Appearance at the Standing Committee on Science and Research
November 26, 2024 (4:30PM - 5:30PM ET)
Room 430, Wellington Building
180 Wellington St.

You have been invited by the House of Commons Standing Committee on Science and Research (SRSR) to provide testimony Nov 26, in support of its study on The Mission, Mandate, Role, Structure and Financing of the New Capstone Research Funding Organization Announced in Budget 2024.

You will give opening remarks and answer Committee members’ questions for the study on the Mission, Mandate, Role, Structure and Financing of the New Capstone Research Funding Organization Announced in Budget 2024. The official wording for the study (dated January 30, 2024) directs SRSR to “undertake a study of the mission, mandate, role, structure and financing of the new capstone research funding organization announced in Budget 2024; that the committee hear a minimum of eight hours of witness testimony prior to the drafting of a report; that, in addition to witnesses proposed by the committee members, the committee invite the Minister of Health, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, and all members of the Canada Research Coordinating Committee; that the committee report its findings to the House of Commons.”

The mandate of the SRSR Committee includes, among other matters, reviewing and reporting on all issues relating to science and research, including any reports of the Chief Science Advisor, and any other matter which the House refers to the standing committee.

The committee is now chaired by Valerie Bradford (Liberal member for Kitchener South – Hespler, ON)

Recent additions to committee membership include the following new members:

• Hon. Shaun Chen (Liberal MP for Scarborough North, ON)
• Hon. Mike Kelloway (Liberal MP for Cape Breton—Canso, NS), Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard
• Hon. Robert Kitchen (Conservative MP for Souris—Moose Mountain, SK) Associate Shadow Minister for Environment and Climate Change
• Hon. Arnold Viersen (Conservative MP for Peace River-Westlock, AB)

MPs no longer on the committee include:

• David Lametti (Liberal MP for LaSalle—Émard—Verdun, QC and former Attorney General/Minister of Justice)
• Ryan Turnbull (Liberal MP for Whitby, ON)
• Gerald Soroka (Conservative MP for Yellowhead, AB)
• Michelle Rempel Garner (Conservative MP for Calgary Nose Hill, AB)

The SRSR Committee is working concurrently on the following studies which are in the final stages of report drafting:

• The Distribution of Federal Government Funding Among Canada's Post-Secondary Institutions
• Science and Research in Canada's Arctic in Relation to Climate Change
• Innovation, Science, and Research in Recycling Plastics

Since its formation in 2021, the Committee has completed studies on the following topics:

1. Successes, challenges, and opportunities for science in Canada
2. Top talent
3. Small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs)
4. International moonshot programs
5. Research and scientific publication in French
6. Role and value of citizen scientists
7. Commercialization of intellectual property
8. Government of Canada graduate scholarships and post-doctoral fellowships
9. Pay Gaps Among Faculty at Canadian Universities
10. The Security of Research Partnerships Between Canadian Universities, Research Institutions and Entities Connected to the People’s Republic of China
11. Incorporating Indigenous Knowledge and Science in Canadian Research and Policy Development

• The current study began on October 22, 2024, and there have been 2 meetings to date.
• The tone of the meetings so far has been inquisitive and cordial.

A complete list of witnesses can be found in Appendix A.

ISED meeting summaries of each previous meeting can be found in Appendix B.

Other witnesses appearing at the committee on Nov. 26 are:

From 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

• Michelle Boudreau, Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Department of Health, Health Policy Branch
• Nipun Vats, Assistant Deputy Minister, Department of Industry, Science and Research Sector

From 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

• Tammy Clifford, Acting President, Canadian Institutes of Health Research
• Shannon Quinn, Secretary General, National Research Council of Canada
• Ted Hewitt, President, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)
• Normand Labrie, Vice-President, Chair of the SSHRC Board

In the prior meetings, committee questions have focused on a few key themes:

