Mr. Speaker, our schools, colleges and universities clearly are within the jurisdiction of the provinces. However this does not mean the federal government does not work with them.
It was this government that put all our elementary and high schools on the Internet. It was this government that initiated funding for applied research in colleges and provides millennium scholarships and most of the research funding for universities.
The federal government should continue to work with all levels of our education system in the national and international interest, but at this time when there is concern about skills shortages the federal government should reassess its relations with the 1,000 community colleges of Canada.
Colleges are the rapid response level of our education system. They adapt quickly to change and deliver new educational products quickly to our communities. Canada needs effective community colleges in these times of rapid change. The federal government must work to strengthen them.