Debates of Feb. 24th, 2014

Rail Transportation

[Jeff Watson, Conservative, Essex, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am not sure that the member opposite understands how the system works.

First, rail companies must primarily be responsible for their safety. We have regulations in place, and if regulations are not followed, the companies will face the full extent of the law. The Railway Safety Act amendments that were brought in require regulation for implementation. Those are being done on an expedited basis and will provide additional safety measures.

However, since Lac-Mégantic the member should know that protective directions have been issued on the classification and testing of flammable liquids. There are information-sharing protocols now with first responders. There are now permanent emergency protective directions that carry the full force of regulation and law. A number of important actions have been taken.

By the way, we continue to hire inspectors.

The members opposite continue to vote against the appropriations.

While we are at it, the minister has directed the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities to study the transportation of dangerous goods and report back with further recommendations.

It is that member and his caucus who are blocking our ability to get to Lac-Mégantic and the Bakken oil fields, and who are playing politics on the Elections Act. If those members are serious about getting on board with rail safety in this country, they should quit the obstructionist politics.

Science and Technology

[Laurin Liu, NDP, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to have the opportunity to return to a question that I raised on February 14 concerning changes to the National Research Council Canada.

The NRC is the former engine of scientific innovation in Canada, and it has been credited with an impressive number of discoveries, such as the pacemaker and various computer animation techniques. However, the Conservative government has decided to “reform” the NRC. In the past two federal budgets, it has allocated $188 million to the NRC to help it refocus its work on business needs. The Conservative government wants to make it a one-stop shop that serves business.

Although almost $200 million has been spent on the restructuring, we are still waiting for the government's detailed business plan. Even worse, everything is being carried out in absolute secrecy. It is not just the opposition parties and the “paranoid, evil journalists” who are worried. Scientists on the ground are also worried.

According to a survey by the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada, 86% of NRC scientists believe that recent changes are limiting or will limit basic research and that this will have a negative impact on research and development generally.

It seems that the growing shift from basic science to commercially oriented applied science is not improving Canada's record on innovation—at least not according to the scientists who are best qualified to say so.

What is more, it is important to see that this reorganization is part of the Conservative government's efforts to cut research budgets. Even when we take into account the effect of the stimulus spending won by the opposition parties, between 2008 and 2013, $600 million was cut from the science and technology budgets of science-oriented departments and agencies; as a result, 2,141 jobs were eliminated.

At the NRC alone, an estimated $129 million and 798 positions were cut. When the government brags about having invested $188 million over two years in the NRC, we have to keep in mind that $129 million was cut over the last five years and that most of the money allocated for restructuring will not go toward actual research.

The worst is yet to come. According to the calculations of the Professional Institute of the Public Service, between 2013 and 2016, ten science-oriented departments will have lost $2.6 billion and 5,064 jobs. This is a real assault.

These cuts have a real impact on the pool of scientific knowledge and information available to Canadians. We have talked a lot about scientific libraries being dismantled, but we also need to talk about the individuals who work for the government and who were, in and of themselves, walking encyclopedias, filled with knowledge that benefited all Canadians.

For example, I am thinking about Jean-Pierre Gagnon, who is one of the leading North American experts on the transportation of dangerous goods by rail, and on DOT-111 cars in particular, which were the ones involved in the Lac-Mégantic tragedy. A government engineer for 32 years, he retired because of workforce adjustment.

My question is the following: How can the government say that the cuts to science will not have an impact on future generations?

[Mike Lake, Conservative, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry]

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to respond to comments made earlier by the hon. member for Rivière-des-Mille-Îles regarding National Research Council scientists and the new mandate of the NRC.

Our government's top priority is jobs, economic growth, and long-term prosperity. That is why we have made record investments in science, technology, and innovation. We understand the importance of providing support for scientific discovery as well as supporting Canadian scientists who work in our research institutions across the country.

Since 2006, our government has provided more than $11 billion in new resources for basic and applied research, talent development, research infrastructure, and innovative activities in the private sector. We have also more effectively aligned federal research support with business needs. That is why Canada is ranked first in the G7 for support for research and development in our colleges, universities, and other research institutes.

Where we see an opportunity to improve is in moving more ideas from the labs to the marketplace. That is also why the government has transformed the NRC to focusing its activities and assets on supporting business innovation, helping to address Canada's challenges in this area. The NRC has set an ambitious goal for itself: to become the most effective research and technology organization in the world. Its revitalization is an important piece of the government's overall strategy in support of innovation. The government will continue to support the NRC and its scientists as they work toward this goal, while at the same time continuing to support basic research. It is clear that we are taking steps to ensure that the National Research Council remains a world-class organization.

We will continue to protect and build on our strength in basic research and bring more ideas from labs and workshops, where science, research, development, and innovation are thriving, to the marketplace.

Furthermore, economic action plan 2014 reinforces Canada's economic strength, with new support for research and innovation totalling more than $1.6 billion over the next five years. Specifically, the plan proposes to create the Canada first research excellence fund, with $1.5 billion in funding over the next decade, to help Canadian post-secondary institutions excel globally in research areas that create long-term economic advantage for Canada.

As the economic action plan reaffirms, our government is committed to supporting science, technology, and innovation to pursue business-led initiatives that meet private sector needs, create jobs, strengthen our knowledge economy, and improve the quality of life for Canadians.

[Laurin Liu, NDP, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, the truth is that the government cut $600 million from science-oriented departments and agencies, and another $2.6 billion will be cut over the next five years.

The government can cut ribbons and publish all the press releases it wants, but we know that these cuts will have an impact on the health and safety of Canadians. It is unrealistic to think that these cuts will only affect administrative services. The government needs to get its head out of the sand. These cuts will affect ecosystems, air and water quality, the survival of endangered species in Canada and, of course, the health and safety of Canadians.

Unfortunately, the cuts are being carried out in secret, and we will only be able to determine the real impact that these irresponsible cuts will have on Canadians in a few years, when we have to deal with more disasters.

I urge the Conservatives to reconsider the cuts they made to basic science in Canada and I urge them to be accountable to Canadians across the country.

[Mike Lake, Conservative, Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the government understands the importance of providing support for scientific discovery and has provided more than $11 billion dollars since 2006, in new resources for basic and applied research, talent development, research infrastructure, and innovative activities in the private sector. We have more effectively aligned federal research support with business needs.

Economic action plan 2014 is a continuation of this narrative. It is one of maintaining our economic strength and adding new support for research and innovation. The creation of the Canada first research excellence fund in the budget is evidence of this, with $1.5 billion in funding over the next decade to help Canadian post-secondary institutions excel globally.

We can boast of an enviable record, as Canada remains the G7 leader in research and development expenditures in the higher education sector as a share of the economy. Our government understands the importance of science, research, and innovation and is committed to supporting both basic and applied research.

[The Acting Speaker, Conservative, Bruce Stanton]

The motion to adjourn the House is now deemed to have been adopted. Accordingly, this House stands adjourned until tomorrow at 10 a.m., pursuant to Standing Order 24(1).

(The House adjourned at 7:16 p.m.)