Mr. Simard, the battle over where we would seek investment money has already taken place, and it goes without saying that the United States is involved, given our geography.
It must be said that the money invested in extracting and exporting our resources has a positive impact on the entire economy. We can talk about what is subsidized by the federal government, whether it be 7% or another percentage, but we cannot deny the $20 billion, or even $30 billion a year, that go back to the Canadian economy. Nor can we deny the revenue that the federal, provincial and even municipal governments generate as a result of this industry.
Does the reality of where the capital comes from prevent us from getting money from the U.S.? I don't know, but when we talk about the U.S., one of the things I have to point out is that Canadians have no purchasing power because of the weak loonie. The lack of interest in our economy, whether from the United States, Japan or Europe, is costing us 22¢ a litre. We need to tell everyone that Canada is ready to receive investments, which will have enormous benefits for the vast majority of Canadians.