Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I will be splitting my speaking time with my colleague, Mr. Erskine‑Smith.
Last week members of Parliament had the opportunity to reach out to many local organizations that were successful applicants for funding under the Canada summer jobs program, but as my staff and I called organizations—and we called over 200 of them—we often heard from our local SMEs that while they were grateful for the funding to hire summer interns, they were already struggling to find staffing. Many of them were reduced to the owner and one other staff person, and they've been desperately trying to find employees for some time.
What programs does BDC have available to help our SMEs find and hire the labour they need, especially in a postpandemic economy?