Madam Minister, allow me to make a suggestion. Set up a program of loan guarantees for small and medium-sized businesses in the forestry industry because we hear new announcements every day from companies closing down, laying off staff and cancelling jobs.
Since you have opened the door, I would like to make the following suggestion. Try to convince your government to set up a program of loan guarantees for the forestry industry because its access to credit is completely shut off. During our week off, I met with several representatives of that industry and that is what they want the government to do. Nothing you said about your programs has any impact on the ground. Access to credit is completely shut off at this time. Whenever a company goes to a bank, the answer is always no. Those companies have been red-lettered and cannot get any credit at all.
Let me change topics. Small companies that have appeared, still in the forestry industry, have also raised the issue of research and development tax credits. They have told us that they do not have enough staff and that they are too small to claim R and D tax credits because the forms are too complicated and the paperburden is to heavy. When they receive such forms, they just put them aside even if they regularly carry out R and D activities. Because of the overwhelming bureaucratic requirements, they just do not bother. It is too complicated and they do not have enough resources to fill those forms.
Since this is the responsibility of the Minister of National Revenue or of the Minister of Finance—I believe it comes under both of them—have you talked to them to make sure that something simpler is set up especially for small and medium-sized enterprises, so that they be able to claim those R and D tax credits?