Science and Research Committee on Nov. 26th, 2025

[Mona Nemer]

I have not done work on AMR, but I'm assisting the government on the whole biomanufacturing file, because AMR is about resilience, about having new drugs and about health.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

I'm sorry for interrupting, but the time is up.

I gave you that extra one minute that was lost.

We will now proceed to MP Bardeesy for five minutes.

[Karim Bardeesy, Liberal, Taiaiako'n—Parkdale—High Park, ON]

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you, Dr. Nemer, for joining us today.

I want to pick up on the questioning by Ms. McKelvie, but first I want to ask a few questions about trust and mistrust in science. I think it's an issue you would probably see from a variety of perspectives.

What are the trends you're seeing in the broader population around trust or skepticism in science and the scientific enterprise? What advice do you have for government on how policy-makers should respond?

[Mona Nemer]

Trust in science is of course decreasing. Fortunately, it's not decreasing as fast in Canada as in other places, but we're not shielded. This is where we need to make sure that we're transparent and that we actually bring the maximum number of people into the understanding of science and of policy as well.

I don't think that lecturing the public is actually useful. My advice has been that we need to create opportunities for people to engage with science, with data.

My office put out a report on the sky Canada project on the observation of unidentified flying, or aerial, phenomena. Some people were surprised that we're dealing with this, but it was foremost to make sure that we gain public trust and that people don't think the government is hiding something, etc.

In government, I have assured a science integrity policy that all government departments with scientists have implemented to make sure that the science is done in a responsible manner and that scientists can speak publicly about the work.

There isn't just one thing to do; there are a number of things. I take trust in science and in institutions very seriously, because when people start distrusting one thing, they generally distrust everything.

[Karim Bardeesy, Liberal, Taiaiako'n—Parkdale—High Park, ON]

You mentioned a decline in a lot of western countries, but it's not as much in Canada. What are the specific elements that are most concerning in the decline in trust that you are seeing? Is there a specific set of issues, a specific set of platforms where people are becoming misinformed or maybe a subject area that's more subject to mistrust or misinformation?

[Mona Nemer]

I think it's all of the above.

Of course, we've talked a lot on the health side about the vaccine, for example, and about disinformation, but there are numerous others. We can say the same about climate change or about forest fires, which some people think were set on purpose.

The experts tell us that once people start distrusting government or science, it's the same for everything. They don't distrust information only on vaccines or only on climate. It's very important to be proactive and to be engaging all the time in dialogue with the public, putting out the science information that the public can then judge.

[Karim Bardeesy, Liberal, Taiaiako'n—Parkdale—High Park, ON]

Thank you.

I want to switch to an issue that you responded to in answer to one of Dr. McKelvie's questions around science diplomacy, specifically on horizon Europe. Can you explain what's involved in Canada acceding to horizon Europe, and what kinds of specific benefits you think Canadian science can obtain as a result of that accession?

[Mona Nemer]

Horizon Europe is a program of the European Commission for the European Union. It's essentially for the European countries. Canada was the second or third country after the U.K., which is no longer in the European Union, and New Zealand to access the status of associate member.

It's not only about accessing funds, although this is very important, or networks of people working in science and innovation, because this is open also for the private sector. It's also about sitting around the table and weighing in on international priorities that will be acted upon for the next 10 years. In many ways, it gave Canada a seat at the table with the European Union.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Thank you.

We will now proceed to MP Blanchette-Joncas for two and a half minutes.

[Maxime Blanchette-Joncas, Bloc, Rimouski—La Matapédia, QC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Ms. Nemer, do you believe that the budget cuts of around 2% announced in the 2025 budget, which affect the granting councils, will strengthen research in Canada?

[Mona Nemer]

In an ideal world, there would be no budget cuts. However, the government made decisions. The granting councils have been spared, as their budget cuts amount to only 2% instead of 15%. This is a gain. From an administrative standpoint, it’s easier to manage budget cuts of around 2% and ensure that it doesn’t affect the programs.

[Maxime Blanchette-Joncas, Bloc, Rimouski—La Matapédia, QC]

You seemed to be pleased with the government’s announcement to invest $1.7 billion over five years to recruit talent from abroad.

From what I’ve observed in the ecosystem, graduate scholarships, which had not been indexed for 20 years, were indexed in the 2024 budget. However, they’re still 40% lower than the actual cost of living. From what I hear, people in the scientific ecosystem are not happy.

