Science and Research Committee on May 28th, 2024

[Anne Barker]

Yes. We're working right now with.... For all of our projects, we partner our industrial research assistance program individuals with these projects to look at tools and technologies that may come out of the research and could be moved over and brought to market.

[Corey Tochor, Conservative, Saskatoon—University, SK]

They might come out, but what about existing solutions? We have decades and decades of research. What are some solutions that you've...?

These are all things that might be products in the future. How has some of the money spent on this research over decades contributed to change the lives of people in the north?

[Anne Barker]

This program has only been in place for three years, so I can speak about it. Right now, we're seeing off-the-shelf technologies that can be modified to perform in the conditions—

[The Chair, Liberal, Valerie Bradford]

We're out of time. Would you like to send a written submission to complete that answer?

Would you like that, Mr. Tochor? That's a yes.

Thank you. You can submit it in writing.

We're now going to turn to MP Diab for five minutes.

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Let me start by thanking our witnesses for being here today.

It's an interesting study. As members of Parliament, some of us, like me, have not been privy to a lot of experience in the Arctic. It's fascinating to hear what you're saying.

Dr. Barker, rather than have you send something in writing, I will let you continue what you were saying. You spoke about the pressing issues affecting northerners and the research program in the north with technology, innovation and research partnerships.

The question you were trying to answer was what research and technologies would be most beneficial to improve the lives of those living in Canada's Arctic. I'm going to let you continue. You didn't have a chance to finish this. Rather than have you send it in a brief, we can actually hear it here today.

[Anne Barker]

Another example would be looking at waste water treatment technologies. As many people know, water and waste water are critical across the north and in many regions in Canada.

In the past, NRC has worked to patent technology that could be used for waste water treatment technologies. We partnered with engineering firms to bring those to the north, still in a research context.

Right now, we have a project just getting under way in Yukon, looking at pipe systems and how we can ensure that our infrastructure, buried or otherwise, is robust and will be able to withstand the impacts of climate change, and that it will have a good design life going forward.

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Thank you for that.

You talked earlier about heat recovery ventilators, and now the waste water treatment technology. I find it fascinating, specifically when you talk about waste water. I know that Halifax, in my home province of Nova Scotia, years ago had that issue in waste water and had done a lot of studies to clean up our harbour and so on. Obviously, a lot of that knowledge transforms to other parts. With the research that's happening there, I suppose a lot of it could be used in other parts, not just in Canada but everywhere else.

Can you speak a little bit about the knowledge and the research and the innovation? I know that it's only year three of seven, but how can we benefit the Arctic and perhaps other parts of the country as well?

[Anne Barker]

Certainly a lot of tools and technologies, if they're going to be applicable and useful in the Arctic for a very rural location, if you want to put it like that, will be beneficial elsewhere in our very large country, which has a lot of rural locations and environments.

In addition, we have found in the past that working with some industries, they are very interested in partnering with northern corporations or northern communities to test their products in that environment. If something is going to perform at, for example, minus 40 for five days in a row in the north, then it will probably work in Montreal. There are these types of opportunities.

Not every company or industry is interested in that, but there are many. There are many opportunities like that to see how the research we're doing in partnership with northern organizations can be brought to perhaps a larger market.

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Thank you for that.

Dr. Hewitt, with regard to NSERC as the funder, what have you been seeing in the last few years in terms of the research that is coming across your desks or through your offices? Is it increasing, is it decreasing or is it stable? I'd just like to know for our study here.

[Ted Hewitt]

I would have to answer anecdotally, but I've been around for a while.

This is for SSHRC, by the way, not for NSERC. I'll let Dr. Adem answer for NSERC.

I would say that it has increased steadily, in part because of our own policies, which have encouraged greater participation of indigenous communities and northern communities in research projects that are submitted to us. The range is just phenomenal—everything from legal and jurisdictional issues to language retention to community development.

There's a wonderful project we funded in Labrador, of $2.5 million, looking at the impact of the forced migration of thousands of residents of that area, I believe starting in the 1930s and 1940s, who were absolutely spread to the wind throughout Labrador. The project was designed to help reconnect families that had been broken and to work toward restoring livelihoods, cultural products and goods, education and so forth. It's very well documented, and I'd love to share that.

