Thank you all for being here.
Like Mr. MacKinnon, I'm going to try to focus on a couple of the same questions that I asked the previous panel. As I said earlier, as a Conservative I'm sure it's no surprise to any of you that our belief is that it's the private sector and not government that will drive the economy and create jobs.
One thing I'm seeing happening in my province, as an Alberta member of Parliament—and I don't know if it's to the same extent here—is “piling on”. Whether it's federally or provincially, you have carbon taxes coming. In our province, we have an increase in the minimum wage. We have municipalities doing things like putting a head tax on feedlot operators. There's only one taxpayer paying for all of these things.
First of all, I'd like to get a bit of a response from the two of you. I don't know if the farming community would like to make a comment on this, as well. I think there's been a lack of recognition across the country on what the energy industry has meant to this country for our GDP. It's somehow always associated with the production end of it and what Alberta and Saskatchewan are going through. I believe that every part of the country is, in one way or another, feeling the effects of low commodity prices and the lack of ability to get product to market.
I'd like to get your comments on how it's affecting Manitoba and the manufacturing sector in your province. That's what I'm asking.