Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the member's kind words, qualified that they may have been. However, I note that she did not really address the question I asked about why the government had decided to adopt the agency when it could have achieved the same flexibility through statutory changes.
The hon. member made two contradictory statements which have been consistent in the government's promotion of the bill. First, she said that there would be no job losses, that all 40,000-plus Revenue Canada employees would be guaranteed a position. She also spoke at length about efficiencies and cost savings.
Since over 80% of the expenditures of the Department of National Revenue are in payroll, how will the government achieve cost savings and efficiencies without reducing the number of positions?
It could be that I only have experience in the private sector, but I understand that when we reduce payroll it means there are fewer positions and if we do not reduce positions we do not reduce payroll. Perhaps the member could clear that up for me.
The second question I have is with regard to her comment that Revenue Canada is filled with highly skilled and motivated people. No doubt they are, such as the highly skilled and motivated tax collector who decided to drag Janice Collingridge, the low income, non-verbal quadriplegic, into the tax court to shake her down for $5,000 in back payroll taxes that she did not really owe.
How can we be assured that under the structure of the agency these kinds of outrageous abuses on the part of Revenue Canada officials will not happen again?