Thank you, Mr. Chair. Good morning, everyone.
I am happy to be here with you today.
Mr. Chair, thank you for the opportunity to be here on the occasion of the tabling of the supplementary estimates (B) for 2017-18.
As you will remember, I last appeared before this committee in May. I am honoured today to provide you with an update on what I have been doing since then to champion science in this country. I will preface my remarks by emphasizing that all the actions I have taken have been in pursuit of our government's long-term vision for the future of science in Canada.
I recently shared that vision at the Canadian Science Policy Conference. It can be summed up in three points: we want to strengthen research, strengthen evidence-based decision-making, and strengthen our culture of curiosity.
At the heart of our vision are the people who power science, the researchers, lab technicians, academic staff, and students, whose collective contributions improve Canada's science community every day. Ours is a vision that sees Canadian science and our many outstanding scientists re-energized in a forward-looking and bold global pursuit of new knowledge.
Right now, Canada is seen around the world as a progressive country empowering its scientists to make breakthroughs that could change the way we understand ourselves and the world around us. When I was at the G7 in Italy last month, I was proud to hear that Canada is viewed as a beacon for science around the world.
This is the right time to follow through on this momentum, and I am happy to tell you that the government is working hard on this.
For example, I recently fulfilled my top mandate commitment by joining the Prime Minister in naming Dr. Mona Nemer as Canada's new chief science adviser. Dr. Nemer is a highly accomplished medical researcher, a former university executive, and an award-winning scholar who is recognized internationally for her contributions to academia. Her job is to provide our government with independent, non-partisan scientific advice. Dr. Nemer will gather the most cutting-edge science and present her advice to me, the Prime Minister, and cabinet.
It is then my job as Minister of Science to incorporate her findings at the cabinet table so that we can make decisions about the things Canadians care about most: their health and safety, the security of their families and communities, their jobs and prosperity, the environment, climate, and the economy.
Prime Minister Trudeau announced Dr. Nemer's appointment the same day that the first-ever Prime Minister's science fair was held here in Ottawa. Why? Our government wanted to connect the big news of the day with the big things that young Canadians are doing to advance science. We want young people to know that their scientific achievements are recognized and have a home on Parliament Hill. This is one of many steps we have taken to encourage young people to be curious and to pursue their ambitions.
We also launched the second phase of our highly successful #ChooseScience campaign this fall. So far, the ads have aired over 2.2 million times and have reached over 520,000 Canadians, with 108,000 Canadians reacting to, commenting on, and sharing the social media ads. It also attracted more than 25,000 visits to our #ChooseScience web page, and more than 55,000 schools now have our campaign posters in their halls.
I'm a strong supporter of programs like these that embolden young people to choose science.
That is the culture of curiosity I was telling you about.
Our challenge today continues to be shaping that culture so it welcomes all people. That's why I've made it my personal mission to right the gender equity and diversity scales in academia. I believe we must improve access to opportunities so that everyone has a shot at contributing to the future of our country. That's why I instituted new equity requirements in the Canada excellence research chairs competition, one of the most prestigious research programs in Canada. We also strengthened our efforts to address the under-representation of four designated groups in the Canada research chairs program: women, indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, and visible minorities.
I am so proud to be able to say to you today that my message seems to be getting through. We have a record-setting number of women nominated for both the Canada research chairs and the Canada 150 research chairs competition. Specifically, in this latest round of Canada research chairs nominations, 42% are women, the highest it has ever been. Budget 2017 put forward $117 million for the Canada 150 research chairs, a one-time fund that allows universities to recruit internationally based scholars, including Canadian expat researchers who wish to return home.
The preliminary numbers are in, and they show that the applicants are 62% women and 39% expat Canadians who see the future of their research careers here in Canada. I believe these results wouldn't have come about if it were not for the bold action I have taken to right the gender equity and diversity scales in academia.
Perhaps as further evidence of our international reputation for modern, liberalized science policy, Montreal was chosen this year as the first-ever Canadian host of the international Gender Summit. Earlier this month, Montreal welcomed more than 600 advocates of gender equality from science, innovation, and development around the world. It was a great honour to participate in such a historic event, and I'm awed, humbled, and inspired by the many stories that were shared about women who are making a difference in the sciences around the world.
As you know, as part of my mandate to champion science in this country, I also commissioned a review of federal funding for science, the first of its kind in more than 40 years.
I thank the distinguished members of the committee for their work.
The panel gave me more than 200 pages and 35 recommendations to consider. I agree with the majority of the recommendations and have already taken action to implement many of them. These include capping the renewals of Tier 1 Canada research chairs and announcing the creation of the Canada research coordinating committee.
I also launched a network of centres of excellence competition this summer that puts a premium on multidisciplinary, multinational, and bold research initiatives.
I expressed my support for replacing the Science, Technology and Innovation Council with a more nimble, public-facing advisory body. In the coming months I will move forward with a new, more open and transparent science and innovation council so that government can benefit from independent experts working in these fields.
There will be more action to come on the implementation of the panel's recommendations, and I look forward to your support of my efforts.
As well as my work in Ottawa, I have the privilege of visiting Canadian campuses and communities from coast to coast to coast. Meeting with researchers on the ground is such an important way for me to get a sense of the state of play in science at the moment.
Quite recently, I had the opportunity of visiting the Montreal Institute for Learning Algorithms.
MILA, as it is called, is world renowned for breakthroughs in machine learning. It has more than 150 researchers in deep learning, the largest academic concentration in this field in the world.
To support Canada's world-class work in artificial intelligence, this year's budget invests $125 million to create a pan-Canadian artificial intelligence strategy.
I want to underscore the important lesson this investment offers. Canada's current strength in artificial intelligence is a direct result of investments and investigator-led fundamental research made some 30 years ago.
At the time, many thought machine learning was the stuff of science fiction. That skepticism did not deter scientists like Geoffrey Hinton from applying for funding to pursue their interests in artificial intelligence. That we are now realizing the returns of those early investments shows the wisdom of investing in discovery research across the board.
We know that when it comes to science in this country, a culture change will not happen overnight. Still, look how far we've come in the last six months and in the last two years.
With that, I look forward to answering the committee's questions.