Evidence of meeting #36 for Status of Women in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was work.
A recording is available from Parliament.
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Conservative
Stella Ambler Conservative Mississauga South, ON
That's great.
Does the funding you receive from the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency help with that?
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Conservative
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President and Chief Executive Officer, Actua
Yes. In fact I neglected to mention that before. We have a grant that is helping us to deliver programming across the three territories. This past year we delivered programming in 35 communities across Nunavut, Northwest Territories, and the Yukon. Again, that is the same type of programming, but very much focused on being relevant to the community context. There's a heavy focus on engaging local community leaders and elders.
4:30 p.m.
Conservative
Stella Ambler Conservative Mississauga South, ON
Excellent. That's great.
You did mention FedDev Ontario. That's something I know a little bit about. Would the funding be specifically for literacy programs, or for STEM—?
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President and Chief Executive Officer, Actua
It's all STEM. It's STEM as it relates more specifically to innovation and economic development—so the business of science, entrepreneurship, and those types of topics.
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President and Chief Executive Officer, Actua
Always for youth aged 6 to 16, and always STEM.
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Conservative
Stella Ambler Conservative Mississauga South, ON
With a few minutes to think about it, I can figure out what NSERC stands for: Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council.
I'm not very good with these short-forms. As for CIHR, I can't figure that one out.
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President and Chief Executive Officer, Actua
It's the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
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Conservative
Stella Ambler Conservative Mississauga South, ON
Can you tell us how those programs or organizations fund Actua?
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President and Chief Executive Officer, Actua
CIHR provides us with two grants. One grant is to support national health-based programming—so healthy living and health research. We approach health messages for youth with a scientific lens. Instead of telling them to exercise, brush their teeth, and wash their hands, we show them the science behind those things. Taking a different view of those topics is critical in the aboriginal work we're doing. Also, promoting health research in Canada, connecting them to health mentors—that's CIHR. They also give us a small grant to do that work in the north.
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Conservative
Stella Ambler Conservative Mississauga South, ON
Is the theory behind it that if you tell someone the reason they're doing something they're more likely to make the right choice?
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President and Chief Executive Officer, Actua
It certainly resonates in a different way with youth, rather than saying the same old, same old—
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Conservative
Stella Ambler Conservative Mississauga South, ON
You would do that instead of simply telling them what to do.
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President and Chief Executive Officer, Actua
Absolutely.
Particularly the health-based program for girls is very relevant. We talk about issues such as body image and healthy eating, again in a scientific manner—that this is why your body needs fat, this is what a healthy lifestyle looks like, etc. It's a different angle on a subject they've heard about.
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Conservative
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President and Chief Executive Officer, Actua
NSERC supports us broadly at a national level. Again it's a relatively small grant. There's a small portion that goes to the north, and a small portion that goes broadly to support programs.
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Conservative
Stella Ambler Conservative Mississauga South, ON
You mentioned private sector support as well from Suncor, Imperial Oil, and Shell. What kinds of things do they do? Is it mentorship mainly?
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President and Chief Executive Officer, Actua
No. They invest in us financially, but they all have a component of wanting to build capacity within the organization. They also contribute mentors when possible. Most of our funders are more actively engaged beyond just providing funding.
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Conservative
Stella Ambler Conservative Mississauga South, ON
I thought that might be the case.
Can you tell me how long you've been involved with Actua, how you got involved, and what your background is? I'm curious to know if you're an engineer or a mathematician.
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President and Chief Executive Officer, Actua
I'm actually part of the small team of university students who founded the organization. We will celebrate our 20th year of incorporation next year.