Speaking Points

The Honourable Gary Goodyear, PC, MP
Minister of State (Science and Technology)

Institute of Quantum Computing Funding Announcement

Waterloo, Ontario
April 7, 2009

Check Against Delivery

Thank you for your warm welcome. I am delighted to be here at the University of Waterloo — the heart of Canada's technology triangle.

I have the pleasure today of fulfilling our government's Budget 2009 commitment to provide $50 million over five years to this university to support the extraordinary work of the Institute for Quantum Computing.

These funds will enable the construction and establishment of a new world-class research facility that will solidify the Institute's reputation as the global centre of research in quantum technologies and their applications.

The Institute is a perfect example of the type of project our government envisioned when we launched our Science and Technology Strategy two years ago. This strategy supports world-class research, innovation and commercialization that results in specialized talent and that provides economic and social benefits to Canadians. It targets resources to areas where Canada has the potential to be a world leader in research and translates that research into commercial advantages and innovation.

And, clearly, the Institute for Quantum Computing fits the bill.

The work being conducted here advances one of the four priority areas identified under our Science and Technology Strategy — information and communications technologies.

The Institute is fast becoming a magnet for the best and brightest undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate students from every corner of the globe.

It works collaboratively with local partners such as the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, the University of Guelph and McMaster University. It also works nationally through the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research and QuantumWorks, and supports international collaboration with research groups at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and in Singapore, Germany and Austria.

Perhaps most important, the Institute provides this collective knowledge to the private sector so Canadian industry can get ahead of the world's competition. The scope of the Institute's research ranges from fundamental concepts and ideas, all the way to technologies on the path to commercialization.

What is patently obvious is that the researchers who unravel these mysteries stand on the threshold of a whole new world of communicating and a revolutionary era of economic development.

That is why Canada's Economic Action Plan places a premium on innovations such as those being developed at this university.

The Government of Canada recognizes that science and technology play a crucial role in addressing economic and societal challenges — and creating new opportunities.

We are committed to building a competitive advantage for Canada based on excellence in science and technology. Canada's Economic Action Plan provided $5.1 billion for science and technology initiatives — an unprecedented investment. In the previous three budgets, the government pledged over $2.2 billion in new funding for science and technology.

Today's $50-million investment will allow the Institute for Quantum Computing to create the conditions for innovation with the construction of a new building, the purchase of the latest equipment and the recruitment of highly qualified personnel to undertake research activities.

Developing state-of-the-art facilities will brand Canada as the destination of choice to conduct cutting-edge research in quantum technologies. It will foster collaboration among researchers in the areas of computer, engineering, mathematical and physical sciences.

These funds will also create new opportunities for students to learn and to apply new knowledge to the benefit of Canada. This, in turn, will improve the long-term competitiveness of Canadian firms — creating a stronger, more innovative economy and a more prosperous Canada.

The expansion project I am announcing today builds on the existing successes of the Institute for Quantum Computing and previous federal investments. With the benefit of this additional $50-million investment, one can only imagine how much greater the impacts of the Institute's work will be in the future.

I, for one, have no doubt that these funds will further secure Canada's position as a world leader in science and technology. I am equally confident that they will create exceptional learning opportunities for young Canadians that will stimulate economic growth and new employment.

This is a win-win situation — for Waterloo students, for Canadian industry and for the Canadian economy and society as a whole.

I have high hopes and great expectations for the Institute for Quantum Computing. I look forward to watching its many successes in the months and years ahead.

Thank you.