Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, committee members, for hearing us today.

My colleague Peter McArthur and I are here today....

We're here today as representatives of the Canada Cleantech Alliance to talk about the cleantech ecosystem. The Alliance is a Canadian coalition of 22 cleantech industry associations representing over 2,000 cleantech players across the country.

Clean technology companies are, in many cases, SMEs that design products, services or processes that improve not only the environmental footprint of organizations, but also the productivity of Canadian businesses. There is a growing demand for these solutions.

We would like to urgently address an issue of crucial importance, not only for Canada's cleantech sector, but also for the health of Canada's innovation economy and its global competitiveness, which are vital to our country's future.

The abrupt and lengthy halt to funding decisions for Sustainable Development Technology Canada, or SDTC, since October 2023, in the absence of an alternative, has considerably affected innovation in Canada and caused significant damage. The pause was originally scheduled to end no later than December 31, 2023. However, eight months have passed without a resolution, and the situation remained unresolved until recently. Yet questions remain.

Canada has consistently stood out in the cleantech sector relative to its size, contributing 13% of the world's cleantech companies, despite a GDP growth rate of just 1.2%. Three quarters of these 13 companies were funded by SDTC. Their success is therefore partly due to the crucial support provided by SDTC, which goes beyond initial funding to include technology risk mitigation, thanks to SDTC's technical expertise.

Today, however, our cleantech sector faces significant challenges. Over the past eight months, many of Canada's most promising cleantech companies, as well as their employees and investors, have been left in limbo. Their projects, poised to create high-value jobs, strengthen our innovation economy and improve our environment, are at a standstill.

The disruption has resulted in considerable setbacks, as we know from a survey conducted two months ago in which some companies in your respective constituencies took part. We've already shared this data with you, and we'd be happy to share more if required. These figures alone, gathered from around 200 respondents in just 48 hours, highlight the fact that investments of over $400 million have been suspended or abandoned.

I'll now hand over to my colleague, Peter MacArthur, who will suggest some possible solutions to quickly remedy the situation. We remain available to work with you and answer any questions you may have.

Thank you.