Industry Committee on May 30th, 2019

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

I'm trying, if you'll allow me—

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

You keep citing the Naylor report, and you have not—

[The Chair, Liberal, Dan Ruimy]

Mr. Chong, please let the minister answer.

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

It's also my time, Mr. Chair, and the Naylor report was clear about its recommendations for increased funding levels. The fact of the matter is the government has not increased funding for the four granting councils to that level. That's a fact.

[The Chair, Liberal, Dan Ruimy]

You don't need to make that point with me. Again, you are asking the minister—

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

—about the national advisory council and not about funding levels.

[The Chair, Liberal, Dan Ruimy]

You are commenting and now you're.... Please let the minister answer. It's only fair. You prefaced all of that information—

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

I asked about the—

[The Chair, Liberal, Dan Ruimy]

You're running out of time, Mr. Chong. We're running out of time, so if you'd like the minister to answer—

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

I'd like her to answer about the national advisory council.

[The Chair, Liberal, Dan Ruimy]

She can answer to whatever she feels is appropriate.

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

And I can respond in any way I'd like to respond.

[The Chair, Liberal, Dan Ruimy]

Well, your time is running out.

Minister.

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

In year one, we made a $95-million investment in the granting councils. It was heralded across the country because that $95 million was the largest investment in the granting councils in a decade. In budget 2018, we increased our funding to the granting councils by 25% to $1.7 billion.

Now I'm happy to answer. There will shortly be an announcement about the council on science and innovation. I'd like to thank the Science, Technology and Innovation Council, or STIC, for its work. This will be our council and we will take a different approach. It will be open and transparent. Agendas will be provided so Canadians know what will be discussed, and there will be reporting to Canadians. We are taking a very different approach and there will be the 12 members that you mentioned.

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Dan Ruimy]

Thank you very much.

We're going to move to Mr. Sheehan for five minutes.

[Terry Sheehan, Liberal, Sault Ste. Marie, ON]

Thank you very much, Minister, for bringing science back. In fact, you've brought it back to schools, back to government, back to industry and back to Canada.

Sault Ste. Marie is known as a steel town but we also have one of the highest rates of Ph.D.s per capita. There's a lot of scientific research happening on flora and fauna, forestry, the Great Lakes and the rivers. We also have Algoma University and Sault College. I noted that you had mentioned the dimension charter. Algoma University has signed that. It's a semi-rural university and they're leading the way. They have, since 2015, two research chairs. They're basically our front-line warriors in the battle against climate change. They're doing significant scientific research. They're working with both the private and public sectors there.

As you know, my daughter Kate was just accepted to the University of Ottawa for science. I really appreciate your leadership over the last few years in making things more diverse and giving a leg up.

I have a couple of questions. Can you explain some of the changes you have made to help women enter the scientific field and do their research? Can you explain in particular some of the changes that have been made to maternity leave?

As well, I noted with great significance that one of Doug Ford's first actions was to get rid of the chief science officer for Ontario. However, you were tasked with creating a chief science officer for Canada. Can you explain the importance of a chief science officer as well?

Last, Dr. Bondar says hi.

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Thanks, Terry. Congratulations to your daughter. Please give Dr. Bondar my very best. She's a Canadian hero.

Equity, diversity, inclusion: We have world-class institutions in this country, and they rank in the top 100. I think we should all be celebrating our researchers and our institutions.

I want as many people going through these institutions as possible. We have to attract them there, and we have to retain them. That's why we've put in place these equity, diversity, inclusion requirements for our prestigious research chairs. That's why we're increasing parental leave. When I came in, the parental leave for the three granting councils was three months, six months and six months. We got it to six months, and in this budget it's going to 12 months.

That's why we're bringing in the dimensions charter. This is based on the Athena SWAN program in the U.K., which has been replicated in Ireland, the United States and Australia. The Canadian program will be the most ambitious, and it's really exciting. In a matter of a few weeks, we will have 32 institutions signing on.

We want our institutions to be welcoming. I was at Dalhousie University on Friday, and there's really great excitement that people can be part of transformative change. In 1970, there was 0% full women professors in engineering. Roughly 50 years later, it's 11%. We've made progress, but it's incremental. There's excitement that together we can make transformative change. It's very exciting.

You asked about the chief science adviser. We believe in science advice to government so that our scientists can speak freely, so that they are not muzzled. They can be collaborating and going to international conferences. The chief science adviser has done really important work this year. She has worked on having departmental chief scientists to increase science advice to science-based departments.

I asked her to develop a scientific integrity policy—this is a first in Canada—to protect our scientists and researchers so we can never go back to as it was under the previous government. Nature, one of our most prestigious research journals, talked about Canada muzzling its scientists. We can never go back to that.

She has done an important aquaculture report that our government is now acting upon. She has done her first annual report. She is rebuilding the relationships with the research community outside and inside of government, as well as international relationships. Science and diplomacy matter.

[The Chair, Liberal, Dan Ruimy]

Thank you very much.

The final two minutes are yours, Mr. Masse.

[Brian Masse, NDP, Windsor West, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Again, thank you, Minister, for being here.

To continue along that line, there has been a lot of talk here about the silencing and muzzling of scientists in the previous government but your government right now does not allow scientists to release papers. Your scientists' papers are often redacted when they finally do get them released.

Your government right now has partial use and restrictions on papers in scientific research that is commissioned. It is not allowed, when you finally get them, to use them and share them.

Often requests from scientists and researchers are delayed or even ignored amongst departments. The situation has become so critical right now that your government also has lost information. As we go to the digital area, some departments treat it with respect, some do not, and information and research are also lost with regard to not moving into digital formats.

All of that has been expressed as part of the concerns on Crown copyright. Right now, you muzzle and restrict scientists, not by necessarily restricting what they say in public, but by denying the free access of their works for other Canadian researchers.

Aren't you then part of the problem?

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Brian, thank you for your question.

I will tell you what I am absolutely committed to. On day two, we unmuzzled our scientists.

Let me explain this. It is one thing to say it and it's another thing to act.

We developed a new communications policy from the previous government, because Nature magazine was reporting about Canada muzzling its scientists. I then wrote, along with the former president of the Treasury Board, to all ministers of the science-based departments to make sure they knew there was a new policy. We stressed that we want our scientists to speak. We want them communicating with Canadians. We want them speaking to the public.

[Brian Masse, NDP, Windsor West, ON]

Then why won't you let them share their papers? Why do you have restrictions?

[The Chair, Liberal, Dan Ruimy]

Mr. Masse.

[Brian Masse, NDP, Windsor West, ON]

That is the problem that we face here.

[The Chair, Liberal, Dan Ruimy]

Mr. Masse, the minister has actually stayed over her time. I wanted to make sure you got your time. Please do a quick wrap-up.