Honourable member, I don't have a specific number for you, but I can tell you that there are approximately 175 biotechnology companies in Canada that are focused on therapeutic development. Then there are others that are related to a variety of research in related fields, such as diagnostics and medical devices. Canada is a rich developer of science and technology. We invest heavily in that academic and research-based area of investigation, but we need to further support that investment with commercialization and the availability of a continuum of capital to allow us to do that.
On the opposite side of the coin, I've been instructed not to say anything negative here, but I think it's important to share with you that we've had a number of companies leave this country and bring with them technologies and individuals who have been paid for and trained in this country, the most famous of which was announced a few days ago. Geron, in the United States, is becoming the leader in stem cell therapy by being one of the first in North America to be allowed to run clinical trials. They're in California; they were in Hamilton. The science that developed that technology was from Canada and was funded here in Canada, but it couldn't find the commercialization capital it needed. In fact, it couldn't find the venture capital it needed several years ago and it ended up moving.