Mr. Speaker, I thank the minister for that comprehensive answer.
I know that our CFDCs really appreciate the $71 million. That means over $1 million for each CFDC. In concrete terms, this means there are businesses in every sector that might not otherwise have gotten any assistance from the federal or provincial governments and that were able to ask for help from our CFDCs. As the minister noted, our CFDCs understand our regions very well. For example, the Vallée-de-la-Gatineau CFDC has been serving the public for 40 years, which means it has been working with our SMEs for 40 years.
I would like to know more about the intent behind the investment in CFDCs.
How can it provide assistance if other programs are not available to our SMEs?