Science and Research Committee on Feb. 5th, 2026

[Jagsharan Singh Mahal, Conservative, Edmonton Southeast, AB]

I think I got the answer, and people know that as well.

Let's move on to your structure of governance as a public service employee.

How is the decision-making authority formally divided between the Minister of Industry and the Minister of Artificial Intelligence?

[Mark Schaan]

Both the Minister of Industry, Madam Joly, and the Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation, Minister Solomon, are supported by the Department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development. The department works in a crosscutting manner to support both ministers with their full mandates, including on programmatic policy and regulatory aspects, so the department as a whole serves both ministers.

[Jagsharan Singh Mahal, Conservative, Edmonton Southeast, AB]

Can you describe the written governance structure that prevents duplication, conflict or contradiction in policy direction between the Minister of AI and the Minister of Industry?

[Mark Schaan]

One of the features of having a department that serves both ministers is that the same officials preside over the files, ensuring that we don't have duplication of effort. In fact, this allows for a coordination of the files that are specific to artificial intelligence and digital innovation issues with those that are specific to the Minister of Industry.

[Jagsharan Singh Mahal, Conservative, Edmonton Southeast, AB]

My question asked for a description of a written structure that prevents these kinds of duplications, conflicts and contradictions between the two departments.

[Mark Schaan]

As noted, the department serves both ministers in their full mandates, so it is crosscutting in nature, given the relationships. It is the department as a whole that serves both ministers.

[Jagsharan Singh Mahal, Conservative, Edmonton Southeast, AB]

Who is ultimately accountable for AI spending? Is it the Minister of Industry or the Minister of AI?

[Mark Schaan]

As noted in many of the previous discussions that this committee has held, artificial intelligence is a general-purpose technology that is crosscutting in nature. Within a government public service context, there are AI investments made across the Government of Canada in the realm of agriculture, in the realm of transport and in the realm of health. Obviously, within the realm of instruments that the Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation controls, he is ultimately accountable. Within the instruments that are controlled by the Minister of Industry, she is ultimately accountable.

Of note, there are very many investments in artificial intelligence, given its crosscutting nature and the general purpose of the technology.

[Jagsharan Singh Mahal, Conservative, Edmonton Southeast, AB]

Is it not true that the recent announcement—it came out today—of the $3-billion investment was not talked about in the recent budget the government announced in 2025?

[Mark Schaan]

I'm happy to come back to the committee on that question, but it is noted that $3 billion is being allocated from the strategic response fund.

I can come back to the committee with the specifics on exactly how that allocation will flow.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

The time is up for MP Mahal. We will now proceed to MP McKelvie for five minutes.

Please go ahead.

[Jennifer McKelvie, Liberal, Ajax, ON]

Thank you for being here. I'm excited that we have the opportunity to ask you questions today.

I'll start by saying that Canada's technology access centres are an important part of the federal innovation ecosystem. In a previous study, we heard many great things about the benefits of the collaborative research and development that can take place in our colleges. In particular, there's no overhead, IP is retained entirely by the business and there are high hiring rates of the students who work on those projects and participate in the research.

My question to you is this: How is the college collaboration and innovation program supporting R and D in colleges, and how can we amplify the success that we've seen to date?

[Mark Schaan]

I'm happy to start, and then I'll turn to Mr. Vats to complement.

I wholeheartedly concur with your assessment of the fundamental role that colleges, polytechnics and institutes are playing and can play in the commercialization of Canadian research and the build-out of the Canadian economy.

As you note, many of the strongest features, including the retention of intellectual property and the opportunity for applied learning, directly foment economic benefit. We are looking for multiple ways in which to drive that, particularly in sectoral considerations, where we know that there are verticals where this type of activity and industrial co-operation is really well suited towards the build-out of new technologies, tools and applications, and also as a commitment to our skills building in seeing more of the opportunity for students to directly engage in projects while working with industry. We're looking to make sure that both of those things are built upon and amplified, both through the program and more generally.

I'll turn to Mr. Vats.

[Nipun Vats]

First of all, there are programs, and in particular the college and community innovation program at NSERC, that directly fund applied research at colleges and polytechnics across the country. Those enable a lot of the research they do in very close collaboration with small and medium-sized enterprises across the country. They also support the TACs across the country. Increasingly, we're looking at ways to bring colleges into a broader range of research programs as partners, along with universities and industry, to try to leverage what they do well, which is a critical part of the innovation chain.

There's also very regular dialogue with the sector and the department to try to understand what those capabilities are as we're trying to implement a range of initiatives, whether it's around AI adoption or defence research and things like that.

[Jennifer McKelvie, Liberal, Ajax, ON]

That's great. Thank you.

The government has demonstrated an important commitment to science, in particular in this budget, so I thank you for that.

Under your portfolio falls the strategic science fund program, and it supports many unique entities, including the Stem Cell Network, Let's Talk Science, the Kids Brain Health Network and Scientists in School, of which I'm a big fan.

Can you advise the committee about how you see this program, what its future is and what kind of stability we can bring to it?

[Nipun Vats]

The strategic science fund program, as you suggested, is a very broad-based program that supports a range of organizations that go from very basic research through to STEM learning through to funding research themselves. It's a very valuable program.

It has an ongoing life. It has a five-year cycle of funding. We're in the middle of the first cycle of the program. We're discussing with organizations what we've learned from the first cycle to inform how we can do it better the next go-round.

There is stability in the program. There's not necessarily stability for applicants, but that's the nature of the program. You do an assessment on a periodic basis to see what these organizations have accomplished and whether they're new organizations that have very valuable mandates and have been demonstrating value. There will be a review process at each five-year interval to make sure we're funding the organizations to the best of our ability.

[Jennifer McKelvie, Liberal, Ajax, ON]

Certainly we're making great investments in Canadian researchers. Here we see wonderful things—

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

I'm sorry for interrupting. The time is up.

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.

Mr. Schaan, has there been any communication between your department and Brookfield regarding the development of Canada's artificial intelligence strategy?

[Mark Schaan]

No, there has been no coordination between my department and Brookfield regarding the development—

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

I'm asking if there has been any communication.

[Mark Schaan]

No. As I said, all interactions between Brookfield and the department are listed in the response that was provided to Parliament about the meetings between the department and Brookfield.

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

Thank you.

Mr. Vats, have any meetings been held with Brookfield on the development of Canada's science policies?

[Nipun Vats]

I don't have the details of the list that Mr. Schaan mentioned, but I don't think we've had any discussions with Brookfield.

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

Do you not think so, or do you not know?