Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  Section 24 will essentially make it against the law for us to release information we receive from and about clients. So we will not be releasing that information on clients. It's especially important for a country like Canada and an organization like EDC, because what we're offering is a service to Canadian exporters.

Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  Both sides.

Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  We have committed to disclose particularly our environmental reviews for certain categories of new investments. We also are committed to making sure we benchmark the environmental review and our approach to these projects to the highest world standard. If it's a government approach, it would be to the standards of the World Bank and higher, and if it's a non-governmental approach, it would be to the local conditions of the marketplace.

Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  It would be a client relationship. If we were getting something to help us decide whether to engage in a project.... We want information to come to us. We don't want people to be afraid to share information. We would make a consideration of whether we were going to support the project.

Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  We're pretty comfortable without being covered by it. I think it's important to take the step you're taking, and we support it. We would want sufficient time before it becomes effective to make sure we can act professionally. It will take some time, because it affects our systems.

Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  I thank them for the reminder as well.

Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  No, no, I'm sure it's me. All I want to underscore is that our concerns are fully met through section 24 and section 18. That will permit us to continue to protect client information. Now some have suggested that EDC should be covered by this access act without such sections. That would create major problems for Canadian exporters.

Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  That's correct. We understand and we were very supportive of Bill C-2. We very much appreciate the government's decision to structure it in this way. It will apply Access to Information to us as a corporation but allow us to protect our clients' information. We wanted to appear here because there are some people who have spoken saying that isn't necessary and I wanted to give a context from us working there that we think it's absolutely vital.

Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  It was a pleasure for me to speak with you.

Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  Under $5 million in revenue.

Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  That's a very important question. EDC is Canada's export credit agency. There is a current set of structures to provide support for exporters along a set of rules that are minimalist subsidies called concessional and consensus financing. Some governments, some countries, only do that.

Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  Absolutely. We have talked about a number of voluntary disclosures of the Auditor General's audit of us. That would now be subject to disclosure. Our internal audit reports are not subject to our voluntary disclosure. Obviously they would be subject to disclosure. Our internal policies and more detail on how we spend the resources, $190 million a year that we raise from exporters, would now be subject to access to information.

Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  I think we have. I've mentioned that we have some examples of voluntary disclosure of certain things. There's no doubt in my mind that the breadth of this bill would require a much more substantive and serious look at how we do business, so there would be much more disclosure.

Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  I guess what I'm saying is I think you'll see us fully incented over the coming year in terms of looking at a broader set of things to release. I think, as good practice, we've obviously been disclosing what we're doing. We have in fact a very good record in terms of the way we report to Parliament.

Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  Section 24 is the most important thing to put the fears to rest. Exactly the same is true for the Business Development Bank of Canada. I had some meetings with the President of BDC, Jean-René Halde, and section 24 requires us--in fact, it would make it against the EDC Act for us to release information we receive from our clients and about our clients in a way that might affect their commercial interests.