Madam Speaker, as time has gone by we have seen more competition in the banking industry and more banking institutions coming into Canada. Trust companies have also become involved. The Canadian Bankers Association is trying to take a more aggressive look at the small business sector, giving it more access to capital.
However, the financial institutions are still not filling the void, which was the initial intent of the Small Business Loans Act. The initial intent was to provide loans to small businesses which would otherwise not have access to capital without tying up their personal guarantee.
If it is a shift, it is more of a shift in terms of what is happening with lending institutions than with respect to the initial intent of the SBLA.