Madam Chair, I also thank my colleague from Glengarry—Prescott—Russell for his important question.
Yes, our regions are important and the entrepreneurs in those regions are creative and daring. They take risks, but they are currently facing huge challenges. So we are here for them. We understand their anxiety and we want to help them. That is why we have decided to invest heavily in rural economic development. It is also why we have doubled the budget of CFDCs and Community Futures organizations across the country.
In southern Ontario we have reinvested over $260 million in the regional economic development agency FedDev. In the great riding of Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, which I am particularly fond of and where there is a very good member of Parliament, there is an additional $1 million for entrepreneurs in the region.
We have been, we are and we will be at your side.