Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Madam Minister.
Investment in discovery research is quite important, and I'm very glad you're emphasizing it.
I would like to quote Dr. Douglas Barber, distinguished professor-in-residence at McMaster University. In the study conducted in March 2013 by this committee, he said:
We are at the top in our investment in the knowledge of our people, and not matched by any other country, but when it comes to creating value from that knowledge, we're close to the bottom of the list.
He also said:
...the post-secondary learning environment is commerce-averse. “Customer” is a bad word, “sales” is a bad word, “commerce” is a bad word, and “profits” is a really bad word.
The third statement from him, as noted in the report is that:
...commercialization within the academic setting is not viewed in a favourable light [and] it is possible that students who go on to join the professoriate may also view commercialization this way, and thus, continue to maintain this culture in Canada's post-secondary institutions.
While it is very important that we emphasize discovery research, if we do not highlight the need for creating commercial value, maybe it's going to be a problem in the future too. What do you think?