I think it's a function of things that have happened over a long period of time.
I spent most of my life in banking, so when I came into the credit union I spent a lot of time trying to figure out exactly that question.
I think many of the western provinces, in particular, see having their own financial institution sector as very important to their local economies. In their minds—and I think there's a lot of truth to it—eastern Canada hasn't always been a consistent and reliable supporter to them, so they see themselves as needing to be self-sufficient, and a financial sector is important to that.
That's not the case in Ontario. Ontario has been the home of the banks. I think the Ontario government likes credit unions and is committed to credit unions, but it doesn't see them as strategically important as perhaps some of the western provinces do. The powers that have been provided to credit unions partly reflect that, I think, but credit unions in western Canada have broader business powers. They also have unlimited deposit insurance.
I think they've had kind of a friendly environment. I think their history is different with consumers as well, because consumers share a lot of that willingness or wish to be independent of eastern Canada.
Again, that's not true in Ontario. In Ontario you can hardly go very far before you find someone who is either employed by a bank or is married to someone who is employed by a bank. Banks have a very strong history in Ontario, and credits unions were hurt by that, having really developed in the industrial sector, which has shrunk in Ontario.