Thank you very much, Chair.
Welcome, Minister, and our officials as well. We shall be speaking with you soon.
I want to start on the theme of research. I think Dr. Hanley was talking about research.
I know, in my role as your Parliamentary secretary, that I've had the chance to meet with some incredible stakeholder groups that have have been advocating that we invest more in research funding. Budget 2024 really delivered in that respect.
In particular, I want to talk about brain research. In the supplements, there's $10 million in funding for the Canadian brain research fund to advance knowledge on the brain, brain diseases and brain disorders and to accelerate discoveries for improving the health and quality of life of Canadians affected by brain disease.
In your view, why is this funding into this research area critical?
Before you answer, I also want to put on record that our colleague Alistair MacGregor, who brought in Bill C-277, sought unanimous consent in the House so that it could pass, but it was denied UC by the Conservatives, which was rather partisan, because we heard clearly from so many witnesses about the need for a brain research framework in Canada, which we're looking forward to working with once it passes into law.
While we're moving ahead with this research funding, why is it so critical to support brain research in Canada and globally?