Government Operations committee  Good afternoon. The build in Canada innovation program does indeed provide a boost to that end. Although the measure may seem a bit weak, it is certainly a step in the right direction. The U.S. has a more robust program known as the small business innovation research, or SBIR

Government Operations committee  Our businesses say that it is entirely appropriate—

Government Operations committee  It is entirely appropriate to assess performance midway.

Government Operations committee  No, no. I understand completely. It’s appropriate to do that, but the criteria need to be known and transparent, and the information should serve a purpose afterwards.

Government Operations committee  No, not particularly. Generally speaking, the FCCQ has been an active supporter of agreements on interprovincial trade and other agreements of that nature. We tend to be in favour of anything that has the potential to increase trade. I’m not familiar with the specific draft agr

Government Operations committee  I’ll give you a specific example of something that is already federal practice, in the case of pre-qualification processes.

Government Operations committee  The challenge comes down to assembling a jury that is as qualified, as impartial, and, of course—ethically speaking—as independent as possible. Taking into account the bids received, it is still possible, with a qualified jury, to assess how bidders are likely to perform on the b

Government Operations committee  I would add, if I may, that it is possible to indirectly facilitate the participation of SMEs in government procurement. That would involve making it easier for big businesses that have landed major contracts to establish ties with SMEs. That’s something the government has done i

Government Operations committee  That's a great question. Not to dwell on the irony, but I will say that it underscores what a complex undertaking it is for a government to streamline or simplify a process. Streamlining has its limits. As you said, when you add a requirement such as assessing the economic spino

Government Operations committee  Good day. Medium-sized businesses are quite satisfied with the Canadian government's call for tenders and contract awarding system, especially because for the past few years a particular focus has been placed on the quality of the firm and its experience, innovation and skills.

International Trade committee  I would like to stress that we have one, two or three years before the agreement is ratified and implemented. Those who will come out ahead—because there will also be losers—will be those taking the lead. It is very important to take advantage of this time to help the industry de

International Trade committee  Those studies are not very detailed. The federation has about 20 committees, which include large companies that are leaders in their field. One of the issues those committees are studying is the positive or negative impact that the agreement is likely to have on those industries.

International Trade committee  Clearly, as international trade is expanding, infrastructure is a major aspect. This includes both traditional infrastructure, such as roads, railways, airports, including regional airports, which have been much neglected in the past, and research and telecommunications infrastru

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I'm going to cite another example. Take the tourist industry. The tourist industry's peak period in Mexico is winter. Here it's summer. We could completely meet the needs of Mexican workers who come to work here in the summer during the tourist season and who return home in winte

Citizenship and Immigration committee  In conclusion, I'd like to say that I'm very comfortable with the proposal that Ms. Folco has made. Workers who come here on a temporary basis and who have the opportunity to diversify, as Ms. Folco said, could advantageously fill jobs that we don't want to occupy for all kinds o