Finance committee  I don't think so. When a party or someone who aspires to govern this country makes a commitment in writing, on January 12, 2006, in a letter sent to the President of the council of the Fédération des cégeps, to create a Canada education and training transfer, he has a duty to meet that commitment.

Finance committee  In the document to which your colleague referred, it is stated that the Quebec colleges do not receive federal funding, unlike the universities, which receive funding through the funding research councils. That's what we meant, simply. Of course, we receive money from the federal government through transfers, through the Consolidated Fund, but, in the table, we wanted to illustrate the fact that, unlike the universities, the colleges are barely starting to develop their research mission.

Finance committee  That's somewhat what I was saying earlier, that is to say that, unlike what's going on elsewhere in the country, the Government of Quebec, historically, has always allocated the federal transfers to funding for colleges and universities. That money has never been diverted to build roads or other things.

Finance committee  Perhaps I can provide some additional information, Mr. Wallace. In Quebec, there's an old tradition whereby money that is transferred for postsecondary education is not used to build roads or buildings; it's actually used for colleges and universities. Our choice is that money be transferred to the Government of Quebec to be reallocated to our colleges.

Finance committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Ladies and gentlemen, perhaps I could tell you at the outset that the Fédération des cégeps is a free and voluntary association of Quebec's 48 Cegeps. In fact, it is the Quebec counterpart of the community colleges in the rest of the country. Enrolment at our institutions totals 150,000 young men and women and approximately 50,000 adults.