Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I want to thank the witnesses for their willingness to answer our questions.
While I was listening to your presentations, I could not help but think back to a joke made by a security expert several years ago. He was showing me a Frost fence around a company, and said that this was the best way to prevent honest people from illegally entering the premises. I thought that was an excellent commentary, as the fence was also a measure that applied to people who did not have the means to circumvent it. That is the case of my mother, who has only her basic retirement income. It is another story for much wealthier people.
My question is for you, Mr. Howlett. I will come back to shell companies and the situation I started talking about.
The Australian authors of the study asked 3,700 intermediaries, in 182 countries, to create a shell company to facilitate the process. I am proud of being Canadian, but certain situations may have a negative effect on our pride. In Canada, the average number of attempts needed to establish a shell company, which is practically impossible to trace, was under 5—it is apparently 4—while the number of attempts necessary for access to tax havens was 25 on average.
Clearly, international pressure—and more specifically the pressure exerted by developed countries—has resulted in tax havens being more accountable than Canada.
Would you like to comment on that data as it relates to our study?