Mr. Marsland, I agree with the confidential advice to the government. That is fine.
When figures from the Department of Finance are available, I believe the Standing Committee on Public Accounts has the right to ask for them. We're not asking you for the recommendations on your numbers; we are just asking for the numbers.
I'm really surprised that your number is $160 million, which is the same number as the Auditor General's assessment, but the Auditor General told us that she thought it was probably much higher than that. Without questioning the numbers you are giving us today, I am a little surprised.
Mr. Sabia, I would like to say one thing. The Standing Committee on Public Accounts is a committee that is accountable to Canadians. You seem to be walking on eggshells when you answer our questions, and that surprises me a little. What we want is transparency. As I said, we understand that ultimately you keep the advice you give to the government to yourself.
Why is it dangerous to give the committee reasonable estimates of uncollected taxes?