Evidence of meeting #44 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 report.
A video is available from Parliament.
Emeritus Professor, University of Ottawa, As an Individual
These are ideological debates.
Conservative
Vincent Ho Conservative Richmond Hill South, ON
I would like, in writing, an answer to that question.
Liberal
Emeritus Professor, University of Ottawa, As an Individual
Yes.
I don't want to get into an ideological debate on the significance of people's characteristics—
Conservative
Vincent Ho Conservative Richmond Hill South, ON
There seems to be a lot of ideology in your report, so I want you to answer the question in writing after this committee meeting: How does someone's skin colour correlate to their linguistic ability?
September 24th, 2026 / 4:25 p.m.
Emeritus Professor, University of Ottawa, As an Individual
You keep interrupting me, so I can't answer the question.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Salma Zahid
Let's have one person at a time, please.
This time has ended.
We will now end this panel with two minutes for MP Eyolfson. Please go ahead for two minutes.
Liberal
Doug Eyolfson Liberal Winnipeg West, MB
Thank you, Chair.
Thank you to our guests. This has been a very interesting study.
Madame Cardinal, you had mentioned the role of universities. Monsieur Blanchette-Joncas correctly stated that universities are under provincial jurisdiction. Quebec, of course, is the largest French-speaking province: You're going to have a lot of people receiving their education and doing their research in French. Outside of Quebec or outside of provinces and regions that have large francophone communities.... How can we work with these regions of the country that do not have large francophone populations, and with their universities, to increase the level of education and research so that people are able to perform their research and write their grants in French, thereby increasing the role of French in research in Canada?
Emeritus Professor, University of Ottawa, As an Individual
Thank you for your constructive question, Mr. Eyolfson.
In Quebec, of course, it's possible to carry out research in French. However, even during our consultations, young researchers in particular and students told us that this posed some major dilemmas. Once they reach the doctoral level, they must decide whether to write their theses in English or French. We can see this clearly now in Quebec. It's in our report. A significant percentage of students write their theses in English. This is the case even in Quebec, so imagine the situation outside Quebec. The SARF has helped researchers and is now helping students applying for scholarships to prepare their applications in French.
In our report, we recommend providing long‑term support for the Côte à côte program designed for students at universities in the Canadian francophonie. It's with the Université de Montréal. Students can come spend a certain number of weeks in Quebec to gain experience in an academic setting—an enriching educational experience—and also to work in community settings. That's one example.
There's also Acfas's research mobility program. This program is available in only three provinces. We would like—
Emeritus Professor, University of Ottawa, As an Individual
—to see it implemented across the country.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Salma Zahid
Thank you.
Thanks a lot to both of the witnesses for appearing before the committee.
We will suspend the meeting for a few minutes so that we can allow the witnesses to leave and allow witnesses for the next panel to take their seats.
The meeting is suspended.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Salma Zahid
I call this meeting to order.
I would like to make a few comments for the benefit of our new witnesses for this panel.
Please wait until I recognize you by name before speaking. For those participating by video conference, click on the microphone icon to activate your mic, and please mute yourself when you are not speaking.
For those on Zoom, at the bottom of your screen you can select the appropriate channel for interpretation: floor, English or French. For those in the room, you can use the earpiece and select the desired channel.
I would like to remind witnesses that committee members may ask questions in either French or English. If you need interpretation, please take a moment now to prepare your earpiece and select the appropriate channel.
As a reminder, all comments should be addressed through the chair.
With that, I would like to welcome our witnesses for this panel.
We are joined by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, represented here by Chantal Marin-Comeau, vice-president, corporate services and transformation, and Paula Kirton, director general, investigator-initiated research.
Our second organization is the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, represented here by Anne-Marie Thompson, vice-president, research grants and scholarships directorate, and Marcel Turcot, vice-president, strategic, corporate and public affairs.
Our third organization is the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, represented here by Dr. Sylvie Lamoureux, chief operating officer and vice-president, research, and Dr. Tim Wilson, associate vice-president, research programs.
A big welcome to all of you for joining us today at this committee. Everyone will have five minutes for their opening remarks, and then we will go into our rounds of questioning.
We will start with the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.
Dr. Lamoureux, please go ahead. You will have five minutes.
Sylvie Lamoureux Chief Operating Officer and Vice-President, Research, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council
Thank you, Madam Chair, for inviting me to speak on behalf of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, or SSHRC. I'm joined by my colleague, Tim Wilson, the associate vice‑president of the social sciences and humanities programs, along with our counterparts from the two other federal research funding agencies.
SSHRC's primary mandate is to fund research and research training in the social sciences and humanities, ensuring that Canada has the ideas and skills necessary to address both the problems of today and the challenges of tomorrow—
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Salma Zahid
I'm sorry for interrupting.
Can we check the interpretation, please?
Okay. Please start again.
Chief Operating Officer and Vice-President, Research, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council
From the top?
