David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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I welcome the witnesses. I am pleased they are here. We have been talking about this for quite a while, so it is great it has finally happened. Canada and Ireland can learn a lot from one another.

Today, Ireland ranked second in competitiveness. I think Denmark is ahead of us and we are number 2. I am interested in what Mr. O'Hara said about harmonisation of regulation. I think from his notes, it is an EU competence rather than a competence of Ireland per se.Is there anything we can do ourselves independent of the EU?

I will also comment on the history and heritage between Ireland and Canada that the witnesses all spoke about. Our ambassador to Canada, Eamonn McKee, has done a lot of work in that space, as the witnesses will probably be aware. He identified 50 Irish people who contributed massively to Canada over the centuries and decades. It is interesting to read the accounts of what they achieved in all spaces. I will declare an interest. I have a son who is living in Vancouver at the moment. He tells me that Vancouver GAA club is the fastest growing GAA club in the world which is interesting to hear. Many Irish people have moved to Vancouver and other parts of Canada. Some of the witnesses might like to comment on the attractiveness of Canada to young Irish people. They are going there now in their early 20s because they want to go, not because they have to go. They are involved in all kinds of businesses and enterprises and many of them come back. Is the opposite also happening to any great extent? Are Canadians coming to Ireland to work, learn, go to college and so forth or is there more we could and perhaps should do in that space? Getting back to what I said earlier, we can all learn from one another. When our young people come back from abroad, they bring invaluable experience with them. It cannot be calculated.

I will also comment on what the Canadian M.P., James Maloney, did in organising the march for Irish Heritage Month every year. March is now celebrated as Irish Heritage Month in Canada. It is hugely important and significant that that happened. Perhaps the witnesses would like to comment on the impact that had on business and what it means and does. The Canadian ambassador, Nancy Smyth, is also doing fantastic work. She is very approachable. She has visited many Canadian and Irish companies in Ireland that are working extremely hard.

Deputy O'Reilly asked many of the questions I was going to ask and I do not want to go back over them, but one issue stood out. Mr. Collenette said that it is estimated that of 15,000 employees, 7,000 are from IDA companies. I am wondering about the balance. If 7,000 are from IDA companies, where do the rest come from or who are they? That is also interesting.

As Deputy O'Reilly said, it not only matters that we are all doing well. The witnesses have come up with some interesting suggestions, especially what Mr. Doyle-Kelly said about the relationship with Quebec and Montreal. I was struck by that. It was interesting. I know the history, that many tens of thousand Irish people descended there during the Famine and they received a welcome and were looked after. That folk memory survives to this day. People in parts of Canada have Waterford and Wexford accents. They survive until now in different places. It is hugely important.

The procurement issue was also interesting. I did not know about it. We should take it on board and consider how we can delve into the maze, as he described it, of procurement. Perhaps we are missing a trick with respect to that. Will Mr. O'Hara describe what he means by Irish management services to let people who are listening know what they are?

That is what we can do from this end. Is there anything the Canadians should be doing from their end? If the Chair brings us to Canada at some stage, we might like to make suggestions when we get there. Will the witnesses let us know what we could suggest to the Canadians?