Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I want to thank our guests for coming today and providing the information.
In this area, as in many areas, numbers can be thrown around and put before the public, and let's be frank, the public doesn't have a great understanding—and neither did I, until I started looking at the issue—of what actually is happening; I think that's only fair.
For example, we had a comment about recoveries. It could have been about collections and not about audits of international activity that are happening. I don't know what happened 15 or 20 years ago, when that minister was there, but I'm guessing it was about collections.
Just give me some examples. Based on what you've responded to other members, we don't—or your organization doesn't—waste a lot of time trying to come up with a guesstimate number on what the outstanding numbers might be. You're actually going after those who are either avoiding taxes—which is not a criminal offence, but there are penalties and so on, and we need to get that money back—or those who are purposely not paying taxes, and that is a criminal offence. Based on the answers you've given here today, you're actually actively pursuing those avenues.
Based on the numbers you've told me, back in 2005 and 2006 it looks as though there were about 278 cases, and about $175 million was recovered—found, recovered, paid back, or whatever. By this time last year there were about 1,250 cases and about $1 billion.
Is that because you have more resources? Have we been spending more money in this particular area, with more people doing it? Is that what is generating that tremendous increase in recoveries?