Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague, whom I work with on the Standing Committee on Finance, for having made such a dry file interesting. It is true that taxation and finances can seem dry when we delve into these kinds of details.
As I sometimes jokingly say, no one is coming to blows over bills like this on Holchega's buses. However, these issues are very important, and I have a passion for making dry topics interesting.
My colleague's comment is very interesting because the three countries we are talking about have sizable economies, but they are in no way comparable to Canada. They will not be the ones losing out, but the Government of Canada will probably lose even more, as will we, while we are still here.
These are the kinds of evaluations we would like to have before the agreement is signed and not afterwards; otherwise, the only thing we can do is say yes or no. We do not have an opportunity to improve the agreement. And I am sure that we could improve it.
The only thing we can do is say no. But saying no means that there would be no agreement and no exchange of information. It also means that these loopholes in the law and these tax havens will continue to be used.
We are between a rock and a hard place, but it is the government that has put us there and we will study this project honestly and rigorously in committee. I am sure that the opposition parties will work with us and I hope that the people of the Conservative Party, the members in power, will become interested in this topic, which, I know, is dry but very interesting.
