Thank you, Mr. Chair. First, let me say congratulations on your election as chair.
Initially, I was a bit skeptical about your joining the Standing Committee on Science and Research. Science and research is a very important issue in Canada, and you can't just become a science expert. Similarly, you can't suddenly understand the science ecosystem because you join the science and research committee, which has been working diligently for more than a year and a half. Nevertheless, I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt, in the hope that, through your dedication, you will familiarize yourself with all the work the committee has done so far. You can certainly count on my co-operation and support to advance science and research in Canada.
I'd also like to take a moment to recognize the Honourable Kirsty Duncan, who did the early work to get this committee off the ground more than a year and a half ago. I want to commend her commitment and all of her hard work. I want to say thank you and I hope to see her soon.
Mr. Francq, your opening remarks were quite eloquent. I think the figures speak volumes. You said that Canada ranked last among OECD countries on per-capita long-term growth, and you had the figures to prove it. The fact that Canada's GDP growth was just 1% between 2007 and 2020 certainly isn't trivial. It means billions of dollars in lost economic potential and fewer resources to deal with social priorities and the decline of our overall ability to influence our citizens' quality of life.
This is my question. Do you think there's a link between the indicator you mentioned, long-term growth per capita, and the current level of science research intensity in Canada?