Finance committee  I'm sorry. Yes. I've had this debate with the--

Finance committee  Sure. I've had this debate with the director at the Rotman International Centre for Pension Management. He came to Ottawa and argued that we want to be number one, not number three or four, in the world. I said we were really quibbling when we are two-thirds below the OECD average, and the OECD are the 30 to 33 wealthiest countries in the world, out of 220 or so countries.

Finance committee  Thank you for the question. Yes, I agree that tax evasion should always be forcefully and vigorously prosecuted. The Government of Canada set up FINTRAC, which my university business school has placed some people at. I haven't studied FINTRAC, but I understand from all accounts that it's doing an excellent job at ferreting out and tracking down laundered money and money that's being illegally transferred.

Finance committee  Well, they don't get a free ride, as I've already said, because corporations are intermediaries that pass on all of their costs, including wages, plant and equipment, transportation, distribution, and marketing. They are all passed on through either price of goods and services or lower wages.

Finance committee  I'm glad you asked that question because I did not address that in my opening comments. Why I brought up protectionism and CIT was this. The dark and dirty secret about private firms is that they must be forced to compete. Because we have protectionism, pro OECD--I have a quote from OECD saying that we're one of the most protected economies in the west.

Finance committee  We'll have to disagree, sir.

Finance committee  Correct. I don't know anybody in the economics profession who suggests any central banker is not a public servant.

Finance committee  I am answering your question.

Finance committee  They are public servants, as far as I'm concerned.

Finance committee  Mr. Mulcair, with respect, I quoted a lot of research today. You said that my opinions--

Finance committee  That's correct.

Finance committee  I simply don't agree with you.

Finance committee  I just disagree with you. I'm sorry.

Finance committee  I do disagree. They're part of the public service.

Finance committee  I define the private sector as firms that sell private goods for profit in private markets to private people. The Federal Reserve Bank of the United States does not do that.