Evidence of meeting #4 for Science and Research in the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was edi.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Jennifer McKelvie Liberal Ajax, ON
If it is a value of the organization to embrace diversity, is that problematic?
Associate Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Wilfrid Laurier University, As an Individual
If we're talking about a university, I think it is. A university should have a very clearly defined mandate. It's about pursuing knowledge and pursuing truth. Why do you have to embrace political acknowledgements of different ethnic groups in your country? I don't think that's a particularly important thing for a university to do, and as we can see, it can move you off mission.
Professor, McGill University, As an Individual
I actually have a prepared statement, because I anticipated this. It's a wonderful question.
Point three, my final point, is to stop social engineering in science. Science is not activism. Scientists are trained to test hypotheses and to discover, not to redistribute privilege. Whether that should even happen is another question. We're not communists, are we? Burdening research and ideological mandates distracts from discovery and erodes public trust. If science is left free, it benefits all of humanity, and these benefits will naturally flow to all people.
Liberal
Jennifer McKelvie Liberal Ajax, ON
Would it surprise either of you that the Conservative Party's constitution recognizes the rich, diverse makeup of the Canadian population and the contribution of these communities to our history and the Canadian way of life as a statement?
Professor, McGill University, As an Individual
Would it surprise me?
Not in the least, because in politics you can talk about diversity and in teaching you can talk about diversity and maybe even in police services, because you interact with humans, but not in science. Maybe some people interact with humans, but I don't. The people in my field are all machine people. Even the women are machine people. Everyone's a machine person. There's no person. We're just there to do the work.
Liberal
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Salma Zahid
Your time is up.
I would like to thank the witnesses for appearing before the committee. If there is something you want to bring to the committee's attention and were not able to do so today, you can do a written submission.
Yes, Mr. Baldinelli, go ahead.
Conservative
Tony Baldinelli Conservative Niagara Falls—Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON
Thank you, Madam Chair.
I have a quick question to the clerk on the status of the invitations to the tri-council. I understand they were invited during the last Parliament and there were technical difficulties, so they didn't have an opportunity to appear. I was wondering if the tri-council members have agreed to appear and if we can schedule them in. In fact, we have more witnesses and we could extend the hearings if that were the will of the committee.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Salma Zahid
They have been invited, and they have accepted for October 1. They are scheduled for October 1.
With that, is it the will of the committee to adjourn the meeting?