne (Director General at the New World Institute), and Nicole Fortin (professor at the Vancouver School of Economics, University of British Columbia and Senior Fellow at the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research).

On April 30th (FINA 118), the committee heard testimony from Sonia l’Heureux (interim Parliamentary Budget Officer), Sahir Khan (assistant Parliamentary Budget Officer, expenditure and revenue analysis), Mostafa Askari (assistant Parliamentary Budget Officer, economic and fiscal analysis) and Chris Matier (senior director, economic and fiscal analysis forecasting, Office of Parliamentary Budget Officer).

On May 2nd, the committee heard testimony from 12 people, including Sherry Harrison (Assistant Deputy Minister, Corporate Services Branch), Jean-Michel Catta (Assistant Deputy Minister, Consultations and Communications Branch), Diane Lafleur (Director General, Financial Sector Branch), Frank Des Rosiers (Director General, Tax Policy Branch), Galen Countryman (Senior Chief Fiscal Policy, Economic and Fiscal Policy Branch), Nicholas Leswick (Director International Finance and Development Division, International Trade and Finance), Nipun Vats (Director Federal-Provincial Relations Division, Federal-Provincial Relations and Social Policy Branch), Ross Ezzeddin (Director Sectoral Policy Analysis, Economic Development and Corporate Finance), Greg Smith (Vice-President Risk, Administration and Chief Financial Officer, PPP Canada), Dominique Laporte (Secretary and Executive Director, Canadian International Trade Tribunal), Marie-France Caron (Director of Finance Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institution), and Hélène Filion (Chief Financial Officer Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada).