Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to Mr. Vidler for coming back to the committee.
In your recent report, Turning it Around: How to Restore Canada' s Trade Success, I found a paragraph, and I'll quote:
Studies on the impact of trade promotion repeatedly find that it is a cost-effective way to increase firm internationalization. In the Canadian context, for instance, companies using federal trade promotion services export 18% more than comparable firms. They also export to 36% more markets. Assuming a proportional relationship between the trade promotion budget and incremental exports, every dollar spent stimulates $27 of exports.
I want you to make a comment. How is the federal government's GMAP impacting the number of companies taking advantage of the implementation of economic diplomacy? Also, what barriers to trade does this new strategy address that companies have experienced in the past?