Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault yesterday admitted owes Revenu Québec a five-figure amount in back taxes..Guilbeault in a filing with the Ethics Commissioner declared “arrears due to Revenu Québec” under a Public Declaration Of Liabilities Of $10,000 Or More. The heritage minister was the only member of the 43rd Parliament to disclose unpaid taxes..“He has not been paying his fair share,” Conservative MP Pierre Paul-Hus (Charlesbourgh-Haute St. Charles, Que.) said in a statement. “This is typical.”.Guilbeault “needs to come clean and tell Canadians how much he owes in taxes,” said Paul-Hus. The minister should “pay his fair share like all other Canadian families,” he said..Guilbeault repeatedly told the Commons Canadians, including digital corporations operating here, must “pay their fair share” of taxes..“Anyone who profits from the system must contribute to it,” Guilbeault told MPs on December 9, 2019..Revenue Minister Diane Lebouthillier in June 22 testimony at the Commons finance committee said all Canadians shared a duty to finance government programs..“We are all committed to making things much more difficult for those who choose not to meet their tax obligations,” said Lebouthillier..“I am proud to say the Government of Canada and the Canada Revenue Agency have shown determination and innovation in creating effective and proactive approaches to identifying those who avoid paying their fair share,” said Lebouthillier..Other political parties have disciplined MPs with tax arrears. The New Democrats in 2013 censured two members who had failed to pay taxes..Then-MP Tyrone Benskin (Jeanne-Le Ber, Que.) was stripped of his duties as official languages critic over a $58,097 tax debt. Benskin had previously been sued by Revenu Québec for a $135,473 tax liability..“For our society to be prosperous and just each citizen must do their part,” Benskin said at the time. “I have not always done mine and for that I apologize.”.Then-New Democrat MP Hoang Mai (Brossard-La Prairie, Que.) in 2013 was also removed as vice-chair of the Commons Finance Committee with the loss of a $5,600 bonus for failing to pay his taxes. MP Mai lost re-election in 2015..Then-Senator Michel Cogger (Que.) in 1991 saw a portion of his parliamentary salary garnished by Revenu Québec to recover arrears totaling $107,000. Cogger subsequently resigned from the Senate in 2000, was convicted of influence peddling and received an absolute discharge in the Québec Court of Appeal..Guilbeault would not say if a portion of his $274,500 cabinet salary was being deducted to settle the five figure debt..Western Standard
