This is a clause that deals with sharing information with the Canada Revenue Agency. Since the technical information session at the beginning, we have made known our concerns about the protection of privacy that this clause raises.
In both the current Parliament and the previous one, this committee has, on a number of occasions, heard concerns raised not only by some members, but also by the Privacy Commissioner and by other authorities. The commissioner sounded the alarm when certain provisions about privacy were included in the Conservatives' legislation without appropriate oversight.
The proposal in our amendment is to require the Canada Revenue Agency to report on the frequency with which its new powers are used. This is a supervisory and monitoring measure that is essential if we want to reassure Canadians about the possible excesses that such a measure could bring with it. Our proposal is not for an in-depth amendment. It simply requires the Canada Revenue Agency to report on the frequency with which its new powers are used.