Yes. They said that the best thing that the federal government can do is support an industrial base to grow again in Canada. There are diverse perspectives across the chief economists at our banks, but I think many people agree with the perspective that our industrial base in Canada is so important for the success of our economy.
I see Mr. Lawrence agreeing. It's so great to hear that in committee. I do appreciate his support. I wish it converted to a vote of actually supporting things that support our industrial strategy.
The defence industrial strategy is related to the industrial strategy, of course, because Canada can continue to differentiate itself and invest in defence and innovation.
I recently showed my support for Ontario Tech University, which is in Oshawa, right next door to my riding. It's a really great university that does all kinds of great work. It's sort of like the technology epicentre for Ontario. They're doing work on nuclear and on defence innovation. They have all kinds of stuff going on in terms of research, like the ability to work on drones and other technology that can apply to our defence strategy, which is really key.
What's surprising to me is that I watched as Conservatives voted against raises for our armed forces members. I don't know how they can look in the mirror when they go home at night or in the morning when they wake up. I don't know how I would look the Canadian Armed Forces members in the eyes when voting against significant pay raises that they've been waiting for and have been rightfully deserving of for a long time.
We've also committed to updating the facilities. CFB Trenton, for example, and all of the other military bases and barracks are going to be upgraded. They've fallen into disarray from underinvestment under past Conservative governments. We're stepping up to ensure.... Remember that defence spending was under 1% under Stephen Harper. We've brought it to 2% in this year and it's going up significantly from that to meet our NATO target five years ahead of schedule.
I don't know how the Conservatives cannot support the men and women who serve in our armed forces and who essentially sign up to protect our sovereignty. That they wouldn't support a pay raise, support them to have upgraded facilities or support the innovative technology and equipment that—