Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
I would like to welcome the witnesses who are participating in our important study today.
It is always a bit ridiculous to hear members of the government claim that Canada is a leader in research. The reality, or the truth, is that Canada is the only G7 country that has lost researchers since 2016. Therefore, it is not a leader. Canada ranks 26th out of 38 countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in graduate graduation rates. Is that a leader? No. That is not the reality in Canada, and it is not the truth. I could talk at length about the data that show that Canada has a lot of potential, but that it has a long way to go. We have to recognize the reality, and above all, we have to tell people the truth.
Mr. Vats, it's a pleasure to have you here with us. As I mentioned, Canada is the only G7 country to have lost researchers since 2016. You clearly know that Canada has not increased or indexed its graduate scholarships in 20 years now. Has your organization studied the causes of this brain drain? Have there been any reports on that? What can you tell us about it?