Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm pleased to appear before you as part of the review of Dr. Prigent's recent appointment to the CIHR governing council.
Let me tell you right at the outset how much CIHR's governing council and I personally welcome and support this superb addition to our board. Dr. Prigent was appointed by Governor in Council because of his vast knowledge, his unique experience, and his keen understanding of the Canadian international health research landscape. Like all other council members, Dr. Prigent was appointed as an individual and not as a representative of his employer.
The mandate of the CIHR's governing council is to oversee the agency's orientation and management. It defines its strategic orientations, objectives and policies, and assesses its overall performance. It is important to emphasize that it is not the council's responsibility to examine or approve funding applications. There is no doubt in my mind that Dr. Prigent's appointment meets the criteria for the appointment of members to the governing council as set out in the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Act.
That act states that council members must meet the highest standards of scientific excellence and represent a range of relevant disciplines and communities. No one will doubt Dr. Prigent's exceptional qualifications and experience in this regard.
Dr. Prigent is a distinguished international researcher and vice-president of Pfizer Canada Inc. He is a member of the Canadian Society of Clinical Pharmacology and the Canadian Arthritis Network. He sits on the board and chairs the Scientific Advisory Council of Rx&D's Health Research Foundation, and he co-chairs the research committee of Montréal InVivo, a non-profit group of over 600 public and private organizations in Montreal that promotes scientific partnership and innovation.
Dr. Prigent brings to the council an unparalleled background in matters ranging from global health to research management, particularly a vast experience in innovation and commercialization, thereby filling what the governing council had identified as a major expertise gap in its midst. His unique knowledge in this field will enable us to better fulfill our responsibilities with respect to the achievement of CIHR's objectives, as stated in section 4 of the CIHR Act:
to excel, according to internationally accepted standards of scientific excellence, in the creation of new knowledge and its translation into improved health for Canadians, more effective health services and products, and a strengthened Canadian health care system, by
(i) encouraging innovation, facilitating the commercialization of health research in Canada and promoting economic development through health research in Canada;
Innovation and commercialization are key elements in the CIHR's mandate for improving the health of Canadians and the effectiveness of our health system.
As you are aware, Canada ranks poorly in private sector research and development investment. In fact, in its last report card on innovation, the Conference Board of Canada gave the country a D for its innovation performance in the past three decades.
This unfulfilled need has been underscored in the Government of Canada's National Science and Technology Strategy which, on this point, specifically recommends:
As the government fills vacancies on the councils' governing bodies, it will seek out more business and community representation to ensure that the composition of granting council governing bodies reflects Canada's broad economic and national interests.
Up until now, this call had been heard by virtually every single federal research agency except CIHR. Indeed, members from the biopharmaceutical sector sit on the boards of Genome Canada, the National Research Council, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, and the Canadian Foundation for Innovation.
Several provincial health research organizations, including the Manitoba Health Research Council and the Fonds de la recherche en santé du Québec, also have members from the biopharmaceutical industry sitting on their boards. Likewise, sister councils in other countries—for instance, the Medical Research Council in the U.K.—have board members from this sector.
In all cases, these individuals have been appointed not as representatives of their employers but as unique individuals willing to share their knowledge and able to help build bridges between the private and public sectors for the common good.
In closing, I would like to remind the committee that all governing council members must observe the Conflict of Interest Act, the ethical guidelines for public office holders, and the guidelines for the political activities of public office holders, as a condition of appointment.
In addition, disclosure of conflict of interest is a standing item on governing council meeting agendas.
I am deeply convinced that Dr. Prigent's appointment will have no negative impact on the CIHR's integrity. Quite the contrary, his presence will be of great assistance in carrying out our mission. Dr. Prigent shares CIHR's vision and brings unique expertise to its implementation.
Thank you.