• Consultations
  • Representation on the Bouchard advisory panel, particularly the lack of small institutions and colleges
  • Whether enough time was given for stakeholder to contribute to the consultations
• Capstone structure
  • International models for comparison and lessons learned
  • Whether more research or consultation is required before Capstone could be implemented
  • What the role of the granting agencies will be in Capstone, and if they will maintain their own governance
  • Questions regarding the budget of Capstone and the need to ensure that Capstone does not result in more funds going to bureaucracy instead of research
  • Questions about the relationship to other organizations that support research, including CFI, Genome Canada, ECCC
  • Leadership of Capstone, including the need for diversity on the governance bodies, including Indigenous representation
• Mission oriented research and research priorities
  • How missions would be established for Mission-oriented research
  • How political independence would be maintained
• Efficacy of the current structure
  • Whether the granting agencies could meet the objectives of capstone in the current configuration
  • What is at stake if Canada does not move forward with Capstone
• Other
  • MPs have highlighted lists of studies that they suggest are not good uses of taxpayer funds

Valerie Bradford (Kitchener South – Hespler, ON) (LPC)
Chair

Background: First elected in September 2021. Has been a member of SRSR since December 2021. Prior to entering politics, she was an economic development professional for the City of Kitchener. Sat on panel at CSPC and supported NSERC prizes 2022.

Interests: Innovation, Intellectual Property, Green Economy, Partnerships, Childcare, Equal Opportunities, Pay Equity.

Corey Tochor (Saskatoon – University, SK) (CPC)
Vice-Chair

Background: First elected in October 2019. Has been a member of SRSR since December 2021. Has a commerce degree from the University of Saskatchewan with a major in Finance. Mr. Tochor was previously elected to the Saskatchewan legislature in 2011 and 2016. Before entering politics, he was an entrepreneur who owned and operated Health Conveyance. Is Associate Shadow Minister for Natural Resources (Nuclear) for the CPC.

Interests: nuclear energy, partnerships, natural resources, biases and partisanship in research, foreign influence.

Maxime Blanchette-Joncas (Rimouski-Neigette – Témiscouata – Les Basques, QC) (BQ)
Vice-Chair

Background: First elected in October 2019. Has been a member of SRSR since December 2021. Obtained a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Quebec in Rimouski. He briefly held a job at the Business Development Bank of Canada, then was hired as deputy director general of the municipality of L'Isle-Verte. Work in the House of Commons has focused on Public Accounts and Tourism. His files for the BQ are the Saint Lawrence Seaway and Innovation and Sciences.

Interests: province of Quebec, merit-based research funding, investments in R&D, research funding distribution, support for French language research and publications
 

Liberal Party of Canada

Lloyd Longfield (Guelph, ON)

Background: First elected in October 2015. Was Chair of SRSR from April 2023 to May 2024. He is currently Chair of the SRSR Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure. Previously a Mechanical Engineering Technologist, MP Longfield has been serving Guelph for 30 years including 7 years as the President of the Guelph Chamber of Commerce. He served as a member of the Standing Committee for Industry, Science and Technology (INDU), among others.

Interests: environment, climate change, housing, mental health, health research, Indigenous involvement in research, early learning, childcare, entrepreneurship innovation, economic development.

Lena Metlege Diab (Halifax West, NS)

Background: Elected to the House of Commons in September 2021. Has been a member of SRSR since December 2021. She was first elected as a Nova Scotia MLA in 2013, became Nova Scotia’s first female Attorney General and Minister of Justice and served as the Province’s Minister of Immigration, Minister of Labour and Advanced Education, and Minister of Acadian Affairs and Francophonie. Lena is the daughter of Lebanese immigrants to Canada. She graduated from Saint Mary's University with a Bachelor of Arts in economics and political science. She also obtained her Master of Public Administration and Bachelor of Laws. She is Chair of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights.

Interests: supporting research and innovation in Atlantic Canada, Indigenous reconciliation, justice and human rights, support for French language research and publications, international collaboration in research, partnerships, pay equity, diversity and inclusion.

