I will ask my colleague to look through the vast amount of information he has to find the figures and results achieved thus far in defence procurement.
Our role is to point out to SMEs where the major purchasing opportunities are in Canada's defence industry. We have played this role for several years.
Our efforts in this regard have increased greatly since 2013, as I recall, which is when Mr. Meddings joined the department. This industry is part of his portfolio. It is not just the defence industry. I am referring to major purchases in general. However, Canada's industrial and technological benefits policy, or ITB, applies primarily to the defence industry.
There are tremendous opportunities in this industry. That is why we are focusing specifically on it. Under the ITB policy, companies must spend an amount in Canada equal to the value of the contracts concluded. SMEs are not necessarily well-positioned to find the right contact point with big companies such as Lockheed Martin, Boeing and so on.