I have told Ms. Hudon about a concern I had regarding the role of the BDC in respect of a situation that is being felt particularly in the agriculture sector, but also in other sectors such as forestry. From what I hear, from a large number of businesses in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region that are applying for financing, my impression is that when applications relate to secondary or tertiary processing, it's harder, even though they are essential levers of economic development that have an impact on the entire ecosystem of businesses in the region.
I'm thinking, for example, of the creation of a slaughterhouse in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, an essential service that we don't have in the area, apart from a community slaughterhouse. A project was started, but getting financing seems to be a challenge, particularly from the federal government and the BDC.
In a context in which we are looking at the productivity of SMEs and the shortage of labour, do you think the programs should be adapted to help SMEs that focus on secondary and tertiary processing or on automating their processes?