Thanks Randeep.  Good morning SANE (?)

(Cheers)

What a pleasure to be here.  What a pleasure to be back.  I want to thank Simon Fraser University president Andrew Petter for welcoming us here today, and I’m very glad that Premier Clark, Mayor Hepner, our Parliamentary Secretary for Science, Terry Beech, who was our introducer this morning, and the MP for Surrey Centre and the Pacific Caucus Chair Randeep Sarai could be here as well to share in today’s announcement, along with a number of other of the Liberal team here in Surrey, John Aldag, Ken Hardie, and Sukh Dhaliwal.

See, it’s always so great for me to be back home in British Columbia and thank you for the warm welcome.  I come here any chance I can get because it’s important to stay grounded in where your roots are and understand the perspectives that come from across the country and see just how much B.C. is being an extraordinary leader in so many ways, and that’s exemplified profoundly by the amazing things going on here at SFU Surrey Campus.

VOICE IN CROWD: We love you Justin!

RT HON JUSTIN TRUDEAU: (Laughs).  Thank you very much.

(Cheers & applause)

So just yesterday, our government shared with Canadians our plan to protect one of our most valuable natural resources, our oceans.  It’s a plan that will ensure the health of our oceans for generations to come.  And today, I am very happy to announce that our government is making another investment in British Columbia’s future.  We will invest $45 million in a new research and learning centre here at Simon Fraser University.

(Cheers & applause)

Today, happy to announce that our government is once again making an investment in British Columbia’s future.  We will invest $45 million in a new research and learning centre here at Simon Fraser University.

Once completed, the new building will be home to students in the university’s new degree programs in energy systems and environmental engineering.  The new building will also have specialized space and support for graduate students in the mechatronics program who are looking to commercialize their interdisciplinary engineering research.

(Cheers & applause)

VOICE FROM CROWD: Go Justin!

RT HON JUSTIN TRUDEAU: A lot of supporters of the mechanized… mechatronics…

(Wild cheers & applause)

And, what’s really exciting is that the province will be matching the federal funding for this project, allowing us to make a combined investment of $90 million to support more research, more innovation, and more job creation in the energy sector.

(Cheers & applause)

So, as always, thank you Premier Clark for your leadership and your help in making this project a reality for Canadian students.

And if you want to know why it’s so important that different orders of government work together to make investments like this, from the federal to the provincial to even extraordinary leadership by the City of Surrey and your Mayor Linda Hepner, the reason’s very simple -- it’s through collaboration that we create good jobs and build a better future for everyone.

Research and learning centres like the one we’re going to build here at Simon Fraser will help to train the current generation and future generations… for the… well-paying jobs of tomorrow. In many cases, they will give our youth the tools and knowledge they need to create the jobs of the future, jobs that will help strengthen and grow the middle class while building a strong, competitive economy that benefits all Canadians.

I truly believe… more… I know that Canada has the opportunity to be a world leader when it comes to research and innovation.  This investment, this institution, and many others are what’s going to help us get there.

All of you, thank you very much for being here.  Thank you for all you are doing and thank you for all you’ll be doing in the years to come.

(Cheers & applause)

And now it’s my great pleasure to introduce to you a friend and someone who’s been a great partner in creating growth, opportunity and jobs, not just here in British Columbia but that have echoes right across the country.

Thank you for your leadership.  It’s great to see you here, Premier Christy Clark.

(Applause)