Finance committee  That's an excellent question. Last November, you invited us to talk about the strength of the dollar and the manufacturing sector. Mr. Roger Martin, from the Institute for Competitiveness and Prosperity in Ontario, an expert in competitiveness, said the same thing I did. Manufact

Finance committee  That's not what we're asking for. We know it exists. Direct assistance can be provided through tax credits. It's not direct assistance, it's not a blank cheque, but still, it's some support. Tax credits for research and development support the aerospace industry. It's thanks to t

Finance committee  I'd like to point out that the Fédération des chambres de commerce represents all economic sectors. The manufacturing sector and the forestry sector account for only part of our membership. However, those members are mainly located in resource regions, in regions far from Montrea

Finance committee  In regard to your issue, it's the first time I've heard about it. I'm truly sorry, but I can't say anything. We didn't have any of our members bring this up to us.

Finance committee  The Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec is a very significant network. Let's get to the real issues. Why do forestry and manufacturing companies need financial support from the government? Whenever we talk about financial assistance for companies, two economic ideolog

Finance committee  Good afternoon, and thank you for the invitation. It is always appreciated. What is the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec? Very quickly, we are made up of 162 chambers of commerce and 57,000 members. We consider ourselves to be the most significant business network i

Finance committee  The Bank of Canada has a great deal of credibility throughout the world. We should not jeopardize this by making such a change to its mandate. So my answer is no.

Finance committee  Yes, exactly. A number of industries in the manufacturing sector are not making any profits and are actually posting losses. Reducing the tax rate is of no help to them. We have to target the industries that are having trouble, show some originality and find ways to support them.

Finance committee  From memory, economic studies tend to show that the impact of a rise in value is felt over two years. That would take us to 2009.

Finance committee  Good evening, my name is Jean Laneville. I am the economist for the Quebec Federation of Chambers of Commerce. I am very pleased to be here to talk to you about the impact that the rising dollar has had on our members, particularly those from the manufacturing sector. The Quebec