Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the progress made by astronomers in this country. A recent article in The New York Times applauded Canadian astronomers for delivering “the most scientific bang for the buck”. Such praise is generated as a result of Canada's growing stance on the international stage in the field of astronomy. This is witnessed by the fact that Canadian research is cited in scientific papers at a more frequent rate than that of any other country.
I call on the government to act on the recommendations from many groups, like the Canadian Coalition for Astronomy, to establish a single authority or single window to review big science projects like the long range plan for astronomy. A simplified application and review process would enable our researchers to continue to excel rather than devote precious lab time to paperwork.
We are extremely fortunate in Canada to have researchers and scientists of this calibre in this field. We have indeed travelled far.