Thank you.
Again, I've scribbled so many notes that I'm going to have to pause for a second.
One of the things we lose sight of when we hear the mantra of lower, lower, and lower corporate taxes.... Let's pause for a second and look at our banks. They made $22 billion one year in profit and gave $11 billion to their executives. Those are the birds who are flying around in jets.
I agree with you, and with Mr. Adler, that the small business person in this country has been screwed over. Pardon my language, but it could have been worse; I'm from Hamilton.
There has to be a balance between our infrastructure investment and our social infrastructure investment in this country. Mr. Martin took our corporate tax rate from the mid-thirties or high thirties down to 20%. Our argument with the folks across there is not about raising taxes, but over the last five years, they've headed for 15%. They've taken $16 billion a year out of the corporate taxation that funds our ability as a nation to make proper investments. These are investments like those Ms. Kozak talks about, investments in education and in bridging people to employment.
The Conference Board of Canada says we should be addressing $130 billion in the infrastructure deficit. Mr. Pekrul is talking about how we invest in taking care of our seniors. The reality is that we can do those things, and we can still have a change in our tax structure, as you're calling for. A review is well past due.
This poor man beside me had to study it in university, so he'll tell you first-hand of the complexities. In fact, in some ways, our tax system has been written by lawyers and accountants for lawyers and accountants.
There's a number of things we probably could agree on here. The significant thing, to my mind, is that we were just in Prince Rupert, where we saw what investment could do in that small community and how they've turned it around. We were in the Yukon, where they're crying out for investment in transmission lines. Is this not time for the government to invest? Canadians are indebted, so they can't boost the economy. Businesses are afraid to release their capital. Is this not the time for our government to invest?
Anybody...? I'll start with the chamber.