Mr. Speaker, I thank the finance critic for the Bloc Quebecois for the question. It is a question I have been asking myself for the last two years.
I have been campaigning on the single tax system for the past five years. When I started the debate I did not understand the complexity of the tax act and its sensitivity toward progressivity for seniors and families with children. We designed and redesigned the tax form over 30 different times in order to try and have something that was doable. Having said all of that I really do believe our last effort on this project was very close to something that was doable and worked for everyone.
I like to think I have a little bit of experience in selling to my colleagues in this House of Commons. I have worked hard for the party for 15 years now. I have discovered regrettably that the lobby system which exists around the tax act and the Department of Finance is the strongest lobby which exists in Canada. The men and women who have lobbied for a particular tax preference within the 1,400 pages of the tax act are all people who believe in their cause. I am not saying they are doing anything subversive or illegal, but their ability to lobby their cause and add their preference to the tax act is certainly more powerful than mine.
I am not alone. Other members on this side of the House believe in comprehensive tax reform as well. I believe that only when we as elected members of Parliament come together as a fist, rather than going in 10 different directions, will we have the ability to move the officials in the Department of Finance. This is something the elected members of Parliament put here by the people can do, not the unaccountable bureaucrats in finance. That is the challenge.
I do not mind saying to members opposite that there are some days when I wonder whether I am spinning my wheels. However, I want members to know that I really believe if we all work together on this, that it is achievable. Why will it be achievable now? It is no different from the music industry. How did some of the best talent in our country make it? They went to the United States, made a hit and came back as superstars.
Now both the Republicans and Democrats in the United States of America are looking very closely at reforming the whole system. We will be consistent, traditional Canadians. If they implement it, we will follow rather than having the guts to take the lead.