Thanks very much, Mr. Chair.
Thanks to all of our witnesses for being here today. We hope you and your families continue to be safe and healthy as this third wave crashes on our shores.
Thank you for your important testimony on the many concerns that Canadians have with the lack of a budget addressing real needs in so many ways.
I'd like to start by asking Mr. Sanger a question.
Mr. Sanger, you've been very eloquent about previous crises like the world wars. We had strict laws against profiteering and to ensure that we were all in this together. Today you point out that Canadian billionaires have reaped over $80 billion during this pandemic. There is no wealth tax. Canadian corporations are at record profit levels. There is no tax on excess profits.
At the same time, we see in this budget bill the slashing of COVID benefits while the third wave is crashing on our shores: students being forced to pay their student loans; 60% of seniors excluded from even a modest top-up, which would bring them closer to the poverty line; people with disabilities getting no supports at all; an increase in homelessness; 10 million Canadians who can't pay for their medication, and the government says we can't afford pharmacare.
My question for you is simply this: Is there a cost that we pay as a society, and do Canadians pay a cost, for the fact that we have such an inequitable tax system, with banks and billionaires able to reap the profits and profiteer during a pandemic while so many Canadians struggle?