Science  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague, a scientist himself, for that important question. I am working to promote a culture where young people and the public are excited about science. Last week, I announced the winners of NSERC's PromoScience program, awarded to groups that promote science throughout the year.

Science  Mr. Speaker, post-secondary institutions are front-line agents in fostering science and research excellence. That is why we announced last Friday nearly $20 million to 33 Canadian universities. The new SIF fund will improve research and innovation infrastructure at Canada's post-secondary institutions.

Science  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for the question. The government is committed to supporting discovery-based science. Budget 2016 provides $95 million per year to the granting councils to support discovery research, which is the largest investment in more than a decade. According to the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, these investments demonstrate the government's commitment to making Canada a leader in knowledge production and innovation.

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, I will begin by saying that it was a pleasure to teach at the University of Windsor for seven years. I loved teaching at that university. I taught climate change, meteorology, and environment. These are very important issues to me. I will talk a bit about some of the investments we have made in clean tech.

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague for co-chairing this important caucus. This investment, particularly in the three federal granting councils, is unfettered money. Under the previous administration, we often saw that the money was tied, but this type of investment is going to allow our researchers to build bigger teams, to take on new projects, and to publish, which is so important.

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, it has been a pleasure to work with my hon. colleague. This is really about building an innovation agenda. We will see increased support for incubators, accelerators, the emerging national network of business innovation and cluster programs, and the industrial research assistance program, IRAP.

The Budget  Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the member for Lac-Saint-Louis. I am happy to participate in the debate on budget 2016. Our government believes in the importance of scientific knowledge to create a better society. Science plays a central role in a thriving clean economy and in providing evidence for sound policy decisions.

Science  Mr. Speaker, Canada research chairs is one of the most effective programs for attracting and retaining the most accomplished and most promising researchers in the world. Recently I announced 305 new and renewed Canada research chairs at over 50 post-secondary institutions across Canada, an investment totalling $619 million, including $28 million at Université Laval in my colleague's riding.

Science  Mr. Speaker, earlier this week, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and I announced an investment of $1.7 million to fund four Canadian studies to reduce the risks to Canadians on long-term missions. The scientific mission will deepen our knowledge of the effects of longer missions, and improve our understanding of the effects of prolonged isolation and physical inactivity.

Starred Questions  Mr. Speaker, with regard to (a), the Minister of Science is developing an approach and will make recommendations to the Prime Minister on the creation of a chief science officer, a CSO, whose mandate will include ensuring that government science is freely available to the public, that scientists are able to speak freely about their work, and that scientific analyses are appropriately considered when the government makes decisions.

Science  Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate my colleague across the way. We have already met. I am proud to say the war on science is now over. This government respects research and science and the important work it does. We will work with the scientific community to ensure openness now and in the future.

Questions Passed as Orders for Returns  With respect to the Action Plan for Women Entrepreneurs identified in the 2015 Budget: (a) what consultations were undertaken for the development of the action plan; (b) for each consultation in (a),(i) what was the date, (ii) what was the location, (iii) what organizations and individuals were consulted, (iv) which briefings or submissions were included as part of the consultation process; (c) what are the specific components of the action plan; (d) for each specific component of the action plan, how much funding was allocated; (e) what is the development cost of the online platform to foster networking; (f) what is the advertising cost for the “Just One Pledge” campaign to encourage mentorship and championing, and what forms of advertising are being considered; (g) what is the process for identifying women who are looking for mentors, and for linking these women with mentors who have taken the “Just One Pledge”; (h) what follow-up and tracking will be undertaken to measure the success of the program, and when will the reporting of results take place; (i) what is the government's definition of an “enhanced” trade mission, and what funding will be provided for such a missions; (j) what is the selection process for companies led by women entrepreneurs for enhanced trade missions; (k) how many enhanced trade missions is the government planning to undertake, and, for each mission planned, (i) to what countries, (ii) what are the goals; (l) what will be the specific criteria required to access the Business Development Bank of Canada’s financing for women-owned businesses; (m) what consultations were undertaken to develop the criteria for financing, and for each consultation, what were the (i) dates, (ii) locations, (iii) organizations and individuals consulted; and (n) what is the timing for the national forum, (i) how many women are expected to participate, (ii) will financing be provided for travel and accommodation, (iii) what funding is being allocated for the forum?

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, today I present six petitions regarding our most pressing environmental issue and perhaps the defining issue of our generation: climate change. One petition deals with the science of climate change and five others deal with a few of the projected impacts of climate change, including economic impacts, extreme weather events and rising food prices.

Petitions  Mr. Speaker, today I present 10 petitions on chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency. It has been five years since people began travelling overseas for this treatment for CCSVI. Canadians with multiple sclerosis are wondering when there might be an update on the government's clinical trials and MS registry.

Social Development  Mr. Speaker, 2015 marks a watershed moment as the international community negotiates a new development agenda. The central tenet is the principle of universality, which would require all countries to address inequality within their borders. Despite tough talk abroad, a memo prepared for the minister of international co-operation concedes that “...Canada has no plans to apply the Post-2015 Agenda domestically”, beyond the status quo.