Thank you, sir.
Ms. McCready, Ms. Harack, regarding R&D funding, I assume that one factor that greatly facilitates investment is successful research. When one of your member companies ultimately finds a cure for the common cold, it will no longer have to be concerned about working with the government to secure future investments, whether directly or indirectly.
You stated that the government should promote investment. However, when your say that large pharmaceutical companies will become a key partner, I do have some reservations. As I see it, the government will have a hard time justifying investing on a massive scale in the pharmaceutical industry, given the recent revelation that the majority of Canadian pharmaceutical companies spend more on marketing than they do on research.
In light of this revelation, wouldn't it be hard to sell this idea to Canadians?