Thank you.
To Ryerson University and York University, I'll lump this in: I love that kids are going to get their education. My education, my one year of master's degree at the University of Toronto, 26 years ago, or so, cost me $4,000. The return on investment on that has been amazing for a small-town kid from northern British Columbia, the son of immigrant parents. Whether they're from Europe or not from Europe, I don't care. All I know is that this country has given me and my family everything.
However, I do want to talk about parity of esteem. I learned from the Germans that a person going to work as an automotive technician for Mercedes-Benz or BMW is as valued as the person going to get their Ph.D. As much as we like to get more Ph.D.s in our country educated, I also want to get those bricklayers, masons and drywall people to do those jobs, because there's a shortage of them. I think that's a big balance that we have.
My question is going to be, first, to York University. Is our government's commitment to fundamental research and investments in the university system across the country, with the U15, and so forth, going in the right direction?