Standing Committee on Finance

HOUSE OF COMMONS CHAMBRE DES COMMUNES OTTAWA, CANADA K1A 0A6

Comité permanent des finances

For immediate release

Ottawa, November 19, 2007 -

On June 21, 2007, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance indicated that the pre-budget consultations for 2007 would be focussed on the theme of the tax system needed by Canada for a prosperous future.

Since June, there has been a relatively significant rise in the relative value of the Canadian dollar. This increase has been accompanied by some volatility from day-to-day. Canadians and Canadian businesses have been affected by this relative appreciation, some positively and others negatively.

In order to fulfill the Committee’s desire to consult Canadians and Canadian businesses about the issues that matter to them and about their priorities for the 2008 federal budget, we would like to extend the focus of the Committee’s pre-budget consultations to include the impact of the appreciation in the relative value of the Canadian dollar in addition to the previously announced focus on the Canadian tax system.

The week of November 19 will be devoted to hearings on the significant rise in the relative value of the Canadian dollar. The subsequent weeks will focus on the theme of the tax system. The schedule for these hearings is as follows: