Thank you for the opportunity to discuss that issue, which is a major concern.
Consumers are currently very poorly represented in Canada. Industries can well afford to pay representatives to promote their interests. That's particularly true of the industries in the federal fold, such as the telecommunications industry and the banks, and as we saw during the pandemic, that was also the case of the airline industry. These are federal industries that generate large profits and can afford to lobby to defend their interests.
On the other hand, Canadian consumer groups are often underfunded. They receive little money from the federal government. For years now, we've requested increased funding from Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, which is intended for consumer research and which has supported consumer associations for years. We're requesting an increase in that funding to provide some assistance to consumer associations in doing their work.
You have to understand that it's increasingly difficult to defend consumers these days, in 2022. Consumption is changing, the problems…