Mr. Speaker, the question before us tonight reflects how out touch the Bloc is with what is actually happening. It ignores all the facts and sacrifices them on the altar of bad rhetoric.
Science and technology is a topic of great interest to the government. To thrive in the global economy, Canada needs to be a magnet for talent, support world leading research and move research from the lab bench into the hands of the private sector.
Canada needs to differentiate ourselves from our international competitors by encouraging, supporting and empowering both private and public sector research leaders to be bold and forward-looking in areas where Canada has the competitive advantage. That is why the Prime Minister released a comprehensive and forward-looking science and technology strategy in Waterloo, Ontario, on May 17, 2007.
The member opposite has inquired about whether the government is investing in S and T facilities in Gatineau. Public works strives to achieve a 75:25 space ratio between Ottawa and Gatineau for federal government office space in the national capital area. This is a ratio that our current government has attempted to maintain.
On May 29, 2007, the Department of Public Works announced two requests for information for the construction of two new office complexes in Gatineau. Public works has also negotiated two leases for two office buildings in Gatineau.
The government's office accommodation strategy demonstrates our commitment to managing our real estate portfolio efficiently to meet the accommodation requirements of departments while offering best value for taxpayers.
With the acquisitions of those four buildings, our ratio will be maintained at 75:25. More important, this underscores how useless the Bloc is. Gatineau continues to receive its fair share under the current government and the Bloc releases misleading press releases that do not reflect any semblance of truth.
The 75:25 office ratio, I should be clear, is not for research facilities but for office space. Research centres are considered special purpose space and therefore not subject to the 75:25 ratio. Despite this exemption, our government has delivered substantial R and D facilities in Gatineau, unlike the Bloc that could never deliver one single result for Gatineau.
The Government of Canada spent $9.3 billion on S and T in 2005-06. The latest data available by provincial breakdown shows that the federal labs and science based departments and agencies in the national capital region received 33% of total federal spending in this area. The answer is clear.
The federal government's investment in S and T directly benefits Gatineau. Gatineau is home to five significant research institutions that are true leaders in their fields and are of great national importance. These include the following, and the member should know this: first, the Institute for Information Technology, which is part of the National Research Council; second, the Quality Engineering Test Establishment of the Department of National Defence; third, the Library and Archives Canada Gatineau Preservation Centre; fourth, the Natural Heritage Building of the Canadian Museum of Nature; and, finally, the Canadian Museum of Civilization, which supports important research in human cultures and the social sciences.
These research institutions represent some of Canada's finest. They employ talented scientists who are dedicated, creating human knowledge that will be a benefit to Canadians and to the whole world at large.
How many results has the Bloc delivered for Gatineau, or even Quebec? Not one single result.
I will take a minute to explain to the Bloc members our S and T strategy because they seem to miss it. They spend all their time trying to justify their existence. The decisions that the government makes about science and technology are guided by four important principles. These—