We did a study in 2016. I travelled across the country. I met with people in the provinces. I met with representatives from the federal government as well as from the private sector. At the end of the study, we found that Canadian entrepreneurs received half as much funding as their American counterparts. However, the climate technology sector is going to be extremely important. That's why people like Bill Gates are investing billions of dollars in the sector. I will also say that it worries me that Canada is lagging behind in sector investment.
Another very important study we did was on intellectual property. Right now, countries like China own more than 90% of the intellectual property in certain sectors, including the water sector. It worries me that Canada isn't doing enough in the climate technology sector. I urge private and public sector stakeholders to pursue their involvement in Canada's climate technologies. Everyone is calling for measures to address climate change, but the important thing is to hurry up and invest in Canadian companies. That will position Canada as a significant player internationally. Right now Canada isn't, because of the underinvestment in Canadian companies by the public sector and the private sector alike.
I have been committed to this work for 35 years. I think we can excel in technology and in business, that we can build very large companies and make Canada a key player on the world stage. My worry right now is that we aren't doing that.
