We do not know the exact amount, because senior officials at the Department of Finance have been told not to comment. Yes, I can assure the hon. member for Beauport-Montmorency-Orléans that corporations can deduct lobbying expenses, just as they can deduct fees for consultants and experts to help get them around the tax system and avoid during their corporate duty every year, which represents a loss of hundreds of millions, or even billions of dollars to the federal treasury.
Alors, oui, c'est vrai, mon cher collègue de Beauport-Montmorency-Orléans, les sociétés peuvent déduire les frais de lobbying, comme elles peuvent déduire des frais de consultants, de spécialistes pour déjouer le fisc canadien et ne pas faire leur devoir corporatif tous les ans, ce qui occasionne des pertes de centaines de millions, sinon de milliards aux coffres fédéraux.