Thank you, Chair.
Thank you, and welcome to all of the witnesses for attending today.
I direct this question to Mr. Thomas and to Ms. Moreau. It has to do with tax havens and the perspective that your organization has on the use of tax havens.
I must start by commending the Canadians for Tax Fairness, and Mr. Howlett, for the enormous work you've done on raising consciousness on this issue. However, the government has made such significant cuts to the Canada Revenue Agency that it is difficult to see how they can address this issue seriously. Rather than making the investments to do the job that's required, they've cut over $250 million from the CRA and over 2,500 FTEs. A SWAT team of 10 to 12 people who pursue tax cheats was announced with great fanfare. But if the enormity of the problem you've identified were understood, I think people would be much more involved and the government would take it much more seriously.
Anyway, the organizations—the Canadian Federation of Independent Business and the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, your members, for example—Starbucks is able to use these fancy schemes to pay very little tax, we've learned, yet the person in the corner store with the coffee shop isn't able to take advantage of those same things.
Have you spoken out? Do you intend to speak out?
I ask each of you for your response to that.