I think we should contact Public Works. There seems to be a loose shingle on the roof or something, Mr. Chair.
On page 83 of that document, we have in fact a table with, quite clearly in that document, corporate profits before tax, which is the same figure we're seeking now. The previous government, before given our sabbatical, felt free to provide that information to the public. In fact it was the appropriate measure, and in fact there was not cabinet confidence.
So previous governments provided the exact information that this committee has sought in this case and that in fact has been requested by the Parliamentary Budget Officer. The government has had two and a half months to provide to the committee a reasonable response, and it has not done that. It's time that it go to the Speaker, to the House, for its determination.
We had a further response. We've had some dialogue with Finance Canada on this. On December 10 we had another response, and again the Department of Finance said that to the best of its knowledge, the Department of Finance had determined that projections of corporate tax rates before taxes have not been previously disclosed.
As I just demonstrated, in fact that's not the case. That has been done by previous governments, and I suspect under both Progressive Conservative governments in the distant past and Liberal governments. Both felt compelled to provide this information and did not use the foil of cabinet confidence as a means to deny parliamentarians the opportunity to do our work.
My motion, other than that, is self-explanatory.