Mr. Speaker, this February a number of students, including Christina Dymond, one of my constituents from the University of Alberta, will join an expedition to the Antarctic. The Students on Ice program takes students to the Arctic and Antarctic and offers a comprehensive field course on wildlife, history, geology and the environment. It is funded in part by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council. I am sure the House will join me in wishing Christina and the participating students a safe and rewarding expedition.
The polar regions have a profound significance for the earth's climate and ecosystems. Instead of lauding programs like this and investing in Canada's knowledge infrastructure, the budget, under the short-sighted guise of streamlining, slashes funding for the granting councils, including NSERC, which supports over 26,000 students and post-doctoral fellows in advanced studies.
The government must invest today in knowledge infrastructure and not kick the legs out from under Canada's long-term sustainability and competitiveness. Do not shortchange Canada's future.