Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to the witnesses for being with us here today.
I would like to begin with Ms. Alepin.
Thank you for agreeing to appear on short notice.
Thank you also for the new information you provided today, which could mean the re-opening of the debate on the tax convention between Hong Kong and Canada, in a context in which one might believe that, if the proposed amendment is not made, the agreement itself is inoperative as we speak.
In this regard, I asked departmental officials earlier if they saw any danger in having such tax conventions with jurisdictions with low tax rates, such as Hong Kong. I would like to know if you think this poses a risk. The purpose of the bill, as the title indicates, is to avoid tax evasion. Do you think that, instead of fighting tax evasion, it could in fact increase it? Do you think that some people, in order to pay less tax in Canada, might use these tax conventions as a way of avoiding double taxation? Barbados is an obvious example in this regard.
Do you see a danger in these agreements that would allow taxpayers to avoid paying a certain amount of tax in Canada?