Mr. Speaker, I thank the member opposite for the question.
The 50% inclusion rate is an issue that has been raised a number of times in this House. What we need to look at in tax policy are movements that result in the greatest tax equity. We cannot have everybody coming out in a net-net-plus position.
The difficulty with this change is that if we had not made these changes in concert with the changes in the tax treaty, some people would have received a huge windfall gain. That would not have been equitable to those Canadians who are not subject to the same rules who are receiving Canada pension funds. We would have created an uneven playing field so we had to make the adjustment at the same time.
I am pleased to say that this tax treaty and the moves that are made within it will benefit the vast majority of Canadians. In particular, low income seniors will benefit.
While I agree with the member's comment that we need to provide some kind of stability in terms of tax planning, unfortunately the world is not perfect and we have to deal with the world as it is. The minister has made some very positive changes here that we should all be thankful for.