Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, the member for Pontiac. He is a strong advocate for regional economic development and the CFDC network.
When we started looking at what was happening on the ground, we realized just how much of an impact the pandemic was having on our businesses and our workers. We wanted to work with the best networks, the best professionals, to be sure we could provide assistance.
That is why we turned to the CFDC network, which has expertise and experience on the ground. It is a reliable network. It deserves our trust. That is why we invested $71 million in CFDCs in Quebec. We basically doubled the budget of these CFDCs, which are present not only in the beautiful Outaouais region, in the Pontiac riding, but also in the ridings of many members who come from rural and remote regions.
We will continue to support our CFDC network to provide direct assistance to businesses, as well as loans to our business owners who really need our help during this difficult period.