Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I would like to welcome all our witnesses. I am very pleased to have this opportunity to hear from you today.
First of all, I would like to respond to Mr. Matthew, who finds it unacceptable to have been summoned to appear before the committee only one hour before the meeting was to begin. Yesterday, members of Parliament approved a motion that effectively handcuffs the Standing Committee on Finance in terms of its ability to directly oversee the process for reviewing a bill—the one we are discussing today. The Bloc Québécois voted against this motion because we believe it would be a way of restricting the process for reviewing legislation, a process which would normally have allowed you to be better prepared and allowed us to possibly hear from other witnesses. In that regard, I fully support Mr. Matthew's complaint that this is almost undemocratic and that it was very difficult for him to prepare adequately for today's meeting.
However, the Bloc Québécois supports this legislation. We said as much in the House today. This is a bill which will renew or improve the process implemented in 1997, when sales taxes were harmonized with New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. It is our belief, given that Quebec has yet to be compensated for harmonizing its sales tax in 1992—well before all the other provinces—that this bill will facilitate the process of compensating all the provinces, including Quebec, for their losses. That is the position Bloc Québécois MPs have taken on this bill.
However, I do have to put a couple of questions for the witnesses. Ms. George, you said earlier that harmonizing the tax in these provinces will enhance competitiveness and reduce manufacturing costs, and that some of the money collected will be passed on to consumers. On a number of occasions, we have heard people say that a significant amount will be passed on. But what portion are we talking about? In percentage terms, are you able to assess the benefit, for consumers, of a harmonized tax, in terms of lower costs for the goods affected?