Mr. Speaker, let me first recognize that the vast majority of Canadians are honest taxpaying citizens.
There are those who do engage in the underground economy. I thank my hon. colleague from Mississauga-South for his attention and work on this program. He worked directly with my predecessor to develop a seven-point plan to combat the underground economy.
I am pleased to announce that as a result of that program we have assessed over $1 billion in federal taxes. More important, of the 500,000 non-tax filers identified in that program, fully 80 per cent appreciate the program and are now voluntarily complying with tax regulations.
The underground economy continues to exist. I will work with my colleague to address it. We are thankful to the Minister of Finance in his budget of last week for addressing to us $50 million to focus on particular sectors in the economy that are particularly at risk to the underground economy.