Thank you, Madam Chairperson.
I will attempt to answer the questions. I would say, firstly, in French, that the government over the past four years has increased the base budget of the Canadian research institutes by somewhat more than $142 million. This year, these Canadian research institutes have investment plans of approximately $926 million in peer-reviewed health research projects. These projects will be conducted in university, hospital and research centre laboratories throughout Canada.
Also in the 2009 budget, $35 million were allocated to the Canadian Institutes of Health Research over three years to support the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships.
You put some questions concerning some decisions in the context of the strategic review. As is the case for all of the other departments and agencies subject to this exercise, we are attempting to review each government institution every four years. And so, approximately 25% of government bodies are reviewed every year. The idea is that things change, there are changing priorities, some things are less effective and less in keeping with the Canadian context which evolves over time.
It is, consequently, normal that there be certain cuts and it can be said that the changes that were made, the reallocations that were made with regard to the Canadian Institutes of Health Research are of that nature.