Thank you.
I would move the following amendment to add:
15.1 (1) Within six months after the day on which this Act receives royal assent, and once a year for the two following years, the Minister of National Revenue in collaboration with the Minister of Finance must undertake a comprehensive review of the operation of sections 12 to 15 of this Act and table a report on the review in each House of Parliament on any of the first fifteen days on which that House is sitting after the report is completed.
(2) The report must include
(a) an estimate of the fiscal impact of the application of the sections referred to in subsection (1) and;
(b) an assessment of the impact of those sections on domestic alcohol producers, including on small and medium-sized brewers.
(3) The Minister of National Revenue and the Minister of Finance must publish the report on the website of the Department of National Revenue and of the Department of Finance, respectively, within 10 days after the day on which the report has been tabled in both Houses of Parliament.
This is another of several amendments we have brought. Our motivation here is to increase the amount of reporting. We understand that some of this information may be available in bits and pieces, but we would like to see a clear way for Canadians, commentators and analysts to review this information, not only for a projection but so that it can be reviewed and audited so that people can gauge whether this reform and these other reforms have been successful. We understand that the PBO is there to evaluate the government, but it's not the PBO's job, nor should it be, to provide disclosure.
There was a previous government that said that it would be open by default, and that government certainly did not live up to that. However, perhaps the Carney government would live up to this by providing greater disclosure.
I believe that none of these requests, this one included, is particularly onerous, and we believe that it is the government's obligation to provide good value for money. This would enable not just us but commentators, the PBO and, most importantly, all of Canada and Canadians the ability to benchmark the progress and the success or non-success of the government.
Thank you.