Chief Operating Officer and Vice-President, Research, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council
Thank you, Madam Chair, for inviting me to speak on behalf of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, or SSHRC. I'm joined by my colleague, Tim Wilson, the associate vice‑president of the social sciences and humanities programs, along with our counterparts from the two other federal research funding agencies.
SSHRC's primary mandate is to fund research and research training in the social sciences and humanities, ensuring that Canada has the ideas and skills necessary to address both the problems of today and the challenges of tomorrow. We also administer, on behalf of the three agencies, a number of prominent research programs. These programs include the New Frontiers in Research fund and the Eddie Goldenberg research chairs of Canada, which support all disciplines and drive innovative and impactful research.
SSHRC is currently going through a leadership transition. We're fortunate to have Normand Labrie, the president of the Université de l'Ontario français and normally our council chair, as our interim president. As a francophone who is deeply committed to enriching the French research enterprise, Mr. Labrie is a strong ally. The same can be said about Éric Montpetit, our interim council chair who is also the vice‑dean of research in the faculty of arts and science at the Université de Montréal.
Mr. Labrie, Mr. Montpetit and I, in my capacity as chief operating officer and vice‑president of research at SSHRC, are all deeply committed—both personally and professionally—to the vitality of French‑language research in Canada and of our francophone communities, as well as to the post‑secondary institutions that serve them.
I would very much like to thank this committee for its continued support of research in French. I would also like to thank members of the external advisory panel, who worked tirelessly on the recently released report on that topic. I applaud the quality of their work, and I appreciate the time they took to engage with SSHRC and consider our feedback while drafting it.
We have taken note of the report’s recommendations, and we are coordinating with members of the Canada research coordinating committee and other relevant interlocutors to discuss next steps while taking mandates, resources and the needs of the research community into consideration.
We recognize that some decisions will occur outside of the federal research funding agencies, particularly decisions with respect to new measures. We are fully committed to collaborating on new measures as best we can.
The vitality of the francophone research community is an asset to the Canadian research ecosystem and to Canada as a whole. SSHRC takes to heart its obligations in relation to the Official Languages Act, whether it be providing access to services in both of Canada’s official languages, nurturing and supporting official language minority communities, or promoting and protecting the French language.
SSHRC works hard to ensure a robust merit review process for all funding applications received, regardless of the official language. Overall, applications submitted in French have success rates comparable to—or even higher than—the applications submitted in English.
From 2021 to 2025, SSHRC invested approximately $37.3 million in research on official languages and related topics. This funding supported 444 projects, 831 researchers, 197 graduate students and five Canada research chairs on the topic.
We also provide institutional support measures; make investments in official languages research and research relevant to francophone communities; and undertake initiatives to ensure the dissemination, discoverability and mobilization of research in French, including through our support for French‑language journals and platforms such as Érudit. We also support various awards that recognize outstanding French research as well as knowledge mobilization efforts.
SSHRC has been active internationally. We're exploring ways to help connect francophone researchers in Canada with colleagues in other countries of the global francophonie.
In short, SSHRC is deeply committed to supporting and enhancing a vibrant French-language research enterprise in and across Canada. Dr. Wilson and I are happy to answer, in the official language of your choice, any questions you may have.
Thank you.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Salma Zahid
With that, we will proceed to the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council.
Ms. Thompson, please go ahead. You have five minutes for your opening remarks.
Anne-Marie Thompson Vice-President, Research Grants and Scholarships Directorate, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council
Good afternoon, Madam Chair and members of the committee.
On behalf of the president of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Alejandro Adem, I am pleased to be here today to provide remarks to support your important study.
I'm joined here today by Marcel Turcot, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada's vice-president for strategic, corporate and public affairs.
The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, or NSERC, joins its federal partners in recognizing the excellent work of the external advisory panel on the creation and dissemination of scientific information in French.
NSERC and the other federal research funding agencies collaborated with Canadian Heritage and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada to support the work of the advisory panel by participating in meetings and responding to requests for data and information.
We have taken note of the recommendations set out in the report submitted to the Minister responsible for Official Languages. NSERC will remain attentive to the government's response to the report and will continue to work with its federal partners to support priorities arising from it, in accordance with its mandate. This mandate is grounded in supporting research excellence, talent and innovation in natural sciences and engineering in both official languages across Canada.
NSERC invests more than $1.5 billion annually in natural sciences and engineering research, supporting over 185 post-secondary institutions across the country, including more than 65 francophone or bilingual institutions.
Our investments support internationally recognized, discovery-driven research across a broad range of fields, contributing to Canada’s global scientific standing, including within the international Francophonie.
We also support the next generation of researchers and the highly qualified workforce who contribute to Canada's prosperity, and we foster partnerships with public, private and not-for-profit sector organizations to transform discoveries into tangible benefits for communities, the economy and Canada's strategic sectors. For example, NSERC's long-standing investments in artificial intelligence and quantum science have helped support pioneering research that has shaped these fields on the world stage.
