Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the University of Waterloo engineering department and its undergraduate engineering students who participated in last week's Ontario engineering competition involving 100 competitors.
University of Waterloo students swept the competition, winning first place in all six design categories. I congratulate these winners and wish them luck at this weekend's national competition.
I also congratulate Wilfrid Laurier University for its second place finish in the university-private sector partnership category of the Scotiabank AUCC awards for excellence in the internationalization program. Its program, in conjunction with German students, investigated the marketing of a Waterloo company's software in China.
I give high praise to the government for supporting increased accessibility to post-secondary institutions and increased funding for research and development so that we are prepared for a knowledge based global economy, assuring our future economic well-being as a nation.