Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak to the motion.
I was quite surprised last night to see the motion in which the official opposition criticized the establishment of the committee. The committee is being established to do something I believe all members of the House would like to see happen. It will review the present corporate tax structure and make suggestions on how it can be improved, made more efficient and operate to the benefit of all Canadians far beyond what it does now.
Our corporate taxation system has to be more than just a means of collecting revenue. An effective taxation system must be
designed so that it will encourage the expansion of the economy, encourage the creation of employment and encourage economic activity.
The committee is being charged to look at the corporate taxation system and to ensure it is designed in a way that will not curb employment. When the Minister of Finance announced the establishment of this technical committee in his most recent budget he made it very very clear that its job was to find out what the facts were, to investigate the existing system, to change things that are presently there, making them far more effective.
It is high time this was done. The last time this was looked at was nine years ago. That has been far too long. I think there is a consensus among most Canadians and in the House that what the government does needs to be done in the most efficient way possible.
I will leave aside the issue of whether the appropriate level of taxation is there or whether corporations are paying their fair share. It is generally agreed there is a desire to make sure the administration of tax collection in this country is efficient, that it is done in the least expensive way possible and that the least number of public dollars are used in operating government to do those things.
That is what this technical committee is all about. It is all about making sure that things are done more efficiently and that resources are not being wasted unnecessarily on administration.
I was very surprised to see the contents of the motion that was put forward by the official opposition. It seems to suggest that it is inappropriate to have people look at a problem who are best able and most knowledgeable in that area. It is common sense that if a technical area of concern such as the corporate tax structure is being studied, the initial investigation should be done by people who have a good academic background, who have a good practical background, who have a good understanding of the tax system.
It makes little sense to seek out individuals who do not understand the system and who are not able to address some of the problems. It makes perfect sense to seek out experts in the field. I almost get the impression that the concern across the way is that their experts, their people were not picked. They are complaining about that. It is like "if you don't play the ball game my way I am going to take the ball and go home". It does not work that way.
The people who have been selected to sit on this committee are very knowledgeable. I have a list of the individuals who have been selected. As you go down that list you will see the names of individuals with very strong credentials. These are people who understand the tax system. They understand how the system works and can provide some very solid recommendations on how it can be improved.
It should also be made clear that the individuals on this technical committee will not provide the final word. They are not going to create policy. They are not going to come back and tell us this is the way it is going to be. That is not the intent.
This is the beginning of a process that I hope will lead to some very concrete changes that will make the system cheaper to run administratively, that will make it simple and fair. Most important, the process will lead to making economic fundamentals right and will lead to increased job creation.
It is important to understand this is the beginning of the process. It is simply an opportunity to have some people who are experts in their field take a look at the problem and come up with some possible alternatives.
At that point, the government will have some sound, in depth public input and public debate on it. That is when we, as parliamentarians and Canadians, either as individuals or as groups, will have an opportunity to look at the study and some of the recommendations and come back to have a public debate.
We can and will discuss things such as whether the corporate sector is paying its share of taxation as opposed to the personal sector. Are there appropriate trade-offs in the tax system where certain things are done in order to enhance investment and help job creation? Are those appropriate?
Members will have an opportunity for public debate about those things. Before beginning that debate, the minister is absolutely correct in having a technical committee take a look at the present system, study it in depth, look at some of the ways in which it can be made fair and simple. From looking at the list of individuals the minister has appointed to this committee, there are some very eminent individuals with a lot of knowledge and expertise who are going to be able to do this job in a very confident way.
The idea of having this committee and the selection of individuals sitting on this committee is really indicative of the approach the Minister of Finance has taken to the budget. He has taken a balanced approach and has tried, quite successfully, not to fixate on any one part of his responsibilities toward the budget but has taken a widespread and comprehensive approach.
In the budget, work is being done on deficit reduction. The deficit needs to be reduced. Work is being done on job creation. Job creation should be encouraged. There is a desire and a need for government to target specific areas, to help with job creation such as with youth unemployment. The government is working toward helping the least advantaged in society.
The minister has taken a very constructive, broad based approach, as can be seen with the technical committee. He under-
stands the issue which is the reform of corporate taxation. Rather than simply jumping into it willy-nilly, he starts at the beginning.
He starts by gathering the facts and determining the issues. That is what this technical committee is going to do. I am pleased it has been appointed. I have confidence in the people he has appointed. I know they will do an excellent job. I look forward to reviewing and debating their report.