Thus, EDC was born in 1944 to help Canada grow and prosper as a nation. Our growth is a reflection of our customers' success. We also measure our success in many other ways, from our high customer satisfaction, to our strong financial performance. Last year alone, we served about 5,200 Canadian customers, of whom nearly 90 per cent were small to mid-sized firms. Thousands more small businesses have grown by being suppliers to larger Canadian exporters.
Canadian companies face when they compete internationally.
And Canadian companies are winning with our support as never before. The proven quality of these commercial skills is the taxpayer's best protection. In addition, when it comes to risk management, we aim to be conservative on the accounting. This is prudent and appropriate. In some cases, we compete with the private sector on service, not price.