Science and Research committee  Yes. We therefore recommend that scenarios be evaluated to increase the number of scholarships granted to graduate students and to correct the historical error that was imposed on our researchers by letting them live in a situation of extreme poverty for years by not having indexed their scholarships.

Science and Research committee  I would have to see the fine details of the investigation. Not having seen it in detail, it's difficult for me to take a position today. I know for a fact that French-speaking researchers and students choose to submit applications in English because they feel that they will be better evaluated by the councils and evaluation committees.

Science and Research committee  University funding is a provincial responsibility, and I don't know the situation in every province in Canada. However, I can tell you that in Quebec, if there were a cleanup to be done—

Science and Research committee  Yes, absolutely. However, I wanted to tell you that, in Quebec, between 2012 and 2015, major cuts were made to university budgets and a major cleanup was done.

Science and Research committee  Yes, there were indeed budget cuts in Quebec universities. Their financial situation is very precarious, as it is in several Canadian provinces.

Science and Research committee  The value of scholarships hasn't increased in over 20 years, or so, and it is around $20,000. The Canada graduate scholarship competition offers $35,000 awards. However, the normal awards from the federal councils, such as the Canada graduate scholarship program at the doctoral level run by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, are still at $21,000.

Science and Research committee  We would have to do some simulations, but I can tell you that $20,000 in 2000 is equivalent to $35,000 today. I therefore believe that the reference value of doctoral scholarships should be increased to $35,000. As a result of this correction, these amounts should be indexed. Indeed, leaving the value of an award fixed over time creates inequity between the cohorts of students who are studying below the poverty line and those who benefit from the correction on the day it is made.

Science and Research committee  With all due respect, I think you're mixing up two things in your question. You're talking about the operation of universities and the direct support offered to students in these universities. In my opinion, these are two very different things and—

Science and Research committee  The position of the Canadian Association for Graduate Studies is very simple: the value of scholarships should be increased to keep pace with the cost of living, which should have been done 20 or 25 years ago. The association also believes that research grants to faculty should be increased to allow them to provide adequate financial support to the students they supervise.

Science and Research committee  Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. I would like to thank the committee for having me here. I'm the director of graduate studies and student success at the Institut national de la recherche scientifique. INRS is an academic institution dedicated exclusively to research and graduate training.