Minister of State Goodyear Hears from Science and Innovation Stakeholders

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Feb. 11, 2013) - The Honourable Gary Goodyear, Minister of State (Science and Technology) met last Friday with researchers and graduate students at McGill University in Montreal. The event was the latest in a series of economic consultations with leading stakeholders in Canadian research and development ahead of the 2013 federal budget to be tabled later this year.

"Our government's top priority is creating jobs, growth and long-term prosperity," said Minister of State Goodyear. "We are working hard on implementing Economic Action Plan 2012, keeping Canada on the right track, with over 900,000 net new jobs created since July 2009 - the best growth record among all G-7 countries."

Since mid-January, Minister of State Goodyear has taken part in economic consultations across the country. He has heard from researchers, college and university officials, and businesspeople from a wide variety of industry sectors.

"Our government remains focused on the conditions necessary for a healthy innovation system - supportive marketplace frameworks, engaged citizens, highly skilled people, and sound infrastructure," the minister of state said. "Speaking directly to Canadians is the best way to get input on how to fuel job and economic growth."

In order to ensure wide public participation in the budget process, the Harper Government has also launched an online pre-budget consultation through the Finance Canada website. Anyone interested in participating can find more information at www.fin.gc.ca.

For more information on the Government of Canada's science and technology initiatives, visit the Science and Technology for Canadians website (science.gc.ca).