Welcome, witnesses.
From the Canadian Urban Transit Association, Mr. Roschlau, I'm looking for two things. First, we should negotiate a special permanent exemption agreement for buy American procurement rules pertaining to public transit rolling stock. Second, we should partner with transit manufacturers, universities, and other private contributors to invest in research and development.
On the second point, in budget 2014 we established the Canada first research excellence fund with $1.5 billion in investments over 10 years. We committed to a long-term strategic vision for research and innovation in Canada, and, in fact, it's been well received, especially by the universities in Canada. David Barnard, the president of the University of Manitoba, has said this is a pivotal moment for research excellence and innovation in Canada.
That being said, is this enough? Is this going to be the spark that generates research and innovation in the transportation sector?
We can always do more. That's a loaded question, but how do you see that being applied in practical terms?