Science and Research committee  Because you mentioned “STEM-related”, I was going to go on a tangent to say that I think in certain disciplines, Canada is doing extremely well on the diversity of attracting stellars in various fields. In the STEM disciplines, I do agree that there is added complexity. At the University of Ottawa the need for bilingualism is in the mix.

Science and Research committee  You still have 15 seconds, so if I could—

Science and Research committee  You still have 15 seconds, so if I could just add to the previous answer, yes, indeed, Canada is just too small not to collaborate, and the national labs are extremely important for the universities, and for the entire ecosystem, to be honest. I could talk about quantum. We have a joint centre in extreme quantum photonics at the University of Ottawa with the National Research Council.

Science and Research committee  There's a lot to say about that. I don't like drawing comparisons with Germany or the U.S., but it's hard not to. In terms of business R and D expenditures, Canada is in free fall. I think we were at less than 1.5% in 2021, so very little investment is happening at the industry level.

Science and Research committee  Thank you, Mr. Blanchette-Joncas.

Science and Research committee  It boils down to the level of ongoing investment over the years. I think that speaks to the heart of the decline. As you know, Canada's population of university teachers is getting older and older, and few young researchers are taking their place. That may be one of the reasons why it's challenging to shore up the university sector.

Science and Research committee  How much time do I have to answer the question, Ms. Diab?

Science and Research committee  Madame Diab, how much time do I have? It is a topic that is—

Science and Research committee  Attraction and retention of talent is one of the most important things for this country. The talent will go wherever the investments are. I will answer that, with regard to COVID, it has been extremely difficult to attract international talents into this country. They're not able to travel.

Science and Research committee  That's an excellent question. The University of Ottawa is indeed the largest English–French bilingual university in the world, with more than 45,000 students, 15,000 of whom are French speakers. We attract francophone students not only from across the country, but also from around the globe, and now that includes African countries.

Science and Research committee  You're absolutely right. It takes a village to bring research into commercial success. Let's look at what happens within our own ecosystem here in Ottawa. Ottawa is a very rich G7 capital. It has a number of federal government departments that have research-aligned management.

Science and Research committee  Good evening, Mr. Chair and members of the committee. thank you very much for the invitation to meet with you. I am very pleased to contribute to your important study on successes, challenges and opportunities for science in Canada. Tuesday evening, you heard from Gilles Patry, of the U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities, and Mona Nemer, the chief science advisor, both of whom have close relationships with the University of Ottawa.