Thank you Mr. Chair.
First, I want to thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak to the Standing Committee on Finance.
Budgets are about tough choices for government—everybody accepts that. They are about setting some clear national priorities and making sure that the impact of the investments being made will benefit all Canadians.
Today I'd like to share with you my vision of the CFI's role in meeting both the current and future challenges facing Canada, particularly when it comes to strengthening our capacity to conduct world-class research, attracting the best researchers from around the world, and translating their research findings into tangible solutions.
As you know, the mission of the CFI is to invest in cutting-edge research infrastructure that strengthens the capacity of Canadian universities, colleges, and research hospitals to carry out world-class research and technology development that benefits Canadians. The CFI funds 40% of the infrastructure costs, and institutions then use this funding to attract the remainder from partners in the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors.
The research enabled by these CFI investments supports the conditions necessary for sustainable, long-term economic growth, and helps inform the policy-making process—leading to the creation and development of improved public policies and programs in areas such as natural resources, health and the environment.
Since its creation, the CFI has committed $5.3 billion in support of 6,800 projects at 130 research institutions in 65 municipalities across the country. These investments by the Government of Canada through the CFI have leveraged an additional $7 billion in partnerships for a total of $12 billion in just over a decade. The overall economic impact from these infrastructure investments and their ongoing operation is an important part of the Canadian economy, given that it can be measured in the tens of billions of dollars.
The CFI exists thanks to the belief of successive governments that research and innovation underpin the competitiveness of our industries and can transform our economy. As one of my predecessors once said, the challenge of building a more innovative economy is about more than a slab of concrete or a piece of equipment. It's about people. It's about supporting the best and the brightest by providing them with the environment they need to conduct world-class research. This, in turn, will create prosperity for Canadians.
Imagine for a moment your reaction if I had stood before you 10 years ago and boldly declared that within a decade Saskatoon would be home to a state-of-the-art synchrotron, Canada's biggest science project in a generation; that Chicoutimi would be a world leader in developing de-icing technology for commercial airplanes and hydroelectric wires around the world; that British Columbia would be on the cutting edge of helping to improve the quality of life for people with spinal cord injury; or that Nova Scotia would be leading an 82-nation project to gauge and record the diversity, distribution, and abundance of life in the world's oceans. You likely would have reacted with disbelief. Yet today, as I stand here, all these advances are a reality for Canada, in large part due to the investments made by the Canada Foundation for Innovation.
Investments like these are creating jobs and leading to innovative breakthroughs in some of today's most important and exciting areas of investigation—from advanced materials to pharmaceuticals, renewal energy, high-performance computing and early childhood education.
Consider a recent study on university research contracting. It found that in 2008, companies, governments, and not-for-profit organizations contracted almost $2 billion worth of research from Canadian universities and affiliated teaching hospitals, up from $1.1 billion in 2006. This is an increase of 80% over a two-year period. Why? Because Canada's best is now becoming the world's best.
To ensure that the CFI continues to carry out its mandate of promoting research excellence while continuing to improve Canada's long-term competitiveness and the quality of life of Canadians, we require continued support from the Government of Canada in four areas: first, to address the needs of our core leading-edge and new initiatives funds programs; second, to develop collaborative initiatives with other federal research granting agencies to focus Canada's research strengths on issues of national importance; third, to ensure that Canada continues to play an active role in strategic international research activities; and finally, to support national research platforms in areas such as high-performance computing and other new initiatives.
It is critically important that Budget 2011 send a clear signal to Canada's research community that when it comes to science and technology, Canada will continue to invest in cutting-edge, world-class research infrastructure.
In closing, I want to thank you again for providing me with this, my first opportunity to testify before Parliament at the helm of the CFI.
Mr. Chair, I look forward to your questions.
Thank you.