Finance committee  All we have is anecdotal information. In other words, when we talk to tax managers and CEOs of companies, they tell us what's happening with respect to their budgets. The oil and gas industry is extremely fluid. They will turn on and turn off a billion-dollar project just like that.

Finance committee  Good afternoon, Mr. Chairman and committee members. By way of introduction I'd like to make a few comments about my background as it relates to SR and ED and R and D funding. I have more than 30 years as a chartered accountant, with a computer science degree and an MBA. In the past I was a full-time faculty member at the University of Calgary and taught the most recent SR and ED courses for the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Alberta.