Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for his comments.
We are discussing tax policy today and some of that gets fairly dry after a while. I would like to focus on the aspect of what tax policy means in a country like Canada. As the member suggested, I was preparing my tax return just yesterday as well, unfortunately having waited to the last minute.
When I was preparing my return, I was focusing on the fact that everybody else in this country was doing the same thing, that people who have problems with child care expenses and so forth were the same people in Newfoundland and in British Columbia.
It is very important for a country to have a focus. It may not be a happy one that we have on filing our tax return but still it is a focus on what unites us as a nation.
I am interested in some of the comments by the member. One thing was on some of his statistics on wealth creation and concentration in Canada. I heard those very same figures just yesterday and I do not believe them either.
I wonder if the member could focus on why he would not believe in the figures and then build a whole argument based on them.
He was concerned about simplification in the system and I agree that this is one thing we have to do. I do not necessarily believe in a flat rate system but I do think we can make it a little simpler.
I note that yesterday people in the province of Quebec had to file two tax returns, not just one. I wonder if he would reflect on the fact that it is making things complicated for the people of Quebec to have to file two tax returns.
I would like to ask him a question on harmonization. I note that with the GST the province of Quebec attempted to harmonize with the GST but not very effectively. I wonder if he could focus on his commitment to harmonize the GST in Quebec.