Finance committee  Yes, we're supportive of the TFSA. That's my understanding outside the scope of this part of the bill. We're supportive of mechanisms that empower Canadians to make decisions about saving for their own future rather than the government doing so.

Finance committee  Yes.

Finance committee  Approximately $150 billion.

Finance committee  No.

Finance committee  Yes.

Finance committee  I think generally our position is that borrowing to spend is a bad idea.

Finance committee  Yes. I suppose the question is are there other ways for them to save money. There are some things we prefer to spend on than others. As I said, we're certainly big critics of the fact that they've spent more than they've brought in for quite some time.

Finance committee  I think the question here is, if you're referring to income splitting and whether or not it discourages women from entering the workforce, I think there are two ways to look at it. You could say you're encouraging people to stay home, or you could take the view that you're simply removing an obstacle to people who would like to stay home.

Finance committee  Good morning, Mr. Chair and committee. My name is Aaron Wudrick, and I'm the federal director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. Thank you for the opportunity to appear today to speak to part 2 of Bill C-59, the provisions of which the CTF is generally supportive. CTF is a federally incorporated not-for-profit citizens group founded in 1990 and with over 84,000 supporters.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I don't think it's an issue of whether they asked for it or not. If the decision-making power were left in their hands they would bear responsibility for that policy. When people are judging whether or not it's a good thing, when citizens are asked whether or not we want to have a minimum residency requirement for refugee payments or not, they know which level of government is making that decision.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  What I would say is that we take no position on whether or not there should be a requirement but we do think it's appropriate that the provinces make those decisions.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  No, you probably would be unsurprised to know that the Taxpayers Federation is quite firm on respecting provincial jurisdiction. In fact, there are probably other pieces of legislation we could get into if we had the time or if we feel that provincial jurisdiction is not being respected.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I'm not sure what exactly the question is.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  If by complete power you mean the power to do....I believe they have the power right now. They simply will have a fiscal penalty if they choose to exercise it, and that's exactly why we feel this is a completely jurisdictional issue. Many other folks have made excellent arguments in favour of not introducing a minimum residency requirement.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. It's a pleasure to be here today and to speak on the subject matter of certain clauses within Bill C-43 and I thank the committee for the invitation. Just quickly, my name is Aaron Wudrick and I'm the federal director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.