Thank you, Mr. Chair.
If I may, I would like to respond to some of the points that have been raised and ask questions about them.
Some of my colleagues say that it isn't a good thing that our financial markets are healthy and that this only benefits the wealthiest people. I would like to remind them that many workers in Canada need healthy financial markets to preserve their pensions. Therefore, I'm a little surprised to hear that. In my opinion, it's very important for Canadians and their pension funds that we have healthy financial markets.
Another comment also surprised me a lot. I don't know where Mr. Poilievre lived, but the stimulus package was very important for the economy. It has prevented many small‑ and medium‑sized companies from going bankrupt. These are the most vulnerable companies and they are also job creators, so I am very concerned about that. These stimulus measures were very important during the pandemic. It helped the most vulnerable, and it helped the middle class to survive. So I'm glad it was this government that was in power.
That said, I think it is very important to inform the witnesses today of a discussion we had yesterday with the representative of the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada, or FINTRAC. It was clearly understood that the standards that have been put in place by Canada in recent years have really paid off. They have ensured that entities such as banks and financial institutions report any suspicious transactions to FINTRAC immediately. This information is immediately analyzed and sent to either the Canada Revenue Agency or organized crime agencies for investigation. Subsequently, there may be audits and consequences.
There was a lot of talk in our program about a Canadian financial crimes agency. The efforts have paid off, Madam Deputy Prime Minister. I encourage us to continue to do so, because we need to make sure that our programs are applied to those who need them, while at the same time fighting fraud. As we heard yesterday, we are very well equipped to deal with that.
Madam Deputy Prime Minister, my question is this: Is there a sense that the government has the necessary tools to ensure that programs are offered to those who need them most?