Finance committee  The budgets of the departments are frozen, but departments are still obligated to respect the 1.5% increase.

Finance committee  I'll commit to getting back to the committee with those figures.

Finance committee  I don't have a figure on the additional revenues, but what I'd like to share with the committee and the member is that from a provincial credit return perspective, the amount of processing we're expecting to be undertaken by the agency is expected to grow from $17.4 billion in 2008-09 to approximately $65 billion annually.

Finance committee  I will have to get back to you on that.

Finance committee  Mr. Chairman, can the member repeat his question, please?

Finance committee  In that situation, Mr. Chairman, I don't really know whether there would be a reduction or additional costs. We'd have to see. That's the case of the province of Quebec. In that case, there may be adjustments, but as you know, Quebec is currently receiving financial compensation for the administration of the QST.

Finance committee  Mr. Chair, I am committed to providing the responses to the best of my ability. I believe that I've done so today, and I hopefully will continue to do so in future appearances.

Finance committee  I was indeed sensitive to media reports that there was a possibility of a motion in front of the committee.

Finance committee  Mr. Chair, I do agree with that, and the responses that I've provided on this particular issue here today are very much in line with what I'm aware of. I'm committed to continue doing that here today.

Finance committee  I've provided what I believe to be a more detailed response to Mr. Mulcair's question on this particular issue.

Finance committee  Mr. Chair, I'm bringing clarity to the situation. I was really preparing myself to respond to the issues under the supplementary estimates (C).

Finance committee  Having said that--

Finance committee  Okay. It was really the...it was being sensitive and being respectful of the committee.

Finance committee  Mr. Chair, I want to reinforce and echo the member's assessment that we are extremely focused on the need to maintain our very strong reputation in the agency and what we do. We are very much focused on taking action to maintain our strong reputation, which we believe we have. We have taken measures in terms of being proactive in looking into the cases and the allegations that have been brought forward.

Finance committee  Mr. Chair, the only clarification I would bring to that is that it's not that it was preventing me from elaborating; it was just that I wanted to be respectful of the fact that I was in front of the committee today to really discuss supps (C), and that was the preparation I had undertaken.