Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Minister, I have a colleague in the House of Commons who's fond of describing the Conservatives as the party that will eventually slash everything, across the board. However, the documents we received show that seven agencies in Canada are going to see their budgets cut by half a billion dollars, unfortunately. In Quebec, the budget of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec is being cut by $168 million.
In Quebec, a large number of businesses are declaring bankruptcy, the largest number in Canada, in fact. Owners of small and medium-sized businesses—which I, myself, am—are struggling right now because of how high interest rates are. In light of all that, what do you have to say to all those business owners who will unfortunately suffer as a result of your government's cuts?