Industry Committee on Nov. 28th, 2016

[Navdeep Bains, Liberal, Mississauga—Malton, ON]

That's a great question. I've been asked that a few times. We're very open to looking at the potential investment opportunities that present themselves, because we're competing against Mexico and southern parts of the U.S., and with the rise of protectionism that we're seeing in different jurisdictions, we really need to up our game.

I can tell you right now we're very open. It all depends on the proposal that we get, the best value that we can get for taxpayers' dollars, the best investment that we can potentially get, and the opportunities for job creation. Those are the considerations that we have in mind.

[Brian Masse, NDP, Windsor West, ON]

Fair enough, and if NAFTA is opened up...prior to NAFTA we had the Auto Pact. Will you be a champion to return that trading agreement that Canada had with the United States, because then we were stronger, and we've dropped to 10th? Will you set goals to move Canada back up there, given the preferential trade that we had in the past?

[Navdeep Bains, Liberal, Mississauga—Malton, ON]

Yes, my colleague Minister Freeland would lead the discussions on the free trade aspect, along with the Prime Minister, but our whole government will be engaged.

I can assure you that as the minister responsible for so many key sectors across the economy, the auto sector is so critical. It employs directly and indirectly 500,000 Canadians, and that's very important. We're going to make sure we do everything we can to maintain and enhance that footprint, and we're going to demonstrate leadership through the different issues that I've outlined. In any discussions we have with the U.S. or Mexico, we're going to make sure that we always keep that in mind.

[Brian Masse, NDP, Windsor West, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

[Cheryl Gallant, Conservative, Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, ON]

Mr. Chair, I have a point of order.

I just want to put on the record that we've had a very short time with the minister. We recognize that in this age of making sure that women are recognized in Parliament, that neither the lady across the way nor myself had a chance to even ask one question, because if I were allowed to ask one question, then I would ask the minister when Mississauga moved to northern Ontario.

[Navdeep Bains, Liberal, Mississauga—Malton, ON]

If I may, Chair, she presented a very important aspect about participation of women in the discussion, and then she made such a partisan jab at the end, which is really undermining that question. It's very disappointing to see the member opposite trying to politicize a very important issue, which is engaging more women in politics. It's very disappointing to see that.

[The Chair, Liberal, Dan Ruimy]

We will suspend for one minute, being mindful of the time, so that we can set up for the second minister.

[The Chair, Liberal, Dan Ruimy]

Welcome back, everybody.

Mindful of time, we won't be able to make it through the entire list, so we're just going to get right to it.

This afternoon, we have appearing before us the Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science, as well as Colette Downie, chief financial officer, corporate management sector, and Lawrence Hanson, assistant deputy minister, spectrum, information technologies and telecommunications.

Welcome. Thank you very much, and we're just going to jump right into it.

Minister Duncan, it's all yours.

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Minister of Science]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to the committee for the invitation. I'm pleased to be here in front of your esteemed committee.

I appreciate the opportunity to speak today about my mandate and what is being done to strengthen science in our country.

I would also like to acknowledge my colleagues here from ISED, and our deputy minister and associate deputy minister.

Mr. Chair, last November, the Prime Minister asked me to take the lead on supporting research in the integration of scientific consideration into our policy choices. The Prime Minister wrote that support for science is an essential pillar in our strategy to create sustainable economic growth and to grow the middle class.

For starters, we have made it clear that government scientists can and should speak freely about their work to the media and to the public.

Last May, I worked with my colleague and Treasury Board president, Scott Brison, on releasing a new government communications policy. The policy is clear: subject-matter experts, including scientists, can speak publicly about their work without being officially designated to do so. To ensure that federal science is fully available to the public, we are establishing a chief science officer position. We will launch this search in the near future. What's more, we're breaking down the silos that prevent federal scientists from sharing their knowledge with each other as they advance shared goals, whether action on climate change, antimicrobial resistance, Arctic science, food security, or the whole-of-government innovation agenda.

To help accomplish this, I met with deputy ministers from science-based departments and agencies at a first-ever retreat this summer. I stressed to them the need to promote greater integration across portfolios, and I am very encouraged by our progress to date. Our three federal granting councils, as well, are key players in the scientific ecosystem: the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

The first two councils support nearly 50,000 researchers and research trainees.

