Science and Research committee  That's for sure.

Science and Research committee  It's a very timely question. CASA recently finished authoring a policy paper on this subject, which is going to be released in the next couple of months. I'd be happy to share that with you once it's ready. The crux of our recommendations actually focus around data collection, because students are not a recognized class of renters in a lot of the data that we have.

Science and Research committee  Unfortunately, I don't have the data to answer that question right now. I'd be happy to follow up with the committee clerk afterwards.

Science and Research committee  Thank you. I have some of this information on hand, specifically about the recent investment that the United States did through their CHIPS Act. They actually increased the number of equivalent graduate scholarships in the United States by 50%. Those graduate researchers make the equivalent of $50,000 a year Canadian, compared to $17,500 for the Canada master's funding.

Science and Research committee  I'm sorry. Can you clarify? Do you mean undergraduate students?

Science and Research committee  I don't have any offhand, but I have the statistics that in 2016 a survey found 47% of early career health researchers had seriously considered leaving the country to pursue their education elsewhere, because of financial concerns. This is something we've been hearing. I recommend that you ask this question specifically to Sarah, from the Support our Science movement.

Science and Research committee  This raises a very important concern around affordability and post-secondary education. There has been a decrease in government funding to universities over the last couple of decades. Students have been increasingly paying higher tuition. Also, importantly, international students have been paying significantly higher tuition as well, because very often they're unregulated by the government, whereas domestic students have legislated caps in their provinces for what they can pay for tuition.

Science and Research committee  I'm happy to comment on that. I will say this issue specifically is difficult to quantify, but we found a 2016 survey that found that 47% of early-career health researchers considered moving abroad. Since then, conditions have worsened. According to the OECD, Canada is second-last in the G7 for investment in research and development by percentage of GDP.

Science and Research committee  I'm sorry. The translation is just catching up. One of the recommendations that we are putting forward today is asking the government to legislate a student seat on these tri-councils. This is something that we think will be a bit of a proactive measure, so that students' concerns and experiences on the ground as researchers can be taken into account proactively as these tri-councils make decisions.

Science and Research committee  With the recent investment they made in the United States with the CHIPS Act, their graduate fellows earn around $50,000 a year Canadian compared to $17,500 for the Canadian master's funding that is provided, as an equivalent. To address your question from the beginning, I work with students every single day from coast to coast to coast, and for the past three years the number one thing I've been hearing from Vancouver Island all the way to the east coast is concern about affordability.

Science and Research committee  Thank you. Good morning, honourable chair, esteemed committee members and fellow witnesses. I would like to begin my statement by acknowledging that we are meeting today on the territory of the Anishinabe Algonquin nation. My name is Mackenzy Metcalfe. I'm the executive director of the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations, or CASA.