I will say the following: as we've said in the past in terms of elaborating on the specifics of the contribution of the various measures of various levels of government, particularly last year in 2010 when they were most direct, about a third of the growth in our economy was a result of these measures and the multipliers that came from those measures. That was valuable, obviously, because it was at a time of extreme weakness abroad.
It also has to be said that there was a more tentative response of our corporate and business sector at that time than we saw in the U.S. or in Europe, which were at the heart of the crisis. There was more of an investment strike, if you will, at the time. On our business side that has now turned around, and it coincides with the withdrawal of some of the stimulus.
The government is continuing to spend, and smart spending will continue to be important. We've talked about the diversification of markets and the growing of markets as being absolutely essential, as is creating a constructive environment for foreign investment and long-term capital in Canada, as I've tried to emphasize.
Let me make this point: in general, this country is not going to have a problem having access to capital. The question is, what do we do with that access to capital? Do we all enlarge our homes, or do we build our productivity? Do we enlarge our export capacity? Do we consume it, or do we invest it?
There's a right mix, and individuals and businesses have to make those decisions. This is one of the issues that we should collectively be alive to, because in this global environment where capital is looking for a home, Canada is an attractive home; however, it's then incumbent on us and on Canadians to use that capital effectively for the long term.