Also funded through the science portfolio are the Canada Foundation for Innovation and Genome Canada, which support research infrastructure and large-scale genomics projects, respectively. To date, the Canada Foundation for Innovation has provided support to about 9,300 projects at 145 research institutions in 70 municipalities across Canada. Last year, more than 26,000 students and post-doctoral fellows used CFl-funded infrastructure to expand their research skills. What's more, our premier federal research organization, the National Research Council, is also having a profound impact on the research community. Last year, it saw 224 patents filed and 162 patents issued. Eleven Nobel Prize winners have worked at the NRC at one time or another. It lays claim to international breakthroughs in such fields as nuclear medicine, cardiology technology, crop science, and computer animation. This is only a sample of the NRC's work, and I am very proud to have it under my mandate.

We are also making real investments that will improve scientific capacity in all federal departments.

With more than 20,000 scientists and professionals engaged in federal S and T activities, there is a lot of room for collaboration and innovation within the federal government. For example, last May I worked with the Minister of Fisheries to announce a $197-million investment that will help us make more informed decisions about our oceans, waterways, and fisheries.

That same investment is creating 135 new jobs in federal science, the single largest recruitment ever toward restoring ocean science.

Mr. Chair, science is essential to Canada's innovation agenda.

The ability of our country to compete and prosper depends on the creativity and talent of our people. To that end, in June, I launched a panel review of federal support for science to ensure the funding we provide is strategic and effective. I expect to receive the panel's recommendations in the new year. We are also promoting increased collaboration between researchers and companies, and encouraging more co-op and internship opportunities.

At the same time, we have rolled out a number of funding initiatives to boost our academic strengths. These include $2 billion for research and innovation infrastructure across post-secondary institutions; $95 million per year to the granting councils to support discovery research, the largest increase in a decade; and $900 million for transformational research projects under the Canada first research excellence fund.

In October, I also launched a competition for 11 Canada excellence research chairs, at least two of which will be in clean and sustainable technologies.

Just last week, I announced a $12-million federal investment in the stem cell network to support research in up-and-coming areas of regenerative medicine. Investments like these also transform our understanding of the challenges and opportunities related to stem cells.

Investments like these are key when you're trying to develop and implement sound public policies.

All of this is in keeping with our government's commitment to evidence-based decision-making and promoting Canada's leadership on the international stage.

To this end, I've also taken part in several high-level meetings in China, Japan, Belgium, and Germany to promote Canadian science, to see what other countries are doing well, and to build new science partnerships. In September, I attended a White House ministerial meeting on Arctic science.

In all of these places, people are eager to know about Canada, about our vision, our openness, and our plan for the future. That plan involves creating opportunity for researchers, especially for women, indigenous peoples, and other under-represented groups.

Diversity is an important factor in the creative potential of individuals, organizations, and nations.

That is why we absolutely must take action to remove the barriers preventing women from pursuing careers in science.

To this end, we have reinstated the UCASS, that's the university and college academic staff survey, which will inform policy decisions that concern university researchers and faculty.

Moreover, in the 2016 Canada excellence research chairs competition, we have instituted new requirements that will strengthen the equity and diversity of the program.

Mr. Chairman, from the Arctic to marine biology to quantum computing, and from food security to regenerative medicine, one thing is constant. Canada's world-leading research is fuelled by incredible talent, openness, and diversity.

As we advance the innovation agenda, science will play a prominent role in our decision-making and our investment choices.

I look forward to building on the momentum of what we have accomplished in the past year.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Dan Ruimy]

Thank you very much, Minister Duncan.

We're going to go right into it. Please be mindful of time.

Mr. Longfield, you have seven minutes.

[Lloyd Longfield, Liberal, Guelph, ON]

Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Thanks, Dr. Duncan, for being with us, and for what you've done for the portfolio in such a short time.

I'm looking at the supplementary estimates, with $64.8 million going to the granting agency, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

How does this compare over the past few years? I'm looking at the need for civil society in Canada to contribute to civil society. A lot of that happens within the universities when we discuss critical thought and ways to enhance civil discourse.

I think you'll find that this committee has mostly civil discourse. Mostly, we're focused on problems, and we're at our best when we do that together.

Could you maybe elaborate a bit on where social sciences and humanities research plays into what the world needs more increasingly in civil society?

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

I'll just begin by explaining how we fund research in this country. The majority of research is funded through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, CIHR; through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, SSHRC; and through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, NSERC.

