Mr. Speaker, I had the privilege of working with some of the top academic researchers in this country for the better part of my career. Working in the field of research administration, if there is one thing I can tell members personally it is the effect that our government's commitment to science and technology funding has had on the academic community across Canada.
The one thing that my colleague opposite did not mention tonight was the level of funding for tri-council research that has occurred during our government's mandate. If she had done any research whatsoever, she would have looked into the last six years' budgets and seen that year over year the amount of money we have put into tri-council research has increased over time.
What does this mean? This means that funding for basic research, not only in science and engineering or in the health sciences through CIHR but also in science and social sciences, has increased over time. This means that this particular research can be translated into commercializable technologies. It can also be translated into social policy, and it can be translated into training highly qualified personnel for the jobs Canada needs to have in the future.
Not only are we funding research through tri-council agencies, but we are also funding research through the Canada Foundation for Innovation. Not once in my colleague's speech did she acknowledge that the Canada Foundation for Innovation, which does a wonderful job of providing Canada's academic researchers with basic research infrastructure funding, also ensures that Canada's researchers have the bricks and mortar funding they need to ensure that their research programs continue long into the future.
It has been under our government's tenure that we have seen increases in all of these agencies. What is the NDP's record on these funding increases? The New Democrats voted against this time after time.
When my colleague the Minister of State for Science and Technology stands up in this House time after time to remind my colleague opposite that the one thing she needs to do to continue the excellent track record of our government's funding for basic research is to vote in favour of our government's budget, what does she do? She stands up and does not even talk about any of the funding we have put into these research agencies. Not one agency did she talk about tonight. She did not talk about any of the research outcomes that happen at the research infrastructure within her city, within McGill University.
I have a great colleague with whom I used to work, who is the now the vice-president of research at McGill University and who understands the impact of tri-council funding on her institution's research administration. I wish my colleague opposite would take five minutes to look at our federal budget year after year to see these funding increases before she speaks out against this excellent track record that our government has for basic research funding. Between the CIHR, SSHRC, NSERC and CFI, our government has a wonderful track record of supporting basic research, supporting research that translates into commercial outcomes and supporting research that translates into social policy. I certainly hope that for once she will actually get on board.