Thank you very much, Chair.
Thank you to all of you for taking the time. I know some of you on short notice have come to discuss the budget and its implications.
I'd like to start with Mr. Boyko. You mentioned the questioning we had yesterday with the minister. I've had the chance to meet you over the past year as chair of the government caucus on post-secondary education and research. While we don't agree on everything, I think in general we're looking for the same kinds of things.
I want to talk about Bill C-48, because I think there is a significant question of where the money is going that is allegedly Bill C-48 money. I would remind members that Bill C-48, specifically on post-secondary education, indicated that the money was for:
supporting training programs and enhancing access to post-secondary education, to benefit, among others, aboriginal Canadians, an amount not exceeding $1.5 billion.
Those are the direct words from Bill C-48. But there seems to be confusion, because when I spoke about Bill C-48 with Finance officials some weeks ago, their first thought was, “I think it was a billion.” Well, it wasn't a billion; it was $1.5 billion. The minister's initial reaction yesterday was that it was $1 billion. The confusion I think is coming from the fact that they're putting $1 billion into infrastructure for universities.
The question is, is that enhancing access? We've come a long way in the last number of years in Canada in putting money into research and innovation and into infrastructure. It's been very important, and we need to make sure we keep that going. But it seems to me that in Canada the issue now, more than ever, and in fact the primary issue for universities—post-secondary, including community college and skills upgrading—is the issue of access. In the last number of years, we have in fact put a lot of money into research and infrastructure, but I don't think we've increased access for students, particularly the lowest-income students.
I'd like to ask you your view, because I suspect you were probably involved and very closely watching, at least, the Bill C-48 discussions between the New Democrats and the Liberals a year or so ago. I'm wondering what your thoughts are about the Bill C-48 money and how it's being allocated.