Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I also want to thank the witnesses for their presentations.
I have a few quick questions.
As my colleague Madame Chabot said at the outset, the purpose of the program is to tackle inequalities and target capacity building. You talked about how data can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the program. Does the data also illustrate how this fund has helped SMEs or smaller entrepreneurs? Consider a neighbourhood hairstylist, for example. Not every small business owner has the means to come up with a business plan. Plus, let's face it, they have been subject to a lot of racial profiling, even by banking institutions. From that perspective, how can this fund better support these small business owners?
Also, how is the risk assessed? Some witnesses wondered whether they could get funding through the program in situations where banks wouldn't give them a loan. I'm comparing this situation to what's happening in some other countries, specifically initiatives involving microcredit. How can risks be assessed in a way that builds capacity in a population that for years has been racially profiled by financial institutions?