Involvement and support of elected officials is, of course, a surrogate for the involvement and support of the general public which in a publicly funded system, ultimately determines the sustainability of the research and teaching system. [...] The fragility of the research and teaching system, experience of the 1990s I served in the Parliament of Canada from 1993 to 2006. [...] P.), I was struck by the lack of awareness within the academic community of the dependence of their world on public and political support and of the roles of M. P.s in sustaining that support. [...] The fragility of the research and teaching system of Canada became apparent during the federal budget cuts of the 1990s. [...] Are the four funding levels of government and the general public sufficiently informed about the fundamental importance of the post-secondary research and teaching system for our economy and way of life?.