Helena Jaczek (Markham- Stouffville, ON)

Background: First elected to the House of Commons in October 2019. Has been a member of SRSR since September 2023. She has served as the Minister of Public Services and Procurement and the Minister Responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario. She was an Ontario MLA and served as Ontario’s Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, Chair of Cabinet, Ontario’s Minister of Community and Social Services, and Vice-Chair of the Health, Education and Social Policy Cabinet Committee. She received her medical degree and Master of Health Sciences from the University of Toronto and a Master of Business Administration from York University. She spent many years in general practice before working 18 years as the Medical Officer of Health and Commissioner of Health Services for the Regional Municipality of York. She served on the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology (INDU) and

Interests: healthcare, mental health, public health, individuals with disabilities, artic science, climate change, traditional knowledge, government operations, national security.

Shaun Chen (Scarborough North, ON) New Member

Background: First elected in October 2015. Has been a member of SRSR since May 2024. Served as Trustee for Ward 21, Scarborough–Rouge River, on the Toronto District School Board beginning in 2006, and was elected Chair of the Board (Canada’s largest school board) in 2014. He also sat on the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association and the Children’s Services Advisory Committee of the City of Toronto. He received his BSc in computer science and equity studies and MA in sociology in education from the University of Toronto. Other than SRSR, he has served on the Standing Committees on Canadian Heritage, Citizenship and Immigration, Library of Parliament, Public Accounts, and Veterans Affairs.

Interests: childcare, education, racial equity, public accounts.

Mike Kelloway (Cape Breton—Canso, NS) New Member

Background: First elected in October 2019. Has been a member of SRSR since May 2024. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Community Studies from Cape Breton University and a Master of Continuing Education in Organizational Leadership from the University of Calgary. He is Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard. He is also a member of the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans.

Interests: community and economic development, healthcare, Atlantic Canada, fisheries, marine conservation, waste recycling.

Conservative Party of Canada

Robert Kitchen (Souris—Moose Mountain, SK) New Member

Background: First elected in October 2015. Has been a member of SRSR since September 2024. He holds a B.Sc (Hons.) degree in Kinesiology from the University of Waterloo, obtained a Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.) from the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College, and completed a Post-Graduate Diploma in Educational Administration from the University of Regina. He served for six years as the Registrar for the Chiropractors’ Association of Saskatchewan. He is currently Associate Shadow Minister for Environment and Climate Change.

Interests and areas of intervention: labour mobility, foreign-trained practitioners, health, sports, carbon tax, affordability.

Ben Lobb (Huron-Bruce, ON)

Background: First elected in October 2008. Has been a member of SRSR since October 2022. He holds a Bachelor of Science in business administration from Lee university in Cleveland, Tennessee. Currently serves as the Shadow Minister for Digital Government and is one of the co-founders of the Conservative Blockchain Caucus. Previously worked in finance for desire2lean (d2l), an online education platform developer, and Wescast Industries, an automotive parts developer and supplier.

Interests: blockchain technology, digital government, energy and fuel, farming and farmers, government assistance to colleges and universities.

Arnold Viersen (Peace River-Westlock, AB) New Member

Background: First elected in October 2015. Has been a member of SRSR since September 2024 and has served as a member of the Standing Committee for Indigenous and Northern Affairs. His riding includes fourteen First Nations and three Metis Settlements. Arnold apprenticed as an auto service technician and earned a business degree from the University of the Fraser Valley.

Interests: rural concerns, child protection, freedom of conscious and religion, pandemic mandates.

New Democratic Party

Richard Cannings (South Okanagan – West Kootenay, BC)

Background: First elected in October 2015. Has been a member of SRSR since December 2021 and has served at multiple occasions as a Vice-Chair or member of the Standing Committee on Natural Resources. Biologist specializing in birds; taught at the UBC for 17 years; current NDP Critic for Emergency Preparedness (Climate Change Resilience), as well as Small Business and Tourism, and International Trade. He is also Deputy Critic for Natural Resources and Deputy Critic for Innovation, Science and Industry. His father was the renowned environmentalist, Stephen Cannings.

