Good afternoon, Mr. Chair and committee members. Thank you for the invitation to present to you.
I'm Dr. Lisa Votta-Bleeker, and I'm the deputy CEO of the Canadian Psychological Association. I'm here to present today as the chair of the Canadian Consortium for Research, or the CCR.
With 20 member organizations, the CCR is a national coalition which represents more than 50,000 researchers and 650,000 students. We are the largest advocacy coalition in Canada, focusing on research funding in all science disciplines and support for post-secondary education.
Science—social, natural, and health—is a fundamental part of Canada, having relevance to societal well-being, human functioning, health, technology, innovation, productivity, and the economy. Its relevance can be measured at the individual, business, and community levels. As such, it is critical to develop, promote, and support a culture that values discovery and innovation. Achieving this requires continued and sustained investments in funding for research, students, infrastructure, and career development.
The CCR commends the government on its commitment to the review of fundamental science. The report of the prestigious panel, chaired by Dr. Naylor, was the most comprehensive review of federal support for fundamental science in 40 years. We are also pleased with yesterday's appointment of Dr. Mona Nemer as Canada's chief science adviser.
The government's investment in fundamental research for 2016-17 to the funding agencies, to students, and to research infrastructure has been an important infusion of support to help strengthen the Canadian research community. These commitments, coupled with the support for indigenous students pursuing post-secondary education, and the expanded eligibility criteria for the Canada student grants program will help to create a much-needed pool of future researchers.
The fundamental science report offers a comprehensive plan to both change and improve Canada's research ecosystem and restore the position of Canadians as research leaders on the international stage. Consistent with the CCR's recommendations to the panel, the first priority is to increase funding for independent investigator-led research. To this end, cumulative increases to the base funding of the federal research granting councils, from the current $3.5 billion to $4.8 billion by 2022, should be phased in over four years.
Enhanced personnel support for researchers and trainees at different career stages should be established, with a total base increase of $140 million per year phased in over four years, in equal increments of $35 million per year. This can be used to harmonize, upgrade, and strategically focus the system of graduate student and post-doctoral fellow supports. The report also made recommendations for stable annual funding for CFI in the amount of $300 million, another $35 million annually for major research facilities matching ratio funding, and an additional $143 million in increased support for indirect costs associated with facilities and operations.
The CCR supports efforts to improve coordination and harmonization and promote collaboration and share best practices among the four granting councils: CIHR, SSHRC, NSERC, and CFI. Balance across all research disciplines, including the social science and humanities, health, and natural sciences, as a foundational principle for funding is essential to a healthy research ecosystem.
Other foundational principles in the report include new forms of support for multidisciplinary and international research funding; support for indigenous researchers, diversity, and research that crosscuts disciplines; improved agility and timeliness in responding to emerging issues; and investment in digital research that will serve the long-term access and reuse of Canadian research. Therefore, the CCR strongly supports the implementation of all the recommendations embodied within the fundamental science review report.
Moving forward with these recommendations would enhance the well-being of Canadians, help them be as productive as possible in their workplaces and communities, help businesses to be more productive and competitive, and support a strong science culture upon which the development of good policy and programming is based.
We thank you for inviting us to speak to our input as part of the 2018 pre-budget consultations.