Thank you very much for that.
The point about how hard it is to collect data is very real. It's not only difficult to find out in the short term who was awarded a contract, but for many Canadian companies who are subcontractors or sub-subcontractors, that information is almost impossible to get. So I think a year from now we're going to be looking back at it and still being frustrated that we don't have enough information. We're reaching out to our members and asking them questions, but some of them are in tough times and they don't have time to start responding to some of these things. They are just trying to make sure they can make payroll this week.
I agree with you that we should do more. We are seeking the information, but I'm not sure that we're going to get what you're looking for.
You also asked a question about energy. Mr. Cannis also asked a question about energy. It is true that we're the largest supplier to the United States, but we need to remember two things. They are also the largest supplier to Canada, as we also buy energy from them. They are our only customer. So it isn't as though we have an alternative and we can direct the pipeline to another country next week. We need to be very careful when we're having these negotiations with the United States. The goal should be fostering greater cooperation.
Just to put one thing on the table, the only trade agenda that has been tabled so far is this notion about increasing exports. For U.S. small businesses, the logical place to export to would be Canada. So it's not about putting up barriers; it's about what we can do together. We want our small businesses to have greater access. You want your small businesses to have greater access. Is there some kind of joint initiative that we might do? It's that kind of cooperation that will move the yardsticks forward for future opportunities as well.