As I was saying, we were happy of that development, and I said so to the Minister of Finance. At last, you understand that pressing requests from Quebecers and Canadians for a reform of taxation cannot be ignored, but if you really wish to get public finances in order, the whole system must also be re-examined.
The news release that accompanied the committee's creation was wonderful in it first two paragraphs. It said, and I quote: "Canadians want a tax system that is both as fair and as simple as possible, Mr. Martin said. They also want a system that encourages economic growth and job creation. Given the complexity of these objectives, a comprehensive review of taxes related to investment and business activity is warranted. The Technical Committee will consider ways of improving the tax system to promote job creation and economic growth, simplifying the taxation of businesses to facilitate compliance and administration, and enhancing fairness to ensure that all businesses share the cost of providing government services".
When we heard that, we almost gave three cheers. When we looked at the back of the news release, things started to deteriorate, because the objectives stated there are the same we, in the Bloc Quebecois, have been steadfastly fighting for. These are goals we wanted and still want to reach with regard to tax reform.
But when we look at the process and the make up of the committee, we are compelled to conclude that this is a fraud. Why? For three reasons. First, some committee members represent businesses whose main mandate is to advise big earners and major corporations on how not to pay taxes to Revenue Canada, a fact we have often criticized.
These businesses have branches in countries such as the Bahamas, the Caiman Islands, just about everywhere in the world, countries considered as tax havens through which hundreds of millions of dollars are rerouted instead of being paid to Revenue Canada. Not only are these individuals advising corporations on how not to pays taxes, but they themselves are party to tax evasion through tax conventions signed with countries considered as tax havens.
Under such circumstances, how could committee members not be biased in favour of maintaining certain exemptions, commonly known as tax expenditures, which benefit major corporations, their own businesses and themselves? What kind of report do you think these committee members are going to produce as a result of their work through the year?
How can you expect a process taking place behind closed doors-which is what the finance minister is suggesting-to produce a true business tax reform, a complete overhaul of the system, including what is commonly known as tax expenditures? It is not in their interest to have things changed. It is in their interest to maintain the complexity of the tax system, since individuals representing firms such as Price Waterhouse and Ernst & Young make a living out of it.
If the tax system was simpler, if it was easier to monitor, if it was not possible to take advantage of tax loopholes to avoid paying federal taxes, these individuals would be out of a job. Try to find someone, anywhere in the world, who would be willing to shoot himself in the foot, not only one but thrice. Enough is enough. We learned this week that these same people contribute as much as $80,000 a year to the Liberal Party fund. How can they be totally unbiased? I think this is a masquerade.
A lot of things could be done in the taxation area. People are already up in arms. All over Canada, from coast to coast as they say, taxpayers from Quebec and all other provinces say that we must change the tax system, and it has nothing to do with a constitutional option. We must implement a more equitable tax system. We have been repeating that to the government for two years and a half but it has done nothing, it has shown no political will to reform the tax system; it just created a committee that is in all likelihood, in my opinion, a phoney committee.
How can we ever get any results? I tell you, all over Canada people say that this committee makes no senses and that the government should reform the tax system. Let me quote, as I did yesterday, another part of the letter I received from a Canadian taxpayer, Miss Jansson from Regina, Saskatchewan. In fact, she sent me a fax because the Reform members do not have the exclusive use of the fax, nor do they hold a monopoly, we also use that equipment from time to time. Miss Jansson says, and I quote:
This fax is to express my appreciation to you for presenting several important issues during your response to the finance minister Paul Martin's budget speech. While I recognize that your party, the Bloc Quebecois-