Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I thank all of you for your very interesting presentations.
For all of us, I think it's our first time here. It's a very unique place. We're delighted to be here and are looking forward to our tour after these meetings.
I think I'd like to start with Ms. Samarasekera. As one who's been an academic longer than a politician, I can say that I agree with virtually every word you said. Also, I was proud to have been part of the Martin-Chrétien legacy, which I think made a big difference to universities and research and innovation. I don't expect you to agree with me out loud on this, but I think concerning the current government, the court is still out as to whether the small contribution they made in the last budget will translate into a continued push in this area, which to me at least is critical.
But my question is, if you have to make choices, if there isn't all that much money available in total—maybe because the GST cuts are crowding out so much—would you assign a greater priority to increasing the transfer to the provinces designated for post-secondary education or to direct federal measures along the lines of what we've done over the last decade?