Canada Revenue Agency  Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier, the government is strongly committed to combatting tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance. In our last two budgets, over $1 billion was invested in combatting tax evasion. We have achieved historic success. We recovered $13 billion last year, including $1 billion through the voluntary disclosures program.

Canada Revenue Agency  Mr. Speaker, as we promised the Canadian public, our government is firmly committed to fighting tax evasion and tax avoidance in order to ensure that the tax system is fair and equitable for all Canadians. In the last year we have invested $444 million—

Canada Revenue Agency  Mr. Speaker, last year we invested $444 million and in budget 2016-17, we invested $524 million. Our investments are already producing significant results. We recovered $13 billion last year. Some 122 Canadian taxpayers named in the Panama Papers are being audited, and criminal investigations of certain taxpayers are already underway—

Questions on the Order Paper  Mr. Speaker, with respect to the above noted question, here is the response from the Canada Revenue Agency, CRA. Regarding part (a), on the basis of the funding received in budget 2016, the CRA created a total of 654 FTEs across its collections, verification, and compliance programs in 2016-17 to implement, administer, and support the various measures to crack down on tax evasion, combat tax avoidance, and enhance tax collection.

Canada Revenue Agency  Mr. Speaker, the Canada Revenue Agency is the client department represented by the Department of Justice in this case. Given the different roles, the CRA retains different records. The independent third-party review I ordered last year included an examination of thousands of records and numerous days of interviews.

Canada Revenue Agency  Mr. Speaker, I would like to set the record straight. Our government believes in tax fairness, which means that all Canadians pay their fair share and are treated fairly by the tax system. Our government came to power wholly committed to stepping up our efforts to fight tax evasion and tax avoidance internationally.

Canada Revenue Agency  Mr. Speaker, as the CRA has already confirmed, a diligent search for records was conducted and all records management guidelines were followed. The Canada Revenue Agency is the client department represented by the Department of Justice in this case, and given the different roles, the CRA retains different records.

Ethics  Mr. Speaker, our government is working extremely hard to crack down on tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance in order to ensure that the tax system is fair and equitable for all Canadians. Last year, we created an independent panel made up of highly respected professionals who volunteered to help improve the tax system.

Ethics  Mr. Speaker, I am very proud of our government, which has made cracking down on tax evasion and tax avoidance a priority. If my colleague opposite needs tangible results, he need look no further than the $13 billion that we recovered last year, including $1.3 billion through the voluntary disclosures program.

Ethics  Mr. Speaker, I will repeat what I just said because my colleague just does not get it. Cracking down on tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance is a priority for our government. My job is to produce results. With more auditors and more audits, we recovered an extra $13 billion last year.

Government Appointments  Mr. Speaker, our two official languages are at the heart of our history and of who we are. They are a priority for us. We went through a long, open, transparent, merit-based process. Mrs. Meilleur was clearly the best candidate for the position. She defended the French language for over 30 years.

Ethics  Mr. Speaker, cracking down on tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance is a priority for our government. We invested a historic $444 million, which has allowed us, in the first year alone, to carry out more audits, hire an additional 100 auditors, and recover $13 billion, including $1.3 billion through the voluntary disclosures program.

Ethics  Mr. Speaker, Canadians know that diversity is our strength. The mandate letter is in both official languages, which are central to our history and to who we are. They are a priority for us. After a long, open, merit-based process, Ms. Meilleur stood out as the candidate best qualified for this position.

Canada Revenue Agency  Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to respond to my colleagues across the way and remind them that last year we invested $444 million to fight tax evasion and tax avoidance. This year, we invested $524 million. We got a good return on our investment last year because we managed to recover $13 billion, including $1.3 billion through the voluntary disclosure program.

Canada Revenue Agency  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for the opportunity to tell Canadians that our government is fully engaged in the battle against tax evasion and tax avoidance. That is why, in the last budget, our government invested the record amount of $444 million. In the budget we just presented, $524 million were invested.