I was really proud that in budget 2016 we gave a top-up to the three federal granting councils of $95 million. That was the highest top-up in more than a decade. CIHR received $30 million, NSERC received $30 million, SSHRC received $16 million, and the research support fund received $19 million. I was also very proud that we started to close the gap between CIHR and NSERC, and SSHRC, which points to the importance of social science research. This is about the science that tells us about how we relate to one another, how we relate to society. One of the areas SSHRC is doing important research in is looking at immigration and refugees. Of course, we were so pleased to bring over 25,000 people from Syria, new Canadians.

[Lloyd Longfield, Liberal, Guelph, ON]

The youth internship program is very interesting when we look at engaging youth in internships; it's something that we looked at in our manufacturing study as well. How does this represent an increase over previous years in the investment in youth? Is there a goal of how many internships we want to support going forward?

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

I think everyone around this table wants more jobs. We want more opportunities for our youth.

Under the previous government, we saw the highest rates of youth unemployment in Canadian history. I've been an MP for eight years, and in those seven years who was coming into my office really changed. More and more it was about people, and particularly our youth, looking for jobs. They would have a diploma, they would have a degree, they would have two degrees, and they still couldn't get jobs. I think anything we can do to give our youth an opportunity to hit the ground running when they transition from education through to employment, the better that is.

In budget 2016, we announced $73 million for new, work-integrated learning opportunities. We also have these opportunities through the industrial research assistance program. I've met some of these incredible young people. They've had their opportunity, and because of it they want to pursue a life in science.

[Lloyd Longfield, Liberal, Guelph, ON]

Thank you, and some of those hopefully are females.

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Thank you. Can I talk a bit about women in—

[Lloyd Longfield, Liberal, Guelph, ON]

Please. We have about 40 seconds left.

[The Chair, Liberal, Dan Ruimy]

You have a minute and a half.

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Since I took on this mandate, I made it very clear that I would work to increase the representation of women, indigenous peoples, those with disabilities, and other under-represented groups. If you look at the numbers in Canada, you see that young women now earn close to a half of the undergraduate STEM degrees in science, technology, engineering, and math; and they earn about a quarter of the engineering degrees. But as you go up to the graduate degrees, there are fewer. By the time you get to the Ph.D.s, they're 33% of the Ph.D.s in science, compared to 49% in the U.K. and 46% in the U.S.

I just want to mention the workforce. In 1987, women accounted for 20% of the STEM workforce; today it's only 22%. In 2016, surely we can do better.

[Lloyd Longfield, Liberal, Guelph, ON]

There's not much progress.

I know you've been travelling around Canada and around the world, and you've looked at areas where Canada can excel, in fact, where we can be number one. Could you highlight any of those areas for us for maybe our future studies?

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

I'm awed, inspired, overwhelmed by our Canadian research every time I travel. Having said that, there are a few areas I would highlight: agriculture and agrifood, brain, photonics, quantum, and regenerative medicine. But really, I came from a university. I think I know the university, and the research that's being done by our researchers is world class.

[Lloyd Longfield, Liberal, Guelph, ON]

It certainly is. Thank you very much for your time.

[The Chair, Liberal, Dan Ruimy]

We're going to move to Mr. Dreeshen. You have seven minutes.

[Earl Dreeshen, Conservative, Red Deer—Mountain View, AB]

Thank you, Madam Minister, for being here today.

Your government promised an evidence-based approach to policy-making, yet the Minister of the Environment eliminated more climate scientists than was ever done under the Conservative government. Stats Canada reported the number of scientific and technological personnel within Environment and Climate Change Canada would be reduced this fiscal year by nearly 11%, or 406 jobs, compared to 2015-16. I know there's always been a lot of talk about the cuts that were made during the Conservative time, but of course, we're taking a look at the difference between what happens in a recession, which was in 2008, where every department had taken changes.... You also should recognize that even though there was a cut from 2010-12, by 6%, it then grew by 9% the next year. In 2014, another Harper year, the number of scientists at Environment Canada peaked at an all-time high of 3,830. There was a lot of talk about the different things that took place, but I think the Liberals are also finding that it's not easy being green.

As the Minister of Science, I wonder if you could comment on the decision for job cuts, and how your government manages the differences between an ideological interpretation on the file or a science-based opinion for your climate change strategy.

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Thank you to my honourable colleague. We were glad to have you join us when we went to Belgium and to Germany. It was a pleasure to have you then, and it's nice to speak with you today.

This is a government that is committed to science and to evidence-based policy. Since you have mentioned the previous 10 years, science funding flatlined under the previous government. We had cuts across scientific departments, and for the first time in Canadian history we had scientists protesting, on Parliament Hill, the death of evidence.

You've asked a batch of questions here, so I'll try to address them.