Thank you, Madam Chair.
Allow me to start by congratulating you on your election.
It's an honour to take part in the creation of the Standing Committee on Science and Research. It may have taken the pandemic to make us realize just how necessary this committee is. Nevertheless, I am very proud to sit on it.
Some members expressed their desire to have the committee get an understanding of the big picture, but I think we already have that understanding, in part thanks to you, Madam Chair.
We had the Naylor report, and a number of recommendations that have gone unheeded since 2017. Massive reinvestment is needed, particularly in basic research. Unfortunately, Canada is the only country in the G7 to have reduced its R and D spending between 2000 and 2019. Unfortunately, Canada was also the only G7 country that did not produce a COVID‑19 vaccine. What's more, Canada was the only G7 country that took part in the COVAX program, receiving vaccines that were intended for the world's poorest countries.
I think we have a long way to go, but I remain optimistic. We already have a good overview of the situation. All we have to do is demonstrate our commitment to finding solutions to all of the problems that have already been identified in recent years.
I've listed a few issues that I feel cannot be ignored. Canada and Quebec have tremendous expertise and carry out considerable scientific research on the world stage. However, this pandemic we are living in has brought to the fore the urgent need for action. We mustn't wait long before really tackling the situation, because that situation is critical.
I've met people in the scientific community who've told me that they have often had basic research projects turned down owing to a lack of funding. I do want to say that the government has made a significant contribution in recent years as far as reinvestment is concerned, but it has not been enough to fill the widening gap. Personally, I find this troubling, as do many in the science and research sector with whom I have spoken.
I find something else troubling, and it, too, is based on facts. I'm talking about the research criteria developed by the government for the awarding of grants to research chairs. I'll be putting forward a motion on that topic a bit later. Criteria pertaining to identity, equity, diversity and inclusion are now mandatory for the research chairs.
Unfortunately, skilled scientists who should have obtained funding were not able to get it, not because of a lack of expertise, but because they did not satisfy certain criteria—criteria that are onerous for many scientists. That really worries me. These are skilled and talented people. The repercussions of these criteria on scientific development, progress, discovery and research need to be examined. These much-talked-about criteria are one of the topics I want to dig into.
Money is, of course, crucial, so we need to determine whether funding as a whole is commensurate with the potential and talent that exist in Canada.
These are issues that I care about and that concern me. I hope that we'll be able to study them in our upcoming meetings and that we'll be able to get down to business quickly.
Thank you.