Thank you for the question.
Without the 10,000 projects supported by the foundation in the past 20 years, we wouldn't really be in the same position today. Across Canada, we can see universities, laboratories and communities that have benefited from changes resulting from the foundation's investments. The other day, when I was in Waterloo, the mayor told me that the city really wouldn't be the city it is today if it hadn't received the foundation's first investment in its economy.
You'll be happy that I'm the only person who hasn't come here to discuss taxes today. I'm not asking you to provide additional funding, but simply to regularize the amount you allocated in the past.
I'm also offering you a bonus. In the past 20 years, Canada has spent $7.6 billion on research. With the matching funds, the return has reached $18.3 billion. We can therefore consider it a lucrative investment for the country rather than an expense.