Mr. Speaker, I laud the hon. member's efforts in trying to put the bill together. I appreciate the matter he is trying to remedy and I appreciate even more the politics of the matter.
My first question has to do with the term “athlete”. Why is it that he did not define athlete in the bill? It appears to be a serious error and might well lead to some abuses. That is what we have to worry about on this side of the House. For example, trainers and coaches of young athletes presumably would qualify, as would men and women who teach or supervise skating, swimming or gymnastics. I am not quite sure why that is not in the bill.
Second, is his exemption on top of the base exemption of $8,000? I am assuming that it is. As we know every tax filer has an $8,000 personal exemption. I am assuming that the athlete that the member is intending to benefit would actually have $16,000 worth of income before it would be taxed.
Third, assuming the member could arrive at a definition of an athlete, why does he preference an athlete over another person, such as a dancer or people who are not athletes, or other forms of income, such as people who earn their living in fishing, farming, or things of that nature? Why is there a specific and unique exemption for an athlete as opposed to an artist for instance?