Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to invite all hon. members to participate in Youth Science Month. During the month of March over 500,000 students take part in science fairs all across Canada.
This year's competition will culminate in May at the Canada Wide Science Fair in Calgary. Students are involved with the support of their parents, numerous private sector sponsors and over 8,000 volunteers.
Our government has made a strong commitment to foster a culture of innovation in Canada and I am pleased to trumpet the efforts of the Youth Science Foundation which has been doing just that for over 40 years.
Youth Science Month is the first phase of Youth Science Foundation Canada's national awareness program called “Innovation for the Nation”. The program continues in the fall with the “What's Hot Forum” tour of key cities across Canada bringing young scientists together with academics, researchers and supporters to share and discover the newest challenges and ideas in science and technology.
I look forward to the opportunity to celebrate the future of science in Canada and I invite all hon. members to join me.