Science and Research committee  Quebec is also fortunate to be able to count on a research ecosystem called the Fonds de recherche du Québec. The coexistence of the two systems has always been very positive for the entire research community in Quebec, but also in Canada. There is a good complementarity between the two systems.

Science and Research committee  Indeed, many of our researchers and research communities have niches of expertise that respond to Canada's challenges, knowing that, for many, these challenges are also those of the Quebec population.

Science and Research committee  Thank you very much, Ms. Rempel Garner. Your preamble was good. This is an extremely sensitive issue in the academic community, and it's tearing a lot of people apart. The answer I want to give you is that all academic institutions, together with the granting agencies or councils, are very concerned about ensuring accessibility, equity, diversity, inclusion in the system for an entire profile of researchers and students.

Science and Research committee  Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Honourable members, thank you for inviting us to participate in this very important work. The institutions of the Université du Québec are booming, and the research community is calling for a number of niches of excellence in strategic areas for Canada.

Finance committee  Thank you very much. Government departments do fund research, which is generally of an applied nature, according to their priorities. I would refer you again to the Bouchard report, which clearly explains the difference between research that is freely decided upon by researchers and that which is directed.

Finance committee  This proposal, which we mention in our brief, is related to the raising the profile of scientific careers in French and the need to legitimize them. We attach a great deal of importance to promoting our researchers across Canada. We want to encourage them to submit applications for awards and honours, and promote research excellence in Canada.

Finance committee  Thank you very much for your question. First off, I can tell you that we're very sensitive to this issue. I am on the Quebec Minister of Higher Education's advisory committee, the Comité consultatif sur l'accessibilité financière aux études, or CCAFE. The committee regularly makes presentations to the government to raise awareness of the challenges of student financial accessibility, and of the fact that loans and bursaries are an essential strategic tool.

Finance committee  Thank you very much. I've just arrived from this wonderful week. Speaking of which, I urge you to read an article in this morning's Le Devoir by Quebec's chief scientist, Rémi Quirion. Dr. Quirion celebrates science in French and talks about what's being done right now and what more could be done.

Finance committee  Yes, that's right. I would say two things about that. The first has to do with the quota system, which I just talked about. Simply increasing the number of scholarships without changing how they are awarded would likely widen the equity gap. Also, as I said earlier, the regions need a solid ecosystem that takes into account local and regional realities.

Finance committee  I should start by saying that the three granting councils and the Canadian Foundation for Innovation do a wonderful job when it comes to the vast majority of the grants they provide and the programming they offer to support investigator-initiated research. However, a look at the data from 2000 to 2021 shows that an increasing share of the research funding we receive comes from the Quebec government.

Finance committee  Thank you, Mr. Colleret. I'll start with an issue that concerns every scientific community in Canada. For the past two decades, the value of graduate scholarships in Canada has essentially stayed the same, despite a 30% increase in the consumer price index. What that means on a practical level is that we are forcing our best and brightest, the researchers of tomorrow, to live below the poverty line.

Science and Research committee  Yes, absolutely. As I've said a number of times, the presence of a university is a major factor in developing a diverse range of talents that can contemplate pursuing post-secondary studies, then having careers and carrying on their profession in the place where they studied. Universities are also the place where industries, socioeconomic environments, researchers and students come together.

Science and Research committee  Thank you very much. I'd lean toward what Ms. Aiken said. One of the major consequences we've unfortunately observed is an impressive decline in the research activity and publications of women and young parents at universities. Given the weight that the care of children has represented for women and young parents during the pandemic, the impact on families has been significant.

Science and Research committee  As I mentioned earlier, the fact that universities are located in a place encourages students to enrol there and enables people in the labour force to go back to university to develop their talent if they so wish. I also mentioned the population of students whose parents never went to university.

Science and Research committee  Yes, absolutely. Major investments are being made in super clusters and areas of advanced expertise through the Canada first research excellence fund, the Canada excellence research chairs program and the new frontiers in research fund. These are extremely promising investments that help in developing advanced areas.