Science and Research Committee on June 8th, 2026

[Juanita Nathan, Liberal, Pickering—Brooklin, ON]

Thank you for that.

I want to ask you about scientific excellence existing in communities across Canada, both small communities and large urban settings.

From major research-intensive universities to smaller institutions serving in rural, northern and regional communities, ensuring that talent can thrive regardless of geography remains an important challenge. How can Canada strengthen opportunities for researchers and innovators outside major urban centres and ensure that scientific and economic benefits are felt in communities across the country?

[Mona Nemer]

That is an excellent question. I have the opportunity to visit many institutions in rural areas outside large centres, and I see first-hand how important they are for the economic development and the societal benefit in their areas. That's a superb example of where research and development can thrive and where co-development—doing precisely developed research that is important for the community—is important. It allows young people to participate in research endeavours without having to leave their hometown, etc.

Again, it's a perfect example of how research can be beneficial on many fronts, including the socio-economic one.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Thank you. The time is up.

We'll now go to MP DeRidder for five minutes.

Please go ahead.

[Kelly DeRidder, Conservative, Kitchener Centre, ON]

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you for coming today.

You mentioned in your opening speech that you were giving advice on rapid technological change and focusing on digital sovereignty. We've been long recognized as a leader in AI and digital innovation research, but I hear concerns and I see that we lag in commercialization.

From a scientific and innovation standpoint, what barriers continue to prevent Canadian discoveries from becoming Canadian companies and Canadian jobs?

[Mona Nemer]

Thank you for the question. If you see me smile, it's because that's the million-dollar question that successive governments have struggled with.

We have many programs in the country that support innovation, and we have others that support research, and often I think the issue is that the two don't connect. We have pipes, but we don't have connectors.

Of course, it's in the best interest of the country that we are able to commercialize in Canada and grow companies in Canada. Minister Joly asked me just last week to work on providing her recommendations for concrete ways that we can accelerate commercialization. I'll probably be able to give you a better answer in a few months.

[Kelly DeRidder, Conservative, Kitchener Centre, ON]

Did you consult the government at all on the commercialization aspect at that point before they came out with the AI strategy?

[Mona Nemer]

I consulted with the government and with Minister Solomon on the missions and on where best to start in terms of adoption and commercialization, because they often go hand in hand.

In the case of AI, for example, and its application in health, I have to say that my office had already worked with allies, the French and the Italians, to develop some collaborative work precisely around this, because there are huge opportunities both economically and in terms of health access.

[Kelly DeRidder, Conservative, Kitchener Centre, ON]

Thank you.

It's a bit concerning to me to hear that you gave your advice on the AI strategy but it hasn't been talked about or implemented into the strategy, and now a new minister is coming and asking for that same advice. I think it needed to be a part of the “AI for all” strategy that the minister just came out with.

Kitchener Centre has been long recognized as Canada's innovation capital with our research, our start-ups and our innovators. From your perspective, how can our government do better to ensure that regions like this are better included in development and commercialization in Canada?

[Mona Nemer]

The area is superb; it's like Silicon Valley north. It has enviable activities.

I think it comes down to having an entire ecosystem that is supportive of start-ups and supportive of growing companies and growing talent in Canada. I'm hopeful that we'll get there. We need to.

[Kelly DeRidder, Conservative, Kitchener Centre, ON]

Thank you.

Are there areas where federal policy could do more to prevent the brain drain that we're seeing in Canada today and to keep our entrepreneurs and talent in Canada?

[Mona Nemer]

On the talent in the STEM area, for example, many of them go to industry. Some are entrepreneurs and some go to university. The vast majority are actually not at university.

If we want to keep our talent, we need to have strong industrial bases and strong industrial development to manufacture things here and sell them to the world.

[Kelly DeRidder, Conservative, Kitchener Centre, ON]

Thank you very much.

The last question is going to be more asking for your opinion.

It's disheartening for me to hear as well that the Prime Minister's Office hasn't reached out to you to talk directly about your priorities with science. It fits what I'm seeing with the funds being cut, agricultural research being cut and the termination of the lunar rover mission.

In your opinion, would you have rather seen—

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

The time is up for Ms. DeRidder. You can come back—

[Kelly DeRidder, Conservative, Kitchener Centre, ON]

Can I just finish the question?

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

The time is up. We'll be continuing for an hour, so you can come back to it.

With that, we will go to MP Eyolfson.

Please go ahead. You have five minutes.

[Doug Eyolfson, Liberal, Winnipeg West, MB]

Thank you so much for coming, Dr. Nemer.

In your brief, you talked about dealing with scientific disinformation.

I'm a physician. I've been a physician since 1993. I worked in an ICU during the pandemic. I saw more preventable deaths than I thought possible.

According to data from the Canadian Public Health Association, vaccine hesitancy accounted for approximately 2,800 deaths in Canada. We know that scientific disinformation actually does cost human lives. We're seeing infants dying of measles now because of our shocking rate of increase in cases due to, again, misinformation about vaccines and other scientific misinformation.

How would your organization deal with this? How do we navigate getting people to trust actual scientific information?

[Mona Nemer]

This is a complex and very important issue that we're struggling with collectively, not only in Canada but across the world, and it's costing us a lot.

I'll start by saying that it's going to have to be a whole-of-society effort. It is not the responsibility of one group but not another, etc. I think that trust in science and government is extremely important to our democratic values.

In regard to what I have been doing, we have a group. International science advisers were quite concerned about this issue, and we've started looking at ways we can tackle this.

Australia just put out an interesting study about what motivates people to listen to this information, and so on. You wouldn't be surprised if I told you that there is a lot of neuroscience, psychology and communication in there.

I think we need to pay attention to why people are influenced and how they are influenced and make sure that we can empower people to have critical minds and ask questions about information sources, etc.

[Doug Eyolfson, Liberal, Winnipeg West, MB]

Thank you.

I know there are different approaches, depending on who your audience is and where you're directing this. For members of the general public, it's a matter of increasing the trust in science.

One of the big challenges we see as well is those who willingly promote misinformation in science. South of our border, there is a very highly placed person in the health administration telling people that Tylenol in pregnancy causes autism, and he has been very influential in damaging people's trust in science and vaccinations.

How do we deal with these people who are knowingly and actively promoting, whether it's for financial gain or a political objective, this disinformation that is decreasing trust in science?

[Mona Nemer]

With respect to some of the examples you gave about Tylenol and pregnancy, I would just say that people who are not qualified to give medical advice should not give medical advice. We need to make sure that the population knows the credentials of those giving advice. That's one thing.

Going back to what you said about the community and adjusting the approach depending on who we're talking to, I think we need to broaden our work to have leaders who are respected in their communities be part of the conversation. It's critically important. The data shows that people who distrust vaccines, for example, distrust other things that government and other institutions do or say as well. It's something that needs to be dealt with seriously and rigorously.

[Doug Eyolfson, Liberal, Winnipeg West, MB]

Thank you very much.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

With that, we will now proceed to MP Blanchette-Joncas for two and a half minutes.

MP Blanchette-Joncas, go ahead.

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

Thank you very much, Madam Chair.

Madam Chief Science Advisor, you participated in the Standing Committee on Science and Research in the context of an important topic we were discussing here: the dissemination of knowledge in French. The government has asked an independent committee, which includes researchers, to explore various potential solutions to improve the dissemination of knowledge—

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

I'm sorry for interrupting. There is some echo. Can the interpreters please look into that?

You'll have your two and a half minutes. Please go ahead from the start.

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

Can you hear me well, Madam Chair? Can I speak French without a problem?

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Yes, I can hear you.