Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
I'd like to thank the witnesses for being here today.
I want to come back to the question that Mr. Ste-Marie just asked about the overall erosion of our tax base, because the last time we met as a committee, back on June 21, we had in our hands the PBO report that was fresh off the press. It came out that very same day. It talks about an erosion of our tax base because of overseas tax havens, which they calculated—and the PBO was very clear that this is a conservative calculation—at $25 billion a year.
That's an erosion of our tax base of $25 billion. When we think of the crisis in affordable housing, the fact that we don't have in place basic dental care or pharmacare, we look at $25 billion being eroded from our tax base. That is a considerable sum of money that could resolve many of the challenges that so many Canadians face.
Mr. Ste-Marie asked whether you have done an evaluation. I'll come right back to that. Specifically, does the department have an evaluation of whether that $25 billion figure is conservative or whether the ministry feels it is excessive? What are the numbers the Ministry of Finance has to compare with the amount that was put forward by the Parliamentary Budget Officer, who was of course working in the interest of all Canadians?