As an example, let me give you an image. It’s like not giving water to a plant. How can it bloom? How can it grow? Then, we think there are better plants in other countries and we go look for them there. We bring them here and tell them to acclimate to our environment. I fear that those plants will not survive. They’ll simply die and will not be useful. They will not strengthen the scientific research and innovation ecosystem in Canada. Do you think I’m reading it clearly?

[Mona Nemer]

Seeing the glass as half empty is one way of looking at things. I prefer to see it as half full by saying that it’s an important first step in a difficult fiscal situation.

I reiterate that it’s important to have a long‑term game plan for research and innovation in the country.

[Maxime Blanchette-Joncas, Bloc, Rimouski—La Matapédia, QC]

Why not take care of the potential talent already here? Why think that the grass is always greener on the other side? That’s the cry from the heart that I’m currently hearing from researchers in Quebec and Canada.

[Mona Nemer]

All I can say is that we are opportunistic. It’s not a bad thing, but we need to ensure that the system in place is fair. Young researchers and those who are established must stay here. You can count on us.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Thank you. The time is up.

We will now proceed to MP Baldinelli for five minutes.

[Tony Baldinelli, Conservative, Niagara Falls—Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON]

Thank you, Dr. Nemer, for being here this afternoon.

I was pleased to take part in the Science Meets Parliament event. I had the pleasure of sitting down with Professor Lawrence Goodridge from the University of Guelph. It was an excellent meeting.

On September 26, the Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation announced the launch of an AI strategy task force including a 30-day national sprint that will help shape Canada's approach to AI.

Were you asked to be part of that task force?

[Mona Nemer]

The task force is for stakeholders outside of government. Once their feedback is assembled, then I'll be consulted.

I'm in discussions with Minister Solomon's people because I represent Canada on an international AI committee, so I'm in the file.

[Tony Baldinelli, Conservative, Niagara Falls—Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON]

You've spoken to the minister on AI right now as part of this whole project and developing the strategy.

[Mona Nemer]

Well, the strategy is in development. I was speaking about the importance of having a strategy.

[Tony Baldinelli, Conservative, Niagara Falls—Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON]

I'll go to your comments. Again, you talk about how “collaboration must be grounded in a strong domestic foundation. If we want to remain at the forefront of innovation, we must have a long-term strategy that allows us to invest in Canada's science enterprise”.

You were speaking to an audience in Kyoto, Japan, in October 2025. When you were speaking to them about AI, you said, “If we are serious about maximizing the benefits, we cannot afford to treat trust in AI as an afterthought.”

I was just looking at these comments together, and three points I took were to invest in Canada, to have a strong domestic foundation and that trust cannot be an afterthought.

In December 2024, the government announced that it was giving Cohere $240 million as part of the Canadian sovereign AI compute strategy. They signed the MOU in August 2025. One of the first decisions that they took was to hire an American company, CoreWeave.

I want to see if I can get your comments on that. Do you think that's very Canadian and very sovereign?

[Mona Nemer]

My view is that we need to strengthen the Canadian research and commercialization ecosystem. We need to use our own people as much as possible. It may not be always possible; I don't know.

When it comes to AI, we need to have a framework that maintains trust without affecting innovation. That, in a nutshell, is my view on AI.

[Tony Baldinelli, Conservative, Niagara Falls—Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON]

Near the end of your opening remarks, you say, “Science is one of Canada's greatest strategic assets.”

On November 18, 2025, the Council of Canadian Academies released a report titled “The State of Science, Technology, and Innovation in Canada 2025”. One of its key findings noted, “The performance of Canada's business and government sectors continues to decline relative to other countries when it comes to science, technology, and innovation.”

Why is the government sector underperforming when we consider that this government has spent so much money in recent budgets since the pandemic?

[Mona Nemer]

I agree with the assessment from the CCA, and I wish I was surprised by it. Other countries are investing more. They've recognized that research, science and technology are the future, and they're putting more effort into it.

In Canada, we have the added problem that the private sector is not investing sufficiently in research and development. I believe that you're doing a study on this, and I certainly look forward to it. It's extremely important because we can't count only on government to be supporting research and development in the country. We need the private sector as well.

[Tony Baldinelli, Conservative, Niagara Falls—Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON]

The council has put forward this report. However, are you, in your capacity as science adviser, also making reports like this, providing advice to the government with regard to what it should be doing in AI and in other areas of science research in Canada?