Finance committee  There are certain groups that we've seen ask for the 100% in their submissions, and we're certainly supportive of that. There are times, though, when pure practicality of matters comes into play. Having watched the Department of Finance over the years, I would be cautiously optim

Finance committee  If I could turn to an example on the agricultural side, as anyone who has some agriculture in their constituencies would know, the equipment that farmers buy today is priced on a global basis. Their commodities that they sell are on a global basis as well, and the prices are set

Finance committee  Right. I'm only using an example of a typical Canadian farmer—

Finance committee  —and we can extend that to other sectors. With regard to a typical Canadian farmer who would buy a $600,000 combine, in the first five years they would be able to write off only 80% of the cost of that acquisition, whereas his competitor in the United States who's selling corn

Finance committee  Good morning. Thank you, Mr. Chair and members of the committee, for providing the Association of Equipment Manufacturers the opportunity to address you this morning. The Association of Equipment Manufacturers—AEM—represents companies that manufacture equipment and provide servi

Finance committee  I have a very good example of how the government could make things move forward quicker so that investments can be made. The Mackenzie Valley gas project took about six years to go through the regulatory approval process. A certificate was issued this past December. That regulato

Finance committee  Thank you. I think the philosophy of lower tax rates has been welcomed by not only members of AEM, but I'm sure also by member companies of the other associations represented here.

Finance committee  Thank you. With any of these projects, the need to move forward is important. Of course, an infrastructure project like the Champlain Bridge in Montreal, which I was over last week, is a long long-term project--upwards of 10 years, from what I understand. But the important thi