Thank you.
Now, Minister, of course Canada is in a competitive world, and many other countries are seeking to tap the very same markets that we are. So it's instructive, I think, to compare our investments and trade assets with our competitors'.
I'll quote the Canadian Chamber of Commerce again. Two weeks ago, they told our committee, “As a share of GDP, the United Kingdom now spends twice as much as Canada on its trade diplomats.”
They pointed out that Australia dedicates 50% more resources and trade promotion than does Canada. The demand is clearly there. The recent Chamber of Commerce report elaborates and states, and I'll quote again:
Recent developments suggest that resources are increasingly being spread thin.... Much of this demand has come from emerging markets,
—the markets you referred to, Mr. Minister—
where trade commissioner requests grew by 15 per cent over the past year. In China and India, they increased by 37 per cent and 25 per cent, respectively. The target in the Global Markets Action Plan to double the presence of small- and medium-sized businesses in these markets by 2018 will only add to this pressure.
So, again, logically the demand in our trade commissioner services, in their view and ours, should be met with increased resources in order to ensure success. So are there any plans that you have to try to meet that increased demand with the increased trade commissioner presence to realize that potential?