Thank you, Chair. My question will go to Ms. Tiessen.
I'm asking you in your capacity as an economist, Ms. Tiessen. I looked at what you wrote. It was on social media in March of last year. You said at that time that the federal government response to the COVID-19 crisis should come in three waves. Number one was public health precautions and immediate worker supports, so the emergency supports introduced by the federal government obviously fit that. Number two was to double down on social infrastructure plans once the acute phase is over. I don't think we'll have time, but a policy like early learning and child care at the national level, which has been proposed in this budget, I think fits in that, and I do see you nodding.
It's number three that interests me. You called for a massive investment in clean-tech infrastructure and jobs in the long term. As you may know, in this budget there's a sum of $17.6 billion that's been proposed for investment in clean tech so that Canada can meet its climate change targets and goals.
I want you to expand, if you could, on the economic impact that could have. I think all too often we think about our moral obligation, as we should, on matters of climate change, but the huge—