I'm Dr. Janet Rossant, the chief of research at the Hospital for Sick Children here in Toronto. I'm going to talk to you today about the importance of health research.
Research is integral to the health care mission at the Hospital for Sick Children. Our vision is: healthier children, a better world. This vision speaks to the vital role that children play in Canada's future and the importance that has to be placed on their health. Investment in the health of children is an investment in a future generation of healthy, productive Canadians.
At all stages, research informs and improves the health of our children and the delivery of care. While improved health for Canadians is the outcome we seek, we also recognize that health research is one of the key drivers of today's knowledge-based economy. By supporting innovation, health outcomes for Canadians improve, the health care system becomes stronger and more efficient, our economy is bolstered through commercialization in biotech, and our skilled workers are encouraged to stay in Canada, contributing to our nation's prosperity.
SickKids, as we call the Hospital for Sick Children, wants to acknowledge the importance of federal investments made in support of health research in recent years. These investments have brought benefits to the children we serve across Canada and around the world. SickKids receives research funding from many different sources, including voluntary health agencies and partnerships with industry. But the federal government is our largest single source of external research funding, promoting the basic research we undertake.
We have a proven record of turning research funding into research discoveries that improve the understanding and treatment of children's diseases. Recent discoveries enabled by federal funding include a major finding that childhood and adult brain tumours originate from cancer stem cells. This is going to change the way we treat cancer in the future, and we expect it to suggest new targets for drug therapy.
We've identified possible new genetic mechanisms behind congenital heart defects. We've just completed the first population-based study in Canada looking at the impact of asthma in children. We've also developed novel interventions to help learning-disabled children within the educational system. So we have conducted a wide range of research. It's the funding tools in the federal government—CIHR, CFI, and Canada research chairs—that have enabled the rapid advancement of health research at SickKids and at research institutes across Canada.
We're facing new health challenges in Canada today: an epidemic of obesity in children, the devastating impacts mental health issues in children and other vulnerable populations, the effect of environmental factors such as air quality on asthma in children and adults, and the growing impact of chronic diseases. Only continued investment in health research will help us deal with these impending crises.
So the Hospital for Sick Children, along with Research Canada and other supporters of the health research endeavour, have a number of recommendations to make. We believe that CIHR is delivering on its promise to address these fundamental health issues. We recommend that the government increase the base budget of CIHR; that the increase be set at $350 million phased in over the next three years; and that the government consider disbursement in envelopes targeting strategic health issues, from which CIHR would administer funds addressing problems such as obesity and mental health.
Investment in CFI, the Canada Foundation for Innovation, has provided vital research infrastructure to hospitals, universities, and research entities across Canada. Reinvestment in CFI is going to ensure the continued development of this infrastructure, which is vital to the development of a strong economy in Canada's future prosperity.
The indirect cost programs provide the support within the institutions for the research that's carried on. Operating grants need to move towards the real indirect cost rate, which is about 40%. This funding should flow directly to the institution where the costs are incurred, not passed through higher structures such as universities.
At SickKids, we want to ensure that children's health is a national priority. Investment in children is an investment in the future. We recommend that a children's health advisory council be established that could fund specific children's health initiatives, including research. This would improve the health prospects of all Canadian children.
Thank you.