Madam Speaker, my colleague's opposition to the motion comes as no surprise because when I look at the Conservatives' record on fighting tax evasion, the numbers speak volumes.
I am very eager to see if the numbers keep declining like that. In 2006-07, the Canada Revenue Agency referred 214 cases to its criminal investigations program. The Public Prosecution Service of Canada was then able to secure convictions against 213 taxpayers.
In 2015-16, 17 cases were referred to the criminal investigations program and taxpayers were convicted. The number of cases went down from 214 to 17, and the number of convictions from 213 to 50. That was on the Conservatives' watch. The main reason has to be the Conservatives' massive cuts to the Canada Revenue Agency. Those cuts prevented the CRA from following up on many cases and getting convictions.
The numbers took a nosedive under the Conservatives. There were fewer convictions every year, less money was recovered, and fewer fines were imposed. The numbers speak volumes.
What does the member think of the Conservatives' record on this?