Mr. Speaker, the first step is to deepen and increase the resources available for the government's program of industrial research assistance of the National Research Council, winner of the prestigious Ernest C. Manning Award and a program which is at the forefront of helping small business develop and commercialize technology.
In addition we have refocused and broadened the mandate of the Business Development Bank of Canada. We have increased the funding available to small business under the Small Business Loans Act. We continue to see small businesses prospering as never before in the wake of interest rates at the lowest level in 30 years—