I want to thank the witnesses. Your focus has been so much on the people on the ground, on the nuances, as Mr. Fowler was saying, on some of the struggles, on the barriers and on the many hats that we see that small and medium-sized businesses wear. One thing I always like to say is that people buy from people, and behind that signature is a person and an understanding of that person.
We heard from Madam Fréchette on where the government could maybe have a different approach. Maybe it's a matter of the trade commissioner service doing that groundwork, being that sales force and being the marketing arm for many of the 3,200 businesses that you represent. That way, when an opportunity presents itself—and I think Canada is in an enviable position with the trade agreements that we have now globally—we have a real opportunity to capitalize on those.
Many of the people at the trade commissioner service would have all of that knowledge. They would know if the double-digit tariffs had just come off lobster or whatever the product is. They would be able to communicate that, to get in touch with the different companies here in Canada, our SMEs, and to make those connections globally so that the business could start.
When I say “those connections” I mean those people-to-people connections. Is that the kind of direction you'd be looking for? I ask this of all the witnesses, but I'll start with Madam Fréchette and Madam Mandelbaum.