Mr. Speaker, this week I had a meeting with a group of senior officials from Ontario and Atlantic universities. It is not often we run into a lobby group like this one. They were here to thank the government.
They thanked the government for its outstanding focus on education and knowledge in the 1998 budget. They thanked the government for supporting students and for supporting research. They thanked the government for the millennium scholarship fund and the lasting legacy it will create.
The university and college presidents I have met and have corresponded with pledge their support for the government's focus on education. They are committed to realizing the full potential of these initiatives.
One thing they do ask the government to consider is the valuable contribution that researchers in the social sciences make to society. Compared to other fields such as science and technology, their contribution is more difficult to quantify in dollar figures. Let us not forget that we need a well functioning society if we are to fully benefit from the technological advances.
I urge members of the House to encourage the government—