It's true the global multinationals.... I would mention the auto sector in particular. There are auto parts in Canada that can cross the border multiple times per day. Part of our bilateral discussion with the Americans—with the department of finance and Treasury in the U.S.—is about harmonization. I think the key message we get globally is around whether tax authorities can get their act together and consolidate the rule set.
An American was actually recently elected to a leadership role in the World Customs Organization. We're hopeful that during his five-year term, we can push global standards around trade. The global multinationals are definitely interested in a common global rule set. The Canada-U.S. aspect is particularly important. We're in regular conversation with the Americans.
I would say that e-commerce is a particular area where the rule set is still catching up with the reality on the ground. I mentioned that courier shipments had more than doubled, to over 100 million a year. That's a place where as recently as January we had a briefing on the Americans about regulatory reform.
To go back to the mandate of this committee, with colleagues in Finance and elsewhere, we're very active on having the rule sets be the same, which would allow the IT systems to be the same, to reduce friction at the border.