You referred to the extremely important polar continental shelf program. We were surprised to learn recently that a large part of its budget wasn't permanent. This has obviously caused a great deal of concern for a number of university researchers in Canada.
These budgets don't align with the rising costs of Arctic research. This poses a major issue. In Canada, we have a huge research capacity and a number of global leaders in Arctic research. We must keep this in mind. However, the situation is precarious, given that some funding programs don't reflect the rising costs of research.
There are also programs such as the northern research supplements. I've sat on the selection committees. We're unable to support some excellent projects because of a lack of funding. As a result, we're sometimes unable to fund projects that meet community needs. The amounts received are similar to the amounts allocated 20 years ago. This makes no sense, given that the cost of Arctic research has risen enormously.
In short, Canada is undoubtedly among the global leaders. However, I find this situation precarious. Some programs deserve more attention. We have international leaders in Canada and we must keep that in mind.