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Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you to our witnesses.

We are so pleased to have our witnesses here with us today. This is a very interesting subject, a new direction for the Canadian economy and the way to get to zero deficit. Of course, we are talking about the role of the state, but also that of the private sector. It will also be very interesting to discuss the research that is taking place in post-secondary institutions.

My first question is for Mr. Rousson, who is representing the Université du Québec in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, or UQAT, and who talked about the investments made by the federal government since 2015. According to the information I have here, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada provided almost $15 million in funding to UQAT in the areas of natural sciences and engineering. We know that our government has provided the most funding to our research organizations in our country's history, particularly since the 2018 budget.

Mr. Rousson, can you tell us what type of funding you received and how it was used?

Could you also talk to us about grants from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation? This is another important source of funding. I know that UQAT has received grants from it as well.

Thank you, Mr. Rousson.

I am happy to hear you confirm that the Government of Canada has invested heavily in UQAT. This has allowed for real co-operation between the private sector, civil society and researchers and will help us get to a greener economy. I know that quite a number of these investments are aimed at clean energy.

Maybe I'll turn this to all witnesses, starting with Mr. Leclerc and Mr. Galt. I'll be quick.

Budget 2021 recently made massive investments in the net-zero accelerator fund. We're talking about $8 billion in funding that will enable greenhouse gas emission reductions across many industrial sectors.

Mr. Galt, could you comment on the pertinence of such investments?

Thank you, Chair, and thank you to our witnesses.

I'm new to this subject area. Some of our other participants have been around this issue for some time, so you'll pardon me if my questions are more on the basic side.

First off, Ms. Garrett-Baird made the distinction between the service dog and the emotional support dog, so I presume it's a different kind of training or a different type of service that is being delivered by the dog. Could you please clarify that for me?

Afterwards, I want to ask questions of Mr. Svenson on the research that underpins the services provided by both types of dogs.

Thanks for that precision.

To follow up on that, what is the nature of the debate within the research community as between these three different types of service-providing dogs that makes this issue complex to deal with at Veterans Affairs?

Okay.

Just to conclude, then, on that last aspect around the challenges that it poses to Veterans Affairs Canada.... You have the U.S. research and research done here in Canada and elsewhere. You mentioned a patchwork issue, which I understand is a separate matter, but what is it about the research that makes this challenging for VAC?

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you to our witnesses.

I won't waste any time.

This is a very important issue for us all.

I would like to focus on the testimony from Mr. Samray and Ms. Waridel.

The constituency I represent is located in the Pontiac region. Historically, forestry and sustainable development have been important in my constituency and that remains the case today. It is actually one of the most progressive constituencies.

I don't know whether Ms. Waridel remembers, but I was previously a lawyer. I represented Équiterre in matters related to chapter 11 of NAFTA, including in St. Lawrence Cement Inc. v. Barrette.

So I understand that there has to be a happy medium between regional representation and the need for development. We have to make a green shift in terms of natural resources. There must also be changes in legislative and economic institutions so that we can get to the vision that the organization that Ms. Waridel represents would like us to consider.

Here is an invitation to Ms. Waridel and Mr. Samray. I would like to be able to meet with each one of them separately.

Here is my question, which I am asking as parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry.

Our government has just announced a historic fund of $8 billion for our industries to make the green shift. It is unprecedented. Whether it is for cement, steel, aviation or forestry, funding is available through the net zero accelerator fund.

What are your concerns and your suggestions for managing those funds? What would the eligibility criteria be? What we are talking about at the moment is not vague, it is very specific. In the budget, we made an investment of $8 billion. What will we do with that money?

The net zero accelerator fund excludes no industries. You are focusing on IFIT, but that doesn't mean that there are no other possibilities.

Thank you.

Given that time is flying, I would invite our witnesses, after this discussion, to send us recommendations for the net zero accelerator fund.

Thank you, Chair. Thank you to our tremendous witnesses.

This has been a really interesting discussion. I would like to go around the horn and ask a question about the museum of war as a mechanism to achieve commemoration. It's obviously an institution of national significance, and it's one that is situated very near to my riding. I have a number of constituents who work there. I'm really interested in getting the reflection of this learned group of witnesses on the successes and areas of potential improvement of the museum in terms of how it achieves the betterment of Canadian commemoration,

Perhaps we could start with Corrine, then Lee, then over to Sean and finally to James.

Mr. Windsor.

Mr. Smith.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you to our committed witnesses. We all thank you for your incredible public service, and for just giving of your time and living out that passion that Canadians feel through you.

I have a few questions.

I want to start with Mr. Harris, given his history and his keen awareness of so many years and going through so many governments on this question of commemoration.

I wonder what lessons, Mr. Harris, we can learn from your four decades in public service and your awareness of the commemoration challenge. What are your take-aways after, literally, a lifetime of service in this area?

Thank you, Mr. Harris. That's tremendous testimony.

I'm going to pivot, given the limited time here, and ask an open question, a short one.

Mention has been made of the power of social media and the importance of connecting with youth. What do you think of the idea of connecting to younger Canadians through video game producers?

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

My thanks to the witnesses.

I have two questions.

The first one is related to the service of our Canadian military. I'm thinking of recent events in my riding of Pontiac. On two occasions, in 2017 and 2019, they provided major services to us during the floods. It was a little surprising to see tanks on highway 148, but that was the reality. I am sure the communities in the Pontiac, which I represent, would want to find a way to commemorate those moments and, in particular, the services rendered by the Canadian Armed Forces during the floods.

Has the desire to celebrate Canada's efforts in times of crisis and natural disaster been expressed during your consultations on commemorations?

Okay, Mr. Clark, so there is openness to that, and an interest and an appetite. It's a question, then, of finding the proper mechanism and engaging the community to help bring that alive.