House of Commons Debates

OFFICIAL REPORT (HANSARD)

Monday, May 14, 2021 

Taxation

Hon. Scott Brison (Kings—Hants, Lib.):

Mr. Speaker, on page 241 of his budget the finance minister eliminated interest deductibility. This morning, the minister defended interest deductibility, saying that it “gives Canadian businesses a competitive edge”.

Canadians expect flapjacks at breakfast, not flip-flops. Will the minister admit today that for breakfast he ripped up a page of his own budget, that he ate his own words, and that he swallowed himself whole by finally supporting interest deductibility?

Equalization

Hon. Scott Brison (Kings—Hants, Lib.):

Mr. Speaker, killing interest deductibility was not the only big mistake the minister made in his budget. In his budget speech, the minister said that “the long, tiring, unproductive era of bickering between the provincial and federal governments is over”. That comedy lasted about 10 minutes, until Premier Williams and Premier MacDonald had a chance to listen to the speech.

Now that the minister has flip-flopped on interest deductibility, will he finally see the light and reverse his disastrous decision to kill the Atlantic accord?