In my constituency, I usually get the small-business owner or the single parent who comes into our office and is being audited by the CRA. The CRA is sending them letters and giving them phone calls. They're reading the news—they're well informed—and they're very upset, to say the least, at the fact that wealthy Canadians are getting away without paying their fair share. The CRA is overly aggressive, in my humble opinion, on the average Canadian who is just trying to put food on the table and clothes on their kids' backs.
Mr. Howlett, you made a pretty substantial comment that there's political interference in the CRA. I would actually say, from what I heard today, that it happens more often than not at the CRA. Specifically, you mentioned that political interference has led to cases being dropped or not prosecuted. Then, when other honourable members of the committee here asked you to substantiate that claim, in my humble opinion, sir, and with no disrespect, your comments back did not lead one to believe that one could make that claim. You say that political interference is happening at the CRA but that you cannot prove it. You can't point to one factual element to say that, or to one auditor or somebody in the CRA who could give you a concrete example.
I worked on Bay Street. Rumour mills swirl like anything. I mean, in Ottawa, we're probably even worse for it in the bubble.
I take your claim very seriously. I think my constituents and all Canadians across the board would take something like political interference in their tax agency extremely seriously. So I urge you, if there is concrete information there, to please come forward with it to the committee to ensure that we do our job as elected officials to correct that problem, because I think it's a very serious allegation you just made.