We totally agree with the capital gains exemption for private foundations. In fact, I just inserted that at the end of my remarks. We do support them.
I think it's the Canadian Association of Gift Planners that may have been here earlier this week, so we're in total agreement. We're taking it a much larger step further. With my comments to the committee earlier this year, I actually tabled the whole notion that in addition to the capital gains on marketable securities, the committee recommend to the government that in the budget we also include land and property.
Part of that is because in 1995 ecological lands were brought in and could be donated. In 2000, the capital gains exemption was provided for ecological lands. What we said in our position paper to the committee, and are saying here today, is totally congruent and consistent with what we've been saying since 1995.
So there are four aspects of giving, and I'll try to make this very brief. If you open up all the different opportunities to provide, I think we need to provide an opportunity to give on a level playing field. So on giving capital gains exemptions for marketable securities for private foundations, there is no reason private foundations couldn't receive the same kind of tax treatments, and so forth. That would just increase capacity.
Individuals who hold private land and/or property--of which there are billions of dollars' worth--should be provided with an opportunity to give to charity as well. So no matter what kind of security and/or ownership you have, we'll be treating everybody the same. This is not dissimilar to what happens south of the border in the United States. So nobody is disadvantaged.