Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I will continue in French, to inject a bit of French into this meeting.
I want to begin by pointing out that less than 1% of all tax returns filed across Canada are subject to review or appeal. So this is not a major or a widespread problem. The fact remains that Canadians often remember the bitter relationship they may have with the Canada Revenue Agency, and that is what forges the reputation of Revenue Canada agents and of the agency itself among Canadians.
During the debates in the House over these past few weeks, we have repeatedly heard that Canadians felt that the agency is much more concerned about the small taxpayer than the tax evader—in other words, those who are doing everything to avoid their legal obligation to pay their fair share of taxes.
I know that the minister invests a great deal of energy into the fight against tax evasion. You have received funding specifically for combatting tax evasion. However, there is still a challenge in that fight. We realized that during our meeting with the British public accounts committee, last December. The members of that committee focused a lot on tax evasion, which is legal in Great Britain. In fact, it is not illegal. However, it is a major problem in the sense that Canadians feel that they are being targeted by Revenue Canada's hammer.
How can we counter the perception that it's always the small taxpayer, the Canadian who regularly pays his or her taxes, who gets scooped up, while so many other people manage to use tax evasion to avoid their tax obligations and not pay their fair share?