Evidence of meeting #43 for Finance in the 40th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was federal.
3:25 p.m.
Executive Director, Heritage Vancouver Society
Yes, we would be giving incentives to developers. There are small developers doing heritage buildings. It's been proven that often they will not put in the money to do the building without any incentives. It just sits there and deteriorates.
3:25 p.m.
Bloc
Jean-Yves Laforest Bloc Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC
I have a quick question for Mr. Nelson or Mr. Hickson.
I want to know why such a telescope cannot be set up anywhere in Canada. I am not necessarily looking for a technical explanation.
3:25 p.m.
Co-Chair, Canadian Astronomical Society, Coalition for Canadian Astronomy
Why can't it be installed in Canada? Because Canada does not have the kind of observing conditions to be a world leader. It's necessary that the atmosphere be very clear and not very turbulent and this is found on the tops of high mountains located at southerly latitudes close to the equator. The best sites in the world, and the places where all of the major observatories that exist are located, are typically within 20 degrees or 30 degrees of that, on the tops of mountains that are 10,000 feet or higher. The island of Hawaii, the Andes in Chile, and also Tenerife in the Canary Islands are the best places in the world.
If you wanted to build the world's best telescope, you wouldn't put it in Canada, unfortunately; however, the benefits come to Canada, because the scientists here receive the data from a telescope in Hawaii and then they analyze it in Canada with their students. This is where the gains come in: in the information and the extraction of that information in Canada.
3:25 p.m.
Conservative
3:25 p.m.
Conservative
Ron Cannan Conservative Kelowna—Lake Country, BC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to our witnesses. It's good to see familiar faces and some new faces.
In the last minute or two, on the heritage tax, was there a dollar value that you had anticipated in the budget?
3:25 p.m.
Executive Director, Heritage Vancouver Society
I don't have a dollar value. I think Heritage Canada may have put something forth, but it depends on what the uptake would be, and it would be gradual and over many years. It's really hard to say. As I say, Heritage Canada may have that information, but I don't.
3:25 p.m.
Conservative
Ron Cannan Conservative Kelowna—Lake Country, BC
We have $60 million in the economic action plan. I've just announced that the largest packing house in my riding is partnering with the city to save it.
If I could, we'll go to the other end, to Okanagan and Mr. Harvey, talking about our staying on course. The Prime Minister just announced the economic update today, and it'll be in the local media as far as where we're at is concerned, with the 7,500 projects that have been announced, etc.
On your concluding remarks, as far as tax reform is concerned, I totally agree that a simplified tax form would be better. What's your thought on a flat tax?
3:30 p.m.
Chair, Tax and Fiscal Advisory Group, Certified General Accountants Association of Canada
Thank you for the question.
Our main focus, of course, is to see the government appoint an expert panel on taxation, and certainly one of the issues they would look at is a flat tax. My personal opinion is that the complexity is not in the application of the actual tax; it's in getting to the taxable income. So I'm not sure it would be one of the final recommendations, but it's certainly something that should be looked at by the expert panel.
3:30 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Rajotte
Thank you.
I'm sorry, I think we should cut it there and catch our plane. This is a very interesting panel. It's been an incredible discussion with a lot of very good advice, but unfortunately we do have to catch a flight. We're going to Edmonton tonight.
I want to thank all of you for your presentations and your responses to our questions. I want to thank members for their attention.
If there's anything further, please let the committee know. Thank you.
We're adjourned.
