Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you to the witnesses who are here today. This is an interesting topic, and these are interesting viewpoints, and I think it's important that we hear all of them.
I'll start my questions with Dr. Kerr.
One thing that is common in this room right now, and online, is that, whether you're an MP or a witness, everyone has their politics and their viewpoints. Some people believe climate change is real, and some people are studying climate change from a biodiversity, or declining biodiversity, perspective.
I want to drill down with you. How do inherent political views affect the work of academics, and, most importantly, what process can we put in place to ensure that research in the country remains free from political bias?
As a side note, I certainly did not work as a researcher in academia, but I did work at Cape Breton University, and I did work at the Nova Scotia Community College, which did more applied research than the traditional research at Cape Breton University. The one thing I did notice is that there were a plethora of viewpoints from researchers. Some were far right, some were far left, and there were people who were more centred in their approach.
I wonder if you can address those things and, also, if you can explain the importance of diversity and inclusion in research when it comes to producing reliable and accurate data.