Among the researchers supported by these investments are francophone researchers Yoshua Bengio and Gilles Brassard of the Université de Montréal, whose globally recognized contributions earned them each the prestigious Turing Award, in 2018 and 2025, respectively.
The contribution of francophone researchers and francophone and bilingual institutions to the excellence and visibility of Canadian research is undeniable.
NSERC supports equitable access to its programs, ensures bilingual merit review, and promotes the recognition of French language research, including in minority-language contexts.
NSERC also implements its obligations under part VII of the Official Languages Act by considering the impacts of its programs and policies on official language minority communities and by taking positive measures to enhance their vitality and to protect and promote the French language.
We are proud to have recently signed a memorandum of understanding with Acfas's French-language research assistance service, which provides guidance to researchers in minority francophone contexts to facilitate the preparation of funding applications in French and support their full participation in funding opportunities.
We also support science promotion activities in French and integrate francophone perspectives into the development of our policies and programs.
NSERC and the other federal granting agencies continue to modernize Canada's research funding ecosystem through initiatives such as the implementation of the Tri-agency grants management solution, the integration of the San Francisco declaration on research assessment, or DORA, principles into research assessment practices, the adoption of a new narrative CV, and the revision of the open access policy on publications.
In alignment with the concerns raised by the external advisory panel, these initiatives aim to improve access to funding opportunities, promote a more inclusive approach to the assessment of research excellence, and enhance the accessibility, dissemination and discoverability of research results.
These initiatives, together with reflections stemming from the recommendations of the external advisory panel and the work of this committee, will contribute to discussions about how to better support French-language research and the vitality of francophone research communities.
Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you today.
Mr. Turcot and I are available to answer your questions and provide any clarifications you require.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Salma Zahid
With that, we will proceed to the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
Ms. Marin-Comeau, vice-president of corporate services and transformation, please go ahead. You have five minutes for your opening remarks.
Chantal Marin-Comeau Vice-President, Corporate Services and Transformation, Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Madam Chair and committee members, thank you for inviting me to be here today.
I'm joined by Paula Kirton, director general for investigator initiated research and official languages champion for CIHR.
As Canada's federal health research funding agency, CIHR is pleased to contribute to your study of the findings of the external advisory panel on the creation and dissemination of scientific information in French.
The advisory panel's report addresses an issue that is fundamental to the vitality, inclusiveness and excellence of Canada's research ecosystem. CIHR welcomes its findings and is grateful it had the opportunity to support the panel in carrying out its mandate.
Researchers who work in French make indispensable contributions to Canada's scientific enterprise and to our society. From coast to coast to coast, they push the frontiers of knowledge, drive innovation and train new generations of researchers and health professionals.
In health care settings, language can be a key determinant of access, quality, safety and equity. Research conducted in French helps strengthen health services by addressing the needs of francophone patients, including those who are members of official language minority communities.
This means achieving better health for all Canadians.
At CIHR, we recognize that supporting Canada's French-language research community requires meaningful action.
That is why we actively encourage researchers to apply for funding in the official language of their choice and ensure that applications submitted in French are assigned to qualified peer reviewers with the ability to assess them. We provide program materials, webinars and services in both official languages. We have also implemented various measures to support applicants and strengthen French-language peer review.
One of CIHR's most significant measures has been the rebalancing of funding outcomes for applications submitted in French under the project grant program. Since 2021, this measure has ensured that the proportion of French-language applications funded is at least equal to the proportion of applications submitted in French.
In 2024, CIHR also earmarked funding to continue building capacity for both francophone and official language minority community researchers and to support a new generation of researchers from the master's to the post-doctoral level.
CIHR is championing a modernized concept of research excellence that values quality and impact over traditional journal-based metrics.
This results in a more inclusive and responsible approach to research assessment.
Although progress is being made, we recognize that challenges remain. For instance, we know that researchers in English-language institutions may experience administrative barriers when applying for funding in French. We also know that limited opportunities exist to publish research in French.
CIHR is committed to promoting the vitality and substantive equality of Canada's official languages and to supporting scientific research in French.
Consistent with our obligations under the Official Languages Act, CIHR strives to foster a research environment in which both official language communities can fully participate.
We also know that Canada's research ecosystem is highly collaborative. Together with our partners in government and the research community, we will continue to strengthen the conditions that allow excellent research in French to thrive for the benefit of all Canadians.
Thank you very much.
I would be pleased to answer your questions.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Salma Zahid
Thank you to all the witnesses for their opening remarks.
We will start our first round of questioning with MP Ho for six minutes.
MP Ho, please go ahead.
Conservative
Vincent Ho Conservative Richmond Hill South, ON
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Let's start with NSERC, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council.
Today we're talking about a report on the dissemination of scientific information in the French language. The report recommends to the committee dedicating race-based scholarships specifically for racialized students studying in French, as well as dedicating race-based funding in hiring targets for racialized professors. It's written on page 12.
Does your organization agree with these recommendations?