Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to take part in the second reading of Bill C-13, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Act, to quote its short title.
I am very happy to speak about the institutes of health research, because this is an issue very dear to me, that I have been following now for a long time.
In fact, as early as December 1997, I wrote to the federal health minister to inform him of a genetics research project being proposed by a research team from the area I represent. I asked him to assess the merits of this research project to determine if a grant was warranted.
In June, I once again wrote to the health minister to invite him to take the opportunity, while he was visiting my region, to meet a research team interested in working at a proposed research institute that could meet its needs.
Also, in October, in a letter sent to the health minister, I asked if the federal government could provide some clarification about the proposed establishment of a health research centre in my riding of Jonquière. I stressed in that letter that I was very open to any investment in a specialized research centre.