Finance committee  I think I have to separate the two numbers. The estimate of the number of companies and the number of employees is based on what is active in Canada today. Right now there are hundreds of companies and thousands of employees in the remail business. There will be a decision point, when votes happen on this bill, and there may or may not be a change.

Finance committee  Yes.

Finance committee  Yes, that's right.

Finance committee  Excuse me?

Finance committee  Ah, yes.

Finance committee  Canada Post is experiencing a number of challenges and is always looking for new revenue generation opportunities.

Finance committee  If the bill is not passed, thousands of jobs in the remailing industry are threatened. If the bill is passed, no job losses at Canada Post are predicted.

Finance committee  As I said earlier, the percentage of revenue that Canada Post risks losing because of remailing is relatively minimal. As well, Canada Post has collective agreements that give its unionized employees a lot of job security. That is why I can make that assertion.

Finance committee  I would expect that Canada Post may be able to bring back some of the business that could be done or is currently being carried out by some of these smaller businesses if this amendment were not passed, but we believe that some of that business may go outside the country.

Finance committee  I can't answer that, because there are no figures. It is only a risk of lost revenue. Because it depends on other changes in the market. If more remailing companies set up in Canada, the impact could be larger.

Finance committee  Yes, however, because of the situation in this industry, which we can describe as delicate, it is difficult to get a lot of information about this industry. When we talk about the potential impact on Canada Post, we are talking about a possibility. You know...

Finance committee  Yes, and in another way, no.

Finance committee  I imagine the studies will be subject to the Cabinet confidence policy. I can find out, but I imagine...

Finance committee  I'm not sure if the statement I had from Canada Post was as specific as that. The quote I have is that it is a revenue risk of $40 million to $80 million on a total revenue stream of $7.3 billion, and the corporation intends to vigorously compete for that business.

Finance committee  I've been with the department for two years, but I arrived after Bill C-14was first tabled.