Thank you, Mr. Chair. I first want to acknowledge how good the minister has been about giving us his time at this committee. We do appreciate that. We sometimes think these committees squirrel away in these rooms and work below the radar, but we do hope that you, Minister, recognize our work, and obviously you do by gracing us with your presence here on many occasions. So we do appreciate that.
I have a couple of quick questions. I would just like a clarification. I've heard that from 1993 to 2006, we actually closed 31 consulates and opened up 43. In your answer later on, could you clarify if I'm right or wrong on that number? There is no relevance to the dates, of course.
We've heard a lot from EDC and CCC about their role in expanding trade opportunities, and I would just like your comments on this $10 million cap raised or removed in Budget 2007. Do you see that as a positive thing? When I was in India two weeks ago, as you're very aware, EDC had put a permanent position in Mumbai. Is EDC doing it effectively? Can we help them more? What can we do?