Mr. Speaker, the Department of Finance is not in a position to estimate any potential increase in economic activity that would result from this proposal.
As noted in the Department of Finance’s response to Question No. Q-1125, it is estimated that the cost of the proposal would be about $215 million in 2017. It is unclear to what degree the proposal would induce individuals to travel more or change their travel plans, but any increase in eligible travel would increase the cost of the proposal. As an example, if the number of eligible travelers would increase by 25% as a result of the proposal, the cost would increase to about $270 million.