Mr. Speaker, the hon. member made a number of comments and I would like to respond to some of them.
He clearly stated we have to invest more in education. When he stated that I hope he did not mean we have to put more money into education because that is not what is needed. The reality is that Canada invests more than any other country in the world in the area of education. We spend close to $50 billion annually in the area of education. What we have to do is spend wisely when it comes to the resources we are putting into education. We have to look at the educational system as a whole and bring all three levels of government together so they can better manage the resources they have at their disposal.
I quite agree with the hon. member that we have deficiencies in terms of the number of people who are going into the area of science and technology. We need to see more people going into the area of science and technology. We have to involve the industry more, that is true. We have to do all of that. We have to embark on co-operative programs. We have to get the parents involved. This is exactly what the minister responsible for human resources is doing in terms of his initiative. In the area of literacy, for example, this government has reintroduced the literacy program. It has put back into the program the $20 million that was supposedly going to be taken out of the program.
I also wanted to say for the record that this government has not only addressed the issue of interprovincial barriers but it has moved many steps forward in that area. On the external front, the government is on record as being on the leading edge when it comes to opening trade barriers and signing trade agreements with other countries.
In fairness to this government and to the Minister for International Trade, perhaps we have a Minister for International Trade who has travelled the world more than any other minister for international trade anywhere in the world. I would say it has paid dividends. If we were to look at the results, it has put Canada on the map internationally. The figures speak for themselves. Canada in 1993-94 has been on the leading edge. It has more economic growth than any industrialized country.
Would my colleague not want to correct the record and clearly state that this government has put Canada back on track in terms of its economic growth? Would he not want to give this government credit for making sure Canada is the leading country in the industrialized world since we took office in 1993?