[Lena Metlege Diab, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Thank you very much.

[The Chair, Liberal, Valerie Bradford]

That's wonderful. Thank you.

Now we will turn to MP Blanchette-Joncas for two and a half minutes.

[Maxime Blanchette-Joncas, Bloc, Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Ms. Barker, I have a simple question for you: Based on your expertise, is Canada a world leader in northern research?

[Anne Barker]

Are we a leader in northern research? Certainly we have been. I think our experts, and again I'll come at it from an engineering and applied science context, have been sought after for many types of research projects. Our past expertise in oil and gas offshore research is now translating to offshore renewables, for example. We have the greatest experts in the world on sea ice and ice mechanics.

[Maxime Blanchette-Joncas, Bloc, Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

Canada is therefore no longer a world leader in northern research.

What do we need to do to re-establish ourselves as a world leader in northern research?

[Anne Barker]

We need people. We need people doing that research. We need to enable our northerners to also be recognized as experts in their knowledge systems as well as a more kind of typical western science. We need to share the word about what we do. A lot of that is communication and global scientific diplomacy, and getting word out about the great research we are doing here.

[Maxime Blanchette-Joncas, Bloc, Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

I was sure you were going to tell me that money was needed. I'll say it for you.

Is there a national coordination strategy for northern research in Canada?

[Anne Barker]

At the moment, we do have DM and ADM working-level committees around the Arctic broadly. As I think I mentioned earlier, we have coordination around the various funding sources around Arctic and northern research, and we have a lot of coordination with our northern and indigenous partners, so it's coming together, but it is scattered.

[Maxime Blanchette-Joncas, Bloc, Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

Ms. Barker, what are the repercussions of not having a national coordination strategy for northern research?

[Anne Barker]

I think we do have coordination. We have an Arctic and northern policy framework. It is not a strategy; however, it does outline our goals and objectives as a nation for Arctic and northern endeavours. There is a science goal within there.

To my mind, we do have a rough plan. We need to expand on it. My understanding right now is that we're working on the implementation plan with our northern partners. I think that's the most important part: It's to have these conversations get to a point where we can have that strategy and implement it.

[Maxime Blanchette-Joncas, Bloc, Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

How are scientists doing research in the north currently working together to share their research?

[Anne Barker]

I think there's quite strong collaboration across the north, and we see that also at a regional level.

For example, we have a project where the Nunatsiavut Government has asked researchers to come together at one time for on-the-land sharing of the science that is happening. I think there is quite a lot of collaboration and coordination at that level.

[The Chair, Liberal, Valerie Bradford]

Thank you. That's your time, unfortunately.

For the last round, we have MP Cannings for two and a half minutes.

[Richard Cannings, NDP, South Okanagan—West Kootenay, BC]

Thank you.

I'm going to continue with Ms. Lamoureux.

I'll allow you to perhaps elaborate on where we were when you were talking about NordForsk and what that collaboration might look like. We talked about some of the big collaborative projects.

What will becoming a member of NordForsk do to how SSHRC operates, or what benefits will that bring to our research here in Canada?

[Sylvie Lamoureux]

By participating in NordForsk, SSHRC is contributing money for Canadian researchers, but it's tying us into a larger picture. By participating, we're also having an impact, influencing to make sure that indigenous voices and indigenous realities are considered as part of this. I think we're taking some of the good ways that we work with our indigenous partners and are showing these as a way to move forward. It's a way to coordinate on a specific call and have those opportunities come forth.

What is a little bit harder is something that our colleagues were alluding to, which is that we need time to create the relationships. I think those who already have existing relationships—through the different Canada research chairs and the existing funding opportunities like ArcticNet and different things that have come in the past—have a leg up on those who may be just starting relationships. The time frames might be too short.

However, I think it allows us to look together at a clear problematic situation that was chosen by NordForsk. I think it's a way to encircle that, and we're going to contribute as much as we're going to get out of this, but we'll be further than we are.