Thank you, Mr. Chair. It's a pleasure to be here at the finance committee as a substitute. It's good timing, since the Boating BC Association is here. It's an important issue in my riding of North Okanagan—Shuswap.
Through you, Mr. Chair, I'll be directing questions to Mr. Hayne.
Mr. Hayne, in the past we've seen governments in other jurisdictions implement surtaxes like the one being proposed by the Trudeau government. Hundreds of small businesses in both rural and coastal communities rely on income from houseboat charters, boat rentals, boater training and fishing charters.
I understand that aircraft with qualifying flights conducted in the course of business for profit are exempted from the proposed new surtax, but boat charters and rentals are not. If no exemption is granted for vessels, what impacts do you foresee for Canadian employers operating boat charters and rentals?