Thank you for the question.
It has been a while since I worked in basic research.
However, I can tell you that we are talking about large research institutions, such as Canada's particle accelerator centre TRIUMF, in British Columbia, or the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory, which is located here, in Ontario.
A number of large Canadian institutions have made discoveries of global importance. I mentioned that Donna Strickland won the Nobel Prize in physics. Canada is rising above its class and weight when it comes to basic research. Not a decade goes by without one, two or three Canadians winning the Nobel Prize. I don't have the data on hand right now, but Canada generally has a very good reputation in basic research.
Canada has a bit more difficulty in the commercialization of discoveries, in products, economic development and job creation. I think colleges can help address that issue. When it comes to research in Canada, better integration of colleges will really help resolve this issue.