The recent Citizen coverage surrounding Export Development Corporation does an immense disservice to all Canadians. It draws a caricature of EDC that is not only offensive to our entrepreneurial customers and our 800 dedicated employees, but I believe it also insults the intelligence of every Canadian. The real picture is that EDC pays big dividends to Canadians.
Global trade is Canada's lifeblood.
Exports represent more than 40 per cent of our GDP, one of the highest levels in the industrialized world. One out of every four Canadians can thank the export initiatives and entrepreneurial spirit of Canadian companies for his or her own job. This activity must continue to grow if we want to maintain our quality of life and create exciting career opportunities for our daughters, our sons and their children. Our major challenge internationally stems from being a small cog in a hugely competitive marketplace. Canadian companies, even the biggest, are not large compared to their international rivals.