That's a great question. In fact, we've been working with the Department of Finance, Industry Canada and others in Ottawa for seven or eight months on exactly this scenario. We want to see the wage subsidy program wound down. We want to see all the programs wound down—I don't think anyone in the business community should say otherwise, anyway—but this has to be done in a way that is reflective of the economic growth of an individual company and not just broad-based data.
There are a couple of things in the data that always get problematic when you start looking at general data. First, there's no regional variation or sector variation in that, so there are very big swings in different parts of the manufacturing economy that are performing in different ways. Second, last year was not a good year and a lot of companies are building up inventory. In fact, about half of the growth is actually inventory buildup, which in manufacturing is not positive news. That means they're not selling it; they're just making it. We need to see sales increase, not just factory output increase.
I absolutely agree with everything you're saying, but let's not say across the board that everything is fine now and we cut it. I think we need to scale it appropriately to the companies that need the help, as you suggested, and remove those that are doing better. Frankly, it can't be a permanent crutch either. This shouldn't be a national program to sustain businesses that don't belong in business.