That's correct.
Evidence of meeting #77 for Finance in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was poverty.
A video is available from Parliament.
Evidence of meeting #77 for Finance in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was poverty.
A video is available from Parliament.
6:45 p.m.
Associate Vice-President (External), Government Relations, University of Manitoba
That's correct.
6:45 p.m.
Associate Vice-President (External), Government Relations, University of Manitoba
Yes, it is very helpful.
6:45 p.m.
Conservative
Shelly Glover Conservative Saint Boniface, MB
It is helpful. Okay.
The urban aboriginal strategy that was renewed in Winnipeg helps aboriginal students mainly at the aboriginal centre with things like skills development. The aerospace industry has been connected with them in a partnership to train aboriginal peoples, which is something I think was absolutely essential. A number of things are happening in our city and in our province, then, that were results of Conservative government decisions through previous budgets. I wasn't sure if you were....
6:45 p.m.
Associate Vice-President (External), Government Relations, University of Manitoba
My comments weren't intended to take away from any of those measures. The urban aboriginal strategy is a significant step as well. It's challenging at times to work within the urban aboriginal strategy; our experience with it has been that it's been difficult to access those dollars from a university perspective, but I never suggested that it was having a negative impact.
6:45 p.m.
Conservative
Shelly Glover Conservative Saint Boniface, MB
Yes, I didn't think you meant that it was having a negative impact. I just wasn't sure if you knew about them—
6:45 p.m.
Associate Vice-President (External), Government Relations, University of Manitoba
Oh no, we're quite familiar, absolutely—
6:45 p.m.
Conservative
Shelly Glover Conservative Saint Boniface, MB
—because when you were offered an opportunity to point out some of the good things, none of them came out, so I thought I would ask you if you still support them.
They include $60 million for Genome Canada; for McMaster University, a $6.5 million commitment in budget 2012; $17 million over two years to advance the development of alternatives to existing isotope production; $10 million for the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research; for the Canada Foundation for Innovation, $500 million; and $40 million went to support CANARIE's operation of Canada's ultra-high-speed research network. I can go on and on.
In fact, I would have thought the doubling of the graduate internships in innovative firms was something that you would have come out and said was great. If it's not, tell us, because we need to know.
6:50 p.m.
Associate Vice-President (External), Government Relations, University of Manitoba
No. The Vanier scholarships have been wonderful. The Banting scholarships have been wonderful. There's no question about that.
The university community as a whole, and the University of Manitoba, are very supportive of all of those measures you've outlined. What we're suggesting, in response to the committee's question on what measures we can continue to do, is that we should continue to invest in research, we should continue to invest in internationalization by recruiting international students, and we should continue to invest in aboriginal education.
6:50 p.m.
Conservative
Shelly Glover Conservative Saint Boniface, MB
Very good. If we had to decide which programs specifically would be enhanced with more funding, which ones would you pick? I've listed a number, and as I say, I could go on and on. Which ones would you pick? We need your expertise on this.
6:50 p.m.
Associate Vice-President (External), Government Relations, University of Manitoba
Well, the core in this context would be the university research. All of them are important—there's no question about it—but we need to continue to make those investments in the granting councils and CFI. The long-term impact on the competitiveness of the country is significant. That's not to take away from the very real needs of the aboriginal community, and it's not to take away from the very real opportunity that international student recruitment presents for this country.
6:50 p.m.
Conservative
Shelly Glover Conservative Saint Boniface, MB
Sure, and we can always do more. That's absolutely correct. We try our best, as you know.
Mr. Gomez, you mentioned venture capital in your presentation, which seemed to suggest that you liked what you saw in budget 2012. You want to see the money flow. Do you have any ideas for us on what more we could do with that, aside from getting the money to flow more quickly?
6:50 p.m.
Director, Policy, Toronto Board of Trade
I think the primary sort of feedback we got from our membership is around increasing the speed of the program. The general feedback we've heard is general support for the direction, in terms of more direct grants for firms involved in R and D. What I also think should be explored are the opportunities that may arise, through some of the initiatives we're undertaking with our business clusters, for partnerships with existing federal programs.
6:50 p.m.
Conservative
Shelly Glover Conservative Saint Boniface, MB
Very good. Then venture capital is still something that you see as an important tool.
6:50 p.m.
Director, Policy, Toronto Board of Trade
Absolutely, and that's something we've heard from a lot of our enterprises, especially the SMEs, the small and medium-sized enterprises.
6:50 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Rajotte
Thank you very much.
Again I want to thank our witnesses very much for their patience, for their presentations today, and for responding to our questions.
If there's anything further you wish us to consider, please send it to the clerk. We'll make sure that all the members get it.
Thank you again for being with us here today.
Thank you, colleagues.
The meeting is adjourned.