Finance committee  Yes, there will be a hit in manufacturing, absolutely. It will affect it.

Finance committee  In Manitoba we received a number of applications. We're always oversubscribed in that. We had 363 applications in Manitoba alone. Again, as James mentioned, we are usually very oversubscribed. The numbers are one thing when we talk quantity, but the quality is another thing. The story is that because of the amount of funding we have, we leave a lot of really good projects on the table, and that's the reality of what we live with.

Finance committee  Have we seen it? We've heard it. Do I have the evidence-based in terms of that? No, but when we talk to individuals on the ground, yes, absolutely.

Finance committee  Well, if I had my last wish.... I guess when we're looking at opportunities for funding small and medium-sized businesses in the west, I look at them in this way. They're a vehicle and they bleed over into all sectors. If you talk about small and medium enterprises, you have indigenous, you have clean tech....

Finance committee  For the long-term solution, yes. In the immediate, I think that's what we do. We're on the ground. We do the coordination role of the federal department, so yes, we are in contact with INAC. We're in contact with Transport. As you say, it leads across a whole lot of departments.

Finance committee  Excuse me?

Finance committee  The western innovation initiative has helped some small and medium-sized businesses in Manitoba to commercialize their products and access markets. The innovation ecosystem in Manitoba has its challenges, access to capital being a big one. We got that intel after the first call for proposals, so we really have stepped up and reached out to a lot of organizations in the province, and to the province itself, first of all to try to help SMEs become aware of the program and to do those information sessions and help them apply.

Finance committee  I think we should continue to invest in projects like the ones we're doing to train people, and we should do that with industry. I always say that one of the great things we do is to make sure there is industry pull. For example, when StandardAero and Magellan came to us and said they had a shortage of skilled technicians and it was keeping them from competing on the world stage, we got together with the post-secondary institutions and the province.

Finance committee  I'll start with your first point regarding the critical situation in northern Manitoba at the moment. Certainly the north has a lot of advantages, but it has a lot of challenges, as I mentioned in my opening remarks: isolation, unemployment, lack of alternative employment, and social issues.

Finance committee  Do you mean for the department?

Finance committee  They're very good points. In terms of leaving it to others, our network partners are funded by WD, but we do provide information sessions as well. With our Community Futures corporation, our officers go into the communities and talk about our programs and services as well. I agree that the face-to-face, on-the-ground presence is the most effective one.

Finance committee  I think one of the first steps is that the Province of Manitoba has just joined the New West Partnership, so I think that will absolutely help with some of the challenges we have interprovincially. That's an area in which there could be real improvement.

Finance committee  Actually, Manitoba was not very negatively affected by the downturn in the oil sector. We were affected a little in the southwest of the province, but that hasn't had a huge impact, which is the positive thing about having such a diversified economy.

Finance committee  Agriculture certainly could. That would help improve trade. Of course, Manitoba is known for our aerospace and manufacturing sector. That's huge. It contributes $1.5 billion to the Canadian economy, and it creates 5,000 jobs in Manitoba, very good jobs. Certainly, I'd say those are what come to mind as the biggest sectors.

Finance committee  I will answer your question, but I would first like to say why the issue of the indigenous population in Manitoba is so important. Sixty per cent of young people live out west, but 17% of Manitoba's population are young indigenous people. So we cannot afford to ignore those young people.