Foreign Affairs committee  I really can't comment. I think it would have to be up to the people who deal with our financial institutions, and that's not the trade side of the Department of Foreign Affairs. It is a startling number.

Foreign Affairs committee  At this point we don't have an aggregated list of companies in Burma. We have been dealing with our mission in Thailand, which is responsible for relations with Burma. To our knowledge, there are very few companies that are active in the Burmese market. The number of direct investors, with Ivanhoe Mines now going into trust, is probably zero.

Foreign Affairs committee  In the particular case you mentioned, the company put this operation up for sale in a third party trust further to pressure from the government. This operation is for sale in Burma and the conflict does not arise from this investment in Burma.

International Trade committee  Let me add that investment is also one component of our work. Cooperating with our trade partners is an important part of the work of our foreign trade commissioners. This mainly involves the provinces, because investment is a provincial mandate. Job creation is the main purpose of investment.

International Trade committee  If I could just add to that, in the case of an SME, the CEO is often responsible for marketing and finances. When the CEO of a small business travels, efficiency is of the utmost importance. It's quite a different matter for large companies such as SNC-Lavalin or Bombardier, who have detailed knowledge of the local markets and who are working toward a very specific goal.