Thank you.
I do apologize to the witnesses. We have a tremendously tough schedule with many hours of meetings, and there just simply is no good time to insert some committee business. I apologize for that.
This is for the CFIB.
You really did have some troubling statistics on business closures: eight consecutive quarters of more retail closures than openings. Beyond the job losses within the sector itself, beyond the loss of these businesses and the ownership of these businesses no longer carrying on and earning a living from these businesses, what effect does the closure of retail have more broadly? We see vacant buildings. What does this do to the character of neighbourhoods and to the goods and services available to Canadians?