I think that for some time to come, we will need to ramp up training activities and go out and find people wherever they may be. That is the reality of the world in which we live. We are operating in a global economy. People are highly mobile, in particular people with the skills in technology and advanced innovation that we are searching for. We have to expect that these individuals will go where optimum conditions exist. One of the ways that we can retain some of these individuals is to ensure that our companies remain viable entities
The federal and provincial governments have invested in our universities for many years and now we have caught up with the rest of the world. We have nothing to apologize for in that regard. We offer tremendous opportunities to researchers. We are starting to see industrial clusters emerge. For example, we are starting to hear about the Waterloo region. We all know about the Ottawa area and about everything that is happening in Western Canada and in Montreal. This potential needs to be developed further. As we have been told, our companies need to grow from $40 million, $50 million and $60 million operations to companies worth in excess of $100 million. There are still not enough companies of this magnitude in Canada. The challenge we face is indeed a formidable one. Smaller companies are vulnerable to being preyed upon — perhaps that is too strong a word — by other international companies that can easily shift the commercialization centre.