Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you, Mr. Minister, again, for making yourself available to the committee. We had a discussion on softwood with you some weeks ago. You came back very quickly on the main estimates—I certainly appreciated that—with your officials, who we also welcome to the committee.
Mr. Chairman, I had two questions for the minister, and if there is some time remaining before we move down, or go to the vote, I know Mr. Maloney also had some questions, or perhaps he'll come to them on the second round.
The previous government had looked at a proposal called CAN-Trade. I know you were familiar with that in your previous capacity. In my understanding—and you would perhaps have more details than I had—it was a proposal for about $470 million over five years to increase the budget of your department, to communicate challenges of new markets to small and medium-sized businesses, to showcase Canada as a potential high-tech joint venture partner and a place in which to invest in order to access NAFTA, to help some of the small and medium-sized businesses break into some of these new and emerging markets, and also to increase the presence of trade commissioners and people who work in your department, who from my experience do phenomenal work in difficult circumstances, in places like China.
One of our colleagues was suggesting increasing from five posts to 25 in China, because there are 53 Chinese cities with over a million people, for example. You would know this, Minister, better than the rest of us. I'm wondering what your department's plan is with respect to the CAN-Trade initiative. Do you see that increased funding on the horizon, and if so, how would you be using that additional money to improve, as I say, what I think is the phenomenal work that your department does at various posts around the country and here in Canada?
I have a second question, and I'll give it to you, Minister, so that you can perhaps answer without my having to interrupt you again. When you were here, we talked about remanufacturers with respect to softwood lumber. You said--and I thought that was very positive--you hoped to perhaps appoint a person who could really address directly the concerns of the remanufacturers. I know that they still have major concerns with respect to the potential softwood deal. I'm wondering if you have appointed somebody who is now in place to work with them on a thing like, for example, a carve-out quota, or some provision so they don't end up getting a haircut inadvertently in some future deal.
Similarly, you had talked about looking at options to get some of the deposit money into the hands of Canadian companies, which I know are in very difficult circumstances, sooner than perhaps the normal mechanism, complicated as it is, might allow. You said your department was looking at options or something, recognizing that perhaps six, nine, or twelve months may not be acceptable. I'm wondering if you have an update on what that might be.
Thank you.