Thank you, Chair.
Thank you to all the witnesses for being here today and sharing your knowledge and experience with us.
During its meetings in early February, the committee heard concerns from several witnesses about a couple of human resources shortages.
One witness said that hydrogeology graduate programs had trouble finding Canadian graduate students to take advantage of the available research funding opportunities. Several other witnesses informed the committee that there are not enough certified water technicians to meet residential consumer demand.
I have two questions arising from that testimony.
What could the federal government be doing differently to attract Canadians to freshwater fields of study and to keep specialists, both Canadian and international, in Canada?
Are Canadian federal freshwater research facilities and funding opportunities sufficient to retain academics and to attract high-calibre graduate students?
I will start with Mr. Higgins, please.