I would say it's probably fairly consistent. It's important to know where the resources are, to know where there may already be something that might be done locally to help companies understand what they need to do to get ready for export. I've talked about the export navigator program. I would love for this committee to look at others that might exist across the country. That's one that I know from having made a trip out to B.C. There are other comparable programs.
There's one in the Atlantic region. It's not quite called “export navigator”, but essentially these are programs offered by either the local board of trade or an economic development organization in the province or even in the municipality. They're doing some really good work to provide tools and supports to help companies think about what they need to do.
They have to determine, first, if they're ready, and then, if they are ready, they have to look at what is out there and learn how to get on the road to exporting and growth. If you're not ready, you need to know how to find out what kinds of tools or support you need to get yourself competitive so that you can start growing your SME, growing your business, and finding customers that are beyond the Canadian marketplace.
I would love to hear about the work and the study that this committee is doing so that I can know what stage some of these businesses are at. We want to look at how we might collaborate with these SMEs, to let them know about some of the tools and supports that are already in place at the federal level. We want to give these SMEs access to the resources they need to grow.