Thank you very much for the question. It's a good question to ask, especially as we take a step back to look at this.
AI is transforming how we're interacting, whether that's when we're watching the Olympics and bobsledding—through how it stitches together the camera angles—or how we write and prepare for committee appearances. As we're looking at where it can make the biggest gains, we also need to think about how our companies are adopting it. How are we empowering those inside the companies to use it as well?
That is where we need government to better support our companies, especially Canadian companies, and to provide more opportunities. The best way to do that is to be an anchor customer. As I mentioned in my opening remarks, public procurement makes up roughly 15% of GDP. If we can shed even 1% or 2% of that to companies, think of what that would mean for them. When they get a purchase order from the Government of Canada, it is not just a purchase order from the Government of Canada. It's an indicator to other buyers—here and as they're expanding globally—that the government believes in them. They can also go to the bank and get better bank terms.
Therefore, as the government is looking at productivity, it's important that we have conversations like this with members of our innovator community, especially the ones in your riding, to see how they can best support you.