Mr. Beatty could give you more exact figures than the ones I have here. The manufacturing sector accounts for 60% of R & D in Canada. To innovate means to improve a product's performance or to produce that product more efficiently. This does not happen through some magical process. Many industries are shutting down. If, for example, footwear is no longer manufactured in Canada, research in this area will come to a stop as well. That's obvious. The sporting equipment industry was once a very large sector in Quebec, but it has practically disappeared. Who is going to design better ice skates? Certainly not the Chinese, I can tell you that.
On November 21st, 2007. See this statement in context.