Thank you, Mr. Chair.
This is my maiden question, my first committee, and I thank you for the opportunity to be before you.
I want to thank the people from the Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency for appearing.
This question was originally going to be directed to the minister, and I apologize for having to spray you with the venom that might be part of this question. It was really directed to him; nevertheless, I'm going to ask the question.
I'm discouraged by his dissing of the former government in suggesting there was not a commitment to research when in fact there was. He used the words “proactive approach” for his policy, as if to lend authenticity to his program. My question on that is therefore a follow-up to Mr. Shipley's question on research and Mr. Hoback's question on research.
The University of Guelph is Canada's foremost research university and they are doing research in biotech, in agritech. They're turning non-food agricultural products into industrial-like materials, like bioplastics, which is an opportunity for the agricultural industry to not just feed cities, but also to feed industry. The minister, as he was speaking earlier, dismissed that, really, as not being things people might be wanting. I think he is not looking outside the box.
Many researchers at the university have written me or called me in the last several days, telling me that they are now considering moving to the United States. The reason is that President Obama gave a clear commitment to research. Well, there is no clear statement supporting research by this government. You may not have it in front of you, but I direct you to page 270 of the budget, where $17 million is being cut from research this year, $43 million in 2010-2011, and $87 million in 2011-2012, which are being redirected. That is a concern. It is a concern to the professors and researchers at the University of Guelph and researchers across Canada.
My question is, why is this government abandoning research and cutting much-needed funding when research is the lifeblood of the future of the agricultural industry?