Thank you, Mr. Julian, for your presentation and for your very insightful comments. I also want to thank the NDP for supporting this bill at second reading.
The purpose of this bill is to take into account a desire that's completely legitimate and widely shared by all Quebec citizens. This desire is to fill out one income tax return instead of two. At the same time, I'm particularly concerned about the Canada Revenue Agency employees who work in Shawinigan and Jonquière.
My colleague Mr. Therrien and I are in no way questioning the quality of the work done by federal public servants at the Canada Revenue Agency. We're saying that a Revenu Québec employee is doing the same job as a Canada Revenue Agency employee. The work is therefore done twice. This becomes a burden for taxpayers, who must fill out two tax returns, and for businesses, which must also fill out two tax returns. This also poses an issue in terms of effectiveness.
This bill calls for negotiations between Quebec City and Ottawa. I'm asking the government to show strong consideration for job retention. The bill has a part where it talks about paying attention to jobs. I'm asking the federal government to ensure that a certain number of public service jobs remain in Shawinigan and Jonquière so that the number of jobs stays the same. There will still be jobs at the Canada Revenue Agency if a single tax return is introduced. Some employees could stay there, but other employees could also work for different departments, as long as the government asks that the level of public service activity be maintained in Shawinigan and Jonquière. People could work for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, for example.
Mr. Julian, you said in the House that the public servants in question could be transferred to the Canada Revenue Agency to help fight against the use of tax havens. This depends on the government's wishes. I'm making this request because I believe, like you, that a job that pays $50,000 a year in Jonquière or Shawinigan is significant.