Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I would like to pursue the same line of questioning with respect to refunds. I don't know whether Mrs. Bourque or her colleague would like to answer.
I believe this is something that needs to be seen from a long-term perspective. Basically, the unused credits are future tax losses. For example, if we refund future tax expenditures, as the Bloc Québécois has long proposed, we are really only changing the timing of a tax expenditure, that would be used by the company once it became profitable, when, in fact, it needs that money now.
So, when the government refuses to immediately refund R&D tax credits, supposedly because it will cost too much, it is relying on the fact that these companies will never turn a profit or will necessarily fail, and thus will never be in a position to claim the credits.
So, should we be taking a long-term approach to this and determine subsequently what this approach is actually costing?