Mr. Speaker, every time we talk about innovation, the Conservatives call it a diatribe.
Conservatives turn away from the issues that matter to Canadians while New Democrats listen. We have a plan that includes diversity, innovation, and investment in small business. One example is London Sciencetech, a small but influential leader in new solar energy technology. It recently hosted a visit by the Minister of State for Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario. MPs from London West, London North Centre and Elgin—Middlesex—London were there, and while they appeared to be happy to use the business as a photo op, just as the Prime Minister did with Electro-Motive Diesel, they were not interested in hearing any concerns about federal cuts to science research and experimental development. Such cuts would adversely affect local businesses like Sciencetech, something I wrote to the minister about in 2012.
New Democrats understand the value and the critical necessity of creating an economy based on diversity, innovation, and human development. Why do the Conservatives not?