It goes back to how we strengthen or reinvent programs like TPC. How do we look at improving the investment climate through tax structures and making our SR and ED program more effective? Are there issues around regulatory barriers? The investment climate is ultimately made up of many different factors.
From the very direct factor of technology investment, programs share the risk and ultimately share the rewards for governments. Industry's not interested in direct handouts and subsidies, because you also need to understand how mechanisms like TPC work.
This is not the government cutting a cheque to a firm to go do some things and not be accountable. The TPC contributions are based on a very clear and agreed-upon statement of work. A company agrees to make this kind of investment; there are these kinds of milestones. Payments under the TPC program are not made until after the company has expended the money and made a claim, those claims are then verified, and they get progress payments, maybe over a period of several years. Then there's a repayment period that ultimately recognizes that if the government has shared the risk, they're going to share in the rewards.
Certainly one of the major rewards is the economic activity that happens in Canada and the indirect benefit the government gets, which is ultimately what the purpose of those programs should be. It's a policy tool. It's not investing to get your money back; it's a way to stimulate economic growth in Canada.
We need to look at the continuation of programs and at ways to make them more effective, and ultimately more effective from the government's view.