Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you to the witnesses for coming here today.
The question really is, what drove the expansion of the CPP? If you look at a bunch of research that has been done, the single biggest factor that led to the expansion of the CPP is the dire state of the traditional company pensions.
The statistics are as follows. In 1971, about 48% of men were covered by defined benefit plans, according to StatsCan. By 2011, that portion had already fallen to half, to 25%, and it has been declining every year since. There's actually a legitimate concern and that's why CPP was expanded. This was a commitment made in our campaign and we're happy to deliver on it.
Something should be said to the fact of how CPP is actually expanded. You have to get seven provinces that represent two-thirds of the Canadian population to agree to something. Anybody who has lived in this country knows that is not an easy feat, so congratulations to our government. We deserve a pat on the back.
More seriously, in regard to the concerns amongst small businesses, Ms. Moreau, you speak about the membership of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, and you have these statistics. My background is that I'm a finance guy. I always like the numbers, but the devil is in the details.
You have 109,000 members, right? Did all 109,000 members receive your survey?