Thank you, Mr. Chair and members of the committee.
As president of the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, I represent the largest single segment of Canada's research community--30,000 researchers, 71 universities, and 68 associations. Included in this group are researchers and students in commerce, economics, education, English, law, political science, and other disciplines as well.
I want to iterate my agreement with what other colleagues have said to you, that research is key to increasing Canada's productivity and making it a stronger, more competitive nation. Taking the message one step further, I urge you to rebalance the funding equation by providing strong support for research and education in the humanities and social sciences. This new government has a major opportunity to fund significant research and learning in these fields that will have a positive impact on the lives of our children and, I would say, our grandchildren as well.
I would briefly make the case that research in the humanities and social sciences contributes in three major ways. First, contrary to popular belief, graduates from arts programs get well-paying, long-term jobs. This is precisely because of their academic breadth and flexibility, which lets them switch jobs when times change. As the nature of the Canadian economy changes, so too do the needs of Canadian employers. Make no mistake, corporate boardrooms and legislatures across this country are full of graduates from the humanities and social sciences.
Second, without exception, the development of new technologies and products causes changes in human behaviour, social structures, and physical environments. Advances in human reproductive technologies, for instance, give us the tools to create life. But to use these tools with compassion, care, and caution, we must turn to research in law, ethics, sociology, history, religion, and of course other disciplines as well.
Third, humanities and social sciences research is valuable because it expands society's knowledge of people--what people have done in the past, where we are now as a society, and what we aspire to be in the future.
Canadian scholarship in these areas is internationally recognized and sought out. One example is South Africa. Canadian social scientists have been working with the new government since former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney agreed to help Nelson Mandela and his democratic movement two years before the ANC was elected. Sri Lanka, Iraq, and other countries have turned to Canada for expertise in such areas as constitution-building, multiculturalism, democracy, and peacekeeping.
Unlike some scientific discoveries that lead to patents, start-up companies, and market success, rarely does research in the humanities and social sciences lead to such concrete economic outcomes. What is the dollar value of helping emerging democracies build a constitution; of international diplomacy and peacekeeping activities; or of building a fair, just society that recognizes the contribution of all its peoples?
Northrop Frye once compared the humanities and social sciences to the air: it's all around us but invisible; the only time we notice it is when it's taken away.
I urge you not to cut off Canada's air supply. Recent cuts in such areas as the Law Commission of Canada, the Status of Women, and adult literacy will have a heavy impact on our society. Earlier cuts to the Commonwealth scholarships, the Fulbright program, and Canadian studies programs abroad ended what was a sound investment in assuring Canada's place in the world.
To conclude, in times of global social upheaval, it is even more important to find the courage to fund research whose product might not give an immediate and monetary return on investment but is certain to contribute to the greater understanding of society and our own humanity. In the long term, these investments will turn out to be the most important ones.
Thank you.