International Trade Committee on April 22nd, 2015

[Céline Bak]

Can I offer an alternative? The alternative is firm-level data. The CRA produces firm-level data. There is an exports register that can be connected to the SR and ED database, which is where we know who is investing in R and D, and it can also be connected to the employment database. Technically, there's no reason in the day and age of big data that we couldn't do that on a quarterly basis.

[Mike Allen, Conservative, Tobique—Mactaquac, NB]

Yes, so your assertion is that the data resides within our databases somewhere.

[Céline Bak]

It's all there.

[Mike Allen, Conservative, Tobique—Mactaquac, NB]

It's just a matter of needing to mine it?

[Céline Bak]

Just sort by size of firm.

[Mike Allen, Conservative, Tobique—Mactaquac, NB]

Perfect. That's good, because I don't want my small businesses.... They're going crazy now.

For the last question, Ms. Materi, you were talking about the standardization of the Go Global workshops. I think it's a great idea, because if you standardize them, presumably you can offer them at less cost.

What would be the one key recommendation to standardize them?

[Ramona Materi]

Develop a good method of outreach to get businesses there; standardize that. Work it until it works well.

[Mike Allen, Conservative, Tobique—Mactaquac, NB]

Okay, thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Randy Hoback]

I'll stop you there.

Mr. Donnelly and Ms. Liu.

Ms. Liu, are you going first?

[Laurin Liu, NDP, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

Yes.

My first question is for Ms. Materi, considering the fact that you work in attracting, retaining, and recruiting qualified workers. We've heard a lot from other witnesses in committee about visas and passports, and the difficulties posed with regard to cost, difficulty of access, or the possibility of having two passports. Could you speak on that, and do you see that as an obstacle?

[Ramona Materi]

The passport issue?

[Laurin Liu, NDP, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

Visas and passports, yes.

[Ramona Materi]

Is that for people crossing borders? I'm sorry.

[Laurin Liu, NDP, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

In terms of exporting services, is that a concern for you?

[Ramona Materi]

No. I would speak for members. As was mentioned, I'm a member of the small business advisory committee, and for some companies, that's so. I think you've heard from witnesses who have said if they could have dual passports, or two passports, because.... I'm not going to pick on a country, but they take a month, and if people have business trips to do, that can be an issue.

Maybe you can comment, or others can. Has your firm run into that?

[Anne Jackowetz]

No, we haven't seen that. For all our business we hire local installers, so we don't have that issue with visas or anything.

[Fin Donnelly, NDP, New Westminster—Coquitlam, BC]

I'll jump in with a final question for Ms. Bak. What do you think Canada can learn from other jurisdictions around the world when it comes to SME export strategies, specifically in the clean tech sector, but also, more broadly in the innovative and value-added sectors?

[Céline Bak]

Other countries in the world have made this a strategic sector. They may not be blessed with the natural resources we have, but they have actually decided that this is an important sector for them. So their chambers of commerce are engaged in value chain development. For example, they will finance demonstration projects. As another example, they will actually put forward this industry as a part of their diplomatic agenda, so it is part of engaging in discussions about energy security, for example, and about climate change and other matters like that.

Those are some examples of how other countries are operating.

[Fin Donnelly, NDP, New Westminster—Coquitlam, BC]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Randy Hoback]

I want to thank the witnesses for presenting here today. It's been great. I'm going to let you go now.

I understand there is a motion coming forward.

Mr. Gill, did you want to proceed?

[Parm Gill, Conservative, Brampton—Springdale, ON]

Yes.

[The Chair, Conservative, Randy Hoback]

I will release the witnesses. You are free to go.

Mr. Gill, you'll have the floor.

[Parm Gill, Conservative, Brampton—Springdale, ON]

Mr. Chair, is this in camera or is it public?

[The Chair, Conservative, Randy Hoback]

It's up to you. If you'd like to go in camera, we could.

[An hon. member]

I've always kind of preferred [Inaudible—Editor]