Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Mai.
I'm going to take the final wrap-up round as the chair. I think we've had a very good discussion here about a number of issues, especially about the tax rates. I just have to get into that debate a little.
If we go to the OECD and look at the federal-provincial combined corporate tax rates, we're in about the middle, maybe a little more toward the bottom.
If anyone wants two studies to look at, the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters did an excellent study in terms of the positive benefits, as did Jack Mintz from the University of Calgary.
In terms of small business, the Chamber of Commerce mentioned that the majority of their members are small businesses. But the small business rate is 11% and the larger rate federally is 16.5% and you add on a 10% rate in Alberta. But that rate kicks in at $500,000 of business income. So anyone making over that would be considered a large corporation by Canadian standards. That needs to be kept in mind as well.
The last point I want to make--and perhaps I'll get the chamber to comment on this--is the link between corporations and average citizens. I think we have to move to the point where we don't see corporations in one place and ourselves in another.
I'm going to use the example of my father, a retired school teacher who went to school here in Saskatchewan at Notre Dame College. He talks a lot like Wayne Marston, frankly. All the retired school teachers get together and tell me these big corporations are making money over here and the poor school teachers are over there.
Dad and I went to the Internet and looked at the Alberta teachers' retirement fund investments--TD Bank, Bank of Nova Scotia, Goldcorp, Suncor, Canadian Natural Resources, Talisman Energy, CIBC, CN, PotashCorp, Apple, Encana, Teck Resources, RBC, BCE, TD Capital Private Equity, Johnson & Johnson, PepsiCo, Wells Fargo, UBS, Pfizer, GE, Power Corporation of Canada, National Australia Bank, Rogers Communications, Novus Energy, Royal Dutch Shell, Goldman Sachs.... The pension of a retired school teacher is directly linked to the health and vitality of these companies. We have to recognize that. And after he said that, I told him he was a very powerful guy, controlling all these companies.
So perhaps I'll get the chamber to offer a comment on that, but I think we have to stop separating ourselves from the well-being of corporations in this country.
Martin, do you want to comment on that? I know it's a very tough question for you.