Finance committee  Yes. Thank you for asking the question. An example is having policies that apply across the country. We frequently come up against trade barriers between provinces. A federal-provincial committee has been working to design measures for consumers. In all those years, Canadian governments, provincial and federal, have not managed to come up with a single definition.

Finance committee  I'll answer you in English, just to be more precise. One element we've come to believe is that a competitive marketplace is a very important component in terms of inciting companies to become more efficient and more productive. Take a sector like the automotive sector. The automotive sector goes through serious challenges--it's going through a serious challenge right now--but the fact that Canada, that Ontario, produces 20% of the automobiles in North America is due to the fact that the industry and its workers, the unions, have seized on an ability to become more productive.

Finance committee  Thank you, Mr. Chairman. We titled our submission to the committee “Reinforcing the Foundations for Growth and Prosperity”. For us the formula is clear: more investment in people and assets leads to economic growth, and economic growth raises the standard of living of all Canadians.