Science and Research committee  The first thing we try to do is come up with our methods and approaches in tandem. Doing so often helps us get ahead of the problems we're likely to run into later. It's important to understand that the Science and Technology Branch plays a scientific advisory role. Our direct product will often be to publish something in a journal or on various media.

Science and Research committee  If I may, I can partially respond to that. At the last meeting, I believe a witness said that it's very common to have differences of opinion in the scientific community. In fact, it's part of the scientific method, which is to debate the merits of our opinions. It's no different when it comes to Indigenous knowledge and science, and it's no different when it comes to Indigenous science and Western science.

Science and Research committee  With respect to science and technology, we do work with government funds. We work with academia through a number of mechanisms. We work through some programs, such as the northern contaminants program, with a number of indigenous groups. We receive funding through the oil sands monitoring program in Alberta in the joint management of the program with the Government of Alberta to monitor the entire region for air, water and wildlife.

Science and Research committee  Again, I would say that the carbon tax is not our area of responsibility at the science and technology branch. We work with a number of communities. We do a lot of field work, and everybody's impacted by the cost of living. We manage through our budgets and through priorities to accomplish the work we need to do.

Science and Research committee  We do not see that, no. Where we are at is that we're focusing our research where it needs to be focused, and we are managing within the budgets that we are given, given all the externalities that impact budgets.

Science and Research committee  Again, the framework developed in the department by Dr. Ballard is one of understanding that we're starting at different places when it comes to knowledge and when it comes to science. It is one of first bridging, in a first step, and then braiding and then weaving knowledge systems together.

Science and Research committee  Yes, I'm sorry; could you repeat that?

Science and Research committee  Mr. Chair, I am the ADM of science and technology. We do not run programs on clean technologies. We do, however, work very closely with many indigenous groups throughout Canada on aspects of community-based monitoring and on wildlife research in the north. There are very many examples of work we do in collaboration with our partners.

Science and Research committee  Thank you, Chair. I will share my opening remarks with Dr. Myrle Ballard, who is my colleague here today. I will start by saying that science in and of itself is the method we use to understand our physical and natural environment, through measurement, through observation and through experimentation.

Environment committee  Thank you very much. The assessment considered what was published and was available in the literature. The assessment itself looked at over 450 publications. With respect to human health, a conclusion was not presented. More research is required to understand exactly the impact of microplastics on human health and their bioavailabilities through the food chain.

Environment committee  Okay. The request for proposals was based on different themes. I don't know off the top of my head how much was allocated to microplastics research and how much was allocated to research on the rest of the plastics life cycle, but we can get back to the committee with the information once we have it.