Mr. Chair, looking forward, as members know, we are looking toward closing the gap between our level of investment and the positive outcomes achieved through commercialization.
I firmly believe that when faced with a challenge like this one, our best way forward is to work as a team. That is why the government established an advisory council on economic growth. The group is made up of 14 Canadian and international business and academic leaders, all of whom were selected because they are recognized forward-thinking individuals in their respective fields. The Minister of Status of Women would be interested to know that out of those 14, eight are women.
Just a few weeks ago we held our first meeting, and I tasked them with finding the solutions to a number of the key challenges facing Canada, including how to transform innovative ideas into high-value goods and services, how to ensure the government's historic investments in infrastructure make it easier for Canadians to get to work and get products to market, and what things can be done so that we can take advantage of the job opportunities of tomorrow.