At this juncture I would not recommend investing more money without a plan and a framework within which to invest that money. I think that's the challenge we have been enjoying over the last decade.
Investments into the health research enterprise over the last 15 years in Canada have been in the tens of billions of dollars, and they have brought us to a juncture where we are out of balance. We have some of the brightest faculties and brightest minds in the world working in our research enterprise, and we have some of the finest infrastructure on the globe with which to execute our research. I don't want to use an auto analogy, but we're in these magnificent research enterprises, we're all driving Ferraris, and when we drive up to the gas station there is no gas. Operating dollars are critical.
I would like the opportunity to make another point. When we read many documents emanating from the Government of Canada that look at research and development investment in the health research enterprise, they talk about universities where teaching and research eventually occur. I think it's important for this committee to appreciate that close to 80% of health research actually happens at hospital-based research enterprises. Virtually 100% of clinical research education happens at research-intensive hospitals, and about 80% of those in graduate post-secondary education in health research--tomorrow's research--are trained in research-intensive hospitals.
The scientists--