Thank you very much, MP Sidhu.
Not only do I appreciate that question, but I think my colleague Carolyn will also appreciate it very much. CIHR is a key federal institution that supports not only research on diseases but also research in support of patients, families and caregivers. We often speak of diseases. More importantly, we want to speak of the importance of supporting those living with different diseases. That includes mental disorders and all of the impacts that these disorders and diseases have, like I have said, on families and communities.
There has been a total investment of $414 million in 965 research projects since March 2020. Many of them focus on COVID-19, but many others focus on mental health and substance use support needs of Canadians across our country, in particular through the difficult time that we've seen in the last two and a half years.
Again, there's a great level of support on the part of the federal government, but, more importantly, there have been immense efforts by researchers and scientists across the research community in Canada, which we not only want but need to celebrate on every possible occasion, including today.