Mr. Speaker, I would like to mention to the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance that in 2001, the Auditor General indicated in her report that she had identified 53 cases of tax evasion schemes for a total of $800 million. This was not just after what happened in 1992 or because of the statements of the Auditor General.
They should stop claiming that the government has decided to straighten things up since 1992. In 2001, the Auditor General recommended to the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency that it remain vigilant so as to ensure that tax treaties were not being used inappropriately.
The parliamentary secretary has been talking about tax treaties for a while. Indeed, he said he was pleased with the treaty with Barbados, that it was probably useful to uncover tax dodgers. Transactions can be checked. We do not have any problem. If our five major banks are managing not to pay $2 billion in taxes, we do not have to be concerned that they are tax dodgers. They are simply taking advantage of the system. It is as simple as that. They are taking advantage of a system that was brought in by the Liberal government. That is the reality.
So, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance should realize we are in 2003 and listen to the recommendations of the Auditor General. When will we abolish this treaty that allows big corporations and Canadian banks to avoid paying their share of taxes at the expense of the public?