Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I have a question about how FedDev measures the effects of programs on your desired outcomes. What kind of metrics do you use to measure diversification, competitiveness, self-reliance, growth, and job creation?
We can observe all of these things. We can observe diversification and job creation and so on, but there's always the question, and I'm sure you're very concerned about this, as to what effect the actual program spending has had on these, on top of what would have happened otherwise.
I know that FedDev has not been in existence for a long time. But part of FedDev, and I'm thinking particularly of the eastern Ontario development program, has been around for a long time because it used to be under FedNor. I'm wondering if you are tracking the effects of the program spending in the EODP that occurred many years ago to see if there has been any measurable long-term impact on the desired outcomes of EODP. That goes back to the issues of diversification, competitiveness, the economic self-reliance of communities, growth, and job creation.