Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for the question.
Yesterday, the Bloc Québécois expressed what it would like to see in the budget, and we also presented our expectations to the Minister of Finance.
We held more than a hundred consultations throughout Quebec to meet with different players, and one of the recommendations that came out of the consultations is to increase the tax rate for Canadian banks.
In 2007, the Canadian bank tax rate was 28%. It is currently 15%. We are proposing that it be gradually increased to 20%. Canadian banks do not compete with foreign banks. We are in a market protected by the Bank of Canada, thanks to the regulatory system. The banks are making immense profits, while we are up to our eyeballs in austerity measures and the middle class and the less fortunate are struggling. The banks have to do their part.
Our priority is to increase how much the banks have to contribute.