Industry committee  We'll come back on your questions. We've listed them. I want to just conclude with one comment. It links to a statement you made and a question addressed by Mr. St-Cyr. That is that I think Canada is well positioned right now, but our progress is fragile in both basic science—remember, it's only just over a decade ago that we let that go—and in figuring out how to have what we might call competitive federalism in Canada and invest in excellence and the areas that are going to go forward.

Industry committee  I think it's conceivable that the state of the nation report will, as well, include where we are optimizing the sectors in which Canada has a clear advantage and in which it does not, and that will lend itself....

Industry committee  This will sound like a self-interested response, but if you look at the problems that regions are having across Canada, I think it's because of a lack of diversification of the economy. There is no greater way to predict success of the economy than to have a highly educated populace.

Industry committee  Let me say that we've been like a roller coaster in Canada. In the mid-1950s, Canada was extraordinarily strategic at the federal level in creating the granting councils, investing in them, and having a sense of the federation and how to optimize what we did. Then we simply have not stayed the course.

Industry committee  We expect it to be at the end of this year.

Industry committee  Our little committee is just bringing them before the council today and tomorrow for the first time, but we have a number of fields broadly; for example, the climate of innovation, with indicators reflecting that; international S and T collaboration, with indicators reflecting that; universities and how we do as both R and D and innovation leaders; the private sector on R and D; then, looking at benchmarks, where data are available to allow us to compare with peer countries in the world on our progress over time, levels of investment in R and D, tax and regulatory environment, and the like.

Industry committee  In that regard, Quebec and Alberta were the pioneers in Canada in investing in their own science and technology policies. You actually see that there is a real synergy that could be achieved between an investment at the provincial level targeted to the framework of the federal level, and vice versa.

Industry committee  The industries that have been our successes are aerospace, biotech, and you might say, leading into the pharmaceutical area. I think an unsung area of strength in Canada has been materials research, which ties into the engineering field. We have a long-standing history of strength there, and I think Howard would add the chemical industry to that as well.

Industry committee  I think it's a bit of a circular question, but we're not in bad shape with respect to the balance. I think we are lucky to be in a country that has a general respect for the fact—it wasn't true 15 years ago, but it is today—that if you don't have that pipeline of basic or fundamental discovery-oriented research, you will not get any benefits, whether in the commercial domain or policy domain.

Industry committee  Maybe I could begin and say that, first of all, there are many bodies in Canada that provide findings and guidance and advice, and the Council of Canadian Academies clearly is one of those doing that kind of work. I would hope the entire academic enterprise of the country serves to provide arm's-length guidance, advice, and input to government and others on the work that's done.

Industry committee  In fact, one might be discouraged if they weren't present, for exactly the reason Howard states.

Industry committee  Could I do a 30-second intervention?

Industry committee  The council is made up of an extraordinary group of members who are leaders in their various sectors. It's fair to say they wouldn't show up with the regularity they do, or work with the intensity they do, both on the work of the council at large and the work we do in the committee structure, if they felt it was a useless exercise.

Industry committee  Did you also ask why those four areas?

Industry committee  I misunderstood. Thank you.