Thank you, Madam Chair.
Mr. Reinas, you did mention the decrease in trade between Canada and the U.S. You seemed to expressly state or at least imply that it is because the border crossing is not seamless. We too can use the statistics. We are politicians. We know how to go in for the rhetoric. I will give you another number. You said it is declining. In 2022, Canadian exports to the U.S. were $436 billion, which was 22% more than 2021.
So, let's stick to the facts. I know that seamless crossing at the border is important. Improvements in any way are always good. We should aim for that. I think steps are being taken. If you want steps to be quicker, it's always good. We'll come to that.
Mr. Weller, you mentioned quite a few problems that you say SMEs have faced. I think those are the same words I heard almost nine years back, when I first got elected. Every year I hear the same words.
However, the exports of manufactured goods are just increasing every single year. In 2018 it was $318 billion, and in 2022 it was $436 billion. I am not saying things are perfect for SMEs; there are challenges. You mentioned the demographics and the birth rate. Compared with G7 countries, I think the only other country that can compete with Canada in terms of the demographics and the birth rate is the U.S. Look at all the other G7 countries. We are in much better shape in any of the statistics we can discuss on that.
You talked about arbitrary tax policies. Why didn't you mention that the small business tax has actually been reduced by our government? Of course, nobody wants to acknowledge the good things, but that's okay.
Mr. Masson, you said that FedDev is helping SMEs to integrate into global supply chains and...productivity. Can you speak about the programs that cater to that?