Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you all for your input.
My first question is for Mr. Roussel of Desjardins Group. I am very interested in the whole issue of venture capital. You described Capital régional et coopératif Desjardins very well. I looked at your brief, and to sum things up, in 2012, some 48,000 jobs were created or retained in Quebec in over 340 businesses, especially in rural areas, totalling an investment of $240 million. That's pretty impressive. I hope the government listens to you carefully.
Right now, a big debate is raging over the elimination of the tax credit for labour-sponsored venture capital funds. That would jeopardize a big chunk of these venture capital investments in Quebec, one of the world leaders in the sector.
In a minute, could you explain a bit more how it works? How is it focused on Quebec's economy in this case? Why could it not be immediately applied to Canada? Why did you mention a model that the rest of the country could copy?