Interests: climate change, biodiversity and conservation, energy and fuel, natural resources, indigenous communities, innovation, colleges and universities, research and researchers, international trade.

Table 1: Witnesses for the study

Presented by Professor Alejandro Adem,
Chair, Canada Research Coordinating Committee
President, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada

November 26, 2024

• Good afternoon, Madam Chair and Members of the Committee.

• As the President of the largest government funder of natural sciences and engineering research in Canada, and as the current Chair of the Canada Research Coordinating Committee, I am pleased to provide remarks concerning Capstone.
• The CRCC was pleased to have the opportunity to engage the research community on the Government’s vision for this new organization.
• Over one month, we held numerous engagement sessions and received 118 written submissions.
• Respondents voiced clear and consistent themes.
• These are captured in our report to the Ministers, published and shared with you on October 16.

1. First and foremost, the community called for continued commitment to investigator-led, fundamental research, which is where the vast majority of major breakthroughs and discoveries occur.
2. They also articulated core values and essential strengths in the current system, on which to build the new organization:
   • Academic freedom and peer review.
   • Equity, diversity and inclusion in research.
   • A commitment to, research training and Indigenous research priorities.
   • Strong agency leadership, with dedicated funding and reliable program delivery.
3. Lastly, they called for sustained community engagement in design of the new organization – and as part of its culture, going forward.

• I also met with members of the NSERC Council and its standing committees, as well as NSERC Leaders, network of over 70 institutional representatives from universities across Canada.
• Consistent with the information I just highlighted, there was a focus on:
  • Again, the importance of fundamental research
  • How mission-driven research will be framed
  • The alignment of research and research infrastructure
  • The importance of guiding values and principles
  • And preserving disciplinary funding envelopes
• They also voiced a particular interest in the new organizations’ relationships with industry.
• Through our grants, scholarships and fellowships programs, NSERC is committed to developing talent, generating discoveries and supporting innovation in pursuit of economic and social outcomes for Canadians.
• Let me leave you with a few facts about NSERC.
• Each year, NSERC funds over 11,000 researchers and provides direct support to more than 6,000 students and postdocs.
• These investments have impact. Since 2015, 3 researchers in Canada have won Nobel Prizes in Physics, one of the main disciplines supported by NSERC.
• More importantly, NSERC invested in all three, including Dr. Geoffrey Hinton, the most recent Nobel winner.
• When NSERC began supporting his work in the early 1990’s through its discovery program, which is investigator-lead, the concepts of Machine Learning and artificial intelligence were purely theoretical.
• In fact, it can take decades to build the foundations of new high-impact research areas such as AI.
• NSERC’s early investments in AI research supported not only Geoff Hinton but other leaders in the field, like Yoshua Bengio.
• In addition to decades of research, they have trained whole generations of AI experts. Consequently, Canada’s AI research ecosystem has grown exponentially.
• NSERC funding at universities and colleges has supported the development of key world-class technologies in partnership with the private sector in areas such as AI, but also quantum science, biomedical engineering, clean energy, semi-conductors, electric vehicles, agriculture to name a few.
• NSERC’s investments have real-life, real-time impacts on Canadian society.
• Let me end with one final example.
• This year, NSERC awarded Mehdi Sheikhzadeh, a chemical engineer and research administrator at Lambton College, with our recognizing partnerships.
• Origin Materials partnered with Sheikhzadeh and his team tooptimize a pilot plant where they extract carbon from non-food biomass. The partnership was a success, and Origin opened a $140M facility in Sarnia that employs 50 people toproduce recyclable, carbon-negative, plant-based plastic bottles.
• This type of partnership with industry exemplifies our commitment to local innovation and supporting research that moves quickly to meet the needs of our partners.

• Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you today. I look forward to answering any questions you may have and I would be happy to share with you more examples of the research NSERC is funding, which is producing direct and tangible results for Canada and Canadians.