November 17, 2011 – Ottawa
Remarks for Minister of State Gary Goodyear
Good afternoon.
Thank you for that kind introduction. It is a pleasure to join you once again this year for what promises to be another successful conference. While this may only be the third year of the CSPC, I can say without hesitation that it has become the premier annual event to discuss, debate and look to the future of Canadian science policy. Once again, the Canadian Science Policy Centre has put together a very impressive and informative conference agenda. I want to commend you on your commitment to Canadian science. I look forward to seeing the results that follow.
Ladies and gentlemen, last year I had the privilege of addressing the CSPC in Montreal, where I laid out our government's plan to support and work with science research communities across the country.
We have accomplished a great deal since then in creating a brain gain for Canada.
In August, Prime Minister Harper announced the 2011 Vanier Scholarships. These are valued at $50,000 per year for up to three years. They go to leading doctoral students studying in Canada. We did this in an effort to further brand Canada as a global centre of excellence in research and higher learning.
As well, over the summer, we announced the first recipients of the Banting Fellowships, which provide $70,000 each year for two years to top-tier postdoctoral talent, from both Canada and abroad. These fellowships help develop their leadership potential and position them as research leaders of tomorrow.
And in June, as part of Budget 2011, we announced the creation of 10 new Canada Excellence Research Chairs — a program that offers $10 million over seven years to internationally recognized researchers and their teams to conduct their work at Canadian institutions.
Through these programs and many others, our government is supporting academic research at the highest level. And we are investing in attracting and retaining the world's top minds.
This fall, I was honoured to participate in the grand opening celebration of the new Stephen Hawking Centre at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo. This was made possible in part by a contribution made by the federal government through the Canada Foundation for Innovation. And in 2012, we look forward to the opening of the new world-class facility at the Institute for Quantum Computing, which the federal government has also proudly supported with $50 million.
I would like to take this opportunity today to acknowledge the passing of two Canadian Nobel Prize winners this year: Dr. Willard Boyle and Dr. Ralph Steinman. Dr. Steinman devoted his life to the study of human biology and medicine. His discoveries relating to the activation and regulation of our immune system paved the way for future advancements in treating cancers, infections, and inflammatory diseases
Dr. Steinman joins the pantheon of Canadian Nobel laureates, many of whom were awarded for their work in scientific research.
This group shows the importance of government support for science. Some of those laureates worked with the National Research Council over the course of their careers.
Since the launch of the Government of Canada's Science and Technology Strategy in 2007, we have set out our research priorities, dramatically increased science and technology spending, improved governance structures, and set the National Research Council on a path of robust renewal. We continue to support the hands-on approach of the NRC's Industrial Research Assistance Program, which works closely with small and medium-sized businesses to develop and apply technologies to create new products, services and industrial processes. And we do so because, as Prime Minister Harper said: "Science powers commerce."
And in that vein, I am delighted to announce today our government's further investment in groundbreaking scientific research — the Genomics Research and Development Initiative, or the GRDI.
As many of you know, the GRDI coordinates federal science departments' and agencies' activities in this field. Eight departments receive funding through the GRDI for a period of three years. Our government's investment of $59.7 million over three years marks the fifth phase of this initiative. This support will help address important issues in public health, the economy, agriculture, and the environment.
Since its beginning, the GRDI has produced a spin-off company; delivered insights into pests and diseases for Canada's important wheat and canola crops; contributed to water, forestry and fisheries management; and developed a new method to assess the influenza virus, for the targeted release of vaccines. And these are just a few examples of the program's achievements.
This next phase will support targeted research on three priorities: health care; food and water safety; and environmental sustainability and natural resource protection.
Ladies and gentlemen, our country now attracts the best and brightest minds in many scientific fields. And we have an enviable capacity to develop the talent and produce the discoveries that are the foundation of innovation.
Our government's commitment is being noticed by our international partners. At the recent Canada-U.S. partnership conference, we heard from some of the top innovation leaders in both our countries and the importance of developing research clusters around our key economic corridors.
And of course, we are all proud to welcome next year's meeting of the American Association of the Advancement of Science to beautiful Vancouver. This will be the first time in more than 30 years that this event is being hosted in Canada.
I also recently traveled to Germany, where I met with a number of senior government officials and discussed collaboration between our countries' universities and businesses. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Canada-Germany S&T Agreement. Over the past four decades, scientific cooperation between our two countries has flourished with more than 500 joint research projects, many of which focused on priority areas such as the environment, energy, nanotechnology, human health and genomics.
We are committed to building on this foundation. But we will need the private and public sectors to work together, to demonstrate real leadership in building Canada's prosperity, powered by science, technology and innovation.
As we look around the world, it is no secret that we find ourselves in difficult times. Global uncertainty is having an impact on economies the world over, most notably in the European Union and the United States. The global economy faces serious challenges that require strategic and determined action.
Here in Canada, we have weathered this storm better than most countries. We are the only G7 country to have more than recovered what we lost during the recession in terms of both output and jobs. However, this global uncertainty is having an effect.
Over the last few weeks both here and abroad, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty has re-emphasized our government's commitment to carrying out the Next Phase of Canada's Economic Action Plan, with the objective of improving the well-being of Canadians over the long term by securing the recovery, eliminating the deficit, and investing in the drivers of long-term economic growth.
The uncertain global economy is one reason why this conference is so timely and important. All of us in this room understand that Canada's long-term, sustainable, economic growth will be driven in large measure by science and innovation. Our government understands this, we are committed to this, and since coming to office, we have made it one of our top priorities.
The Prime Minister understands that by encouraging new ideas and collaboration, as well as allowing promising research to flourish, we can tap into commercial opportunities in the marketplace that will generate revenue for business. Simply put, by investing in science, we are working to ensure that our economy continues to grow, innovate, and lead the world.
The CSPC's motto, "Building Bridges for the Future of Science Policy," is an important reminder that governments, businesses, and researchers must work together to create an effective innovation ecosystem. This means we all need to do our part to build an environment that supports world-leading talent, builds and strengthens our knowledge economy, maximizes the returns on our investments, and brings research and innovations to market ahead of our competitors.
Today, more than ever, Canada's long-term economic competitiveness depends on ideas, creativity, and taking risks. In other words, it depends on innovation and collaboration — among businesses, academia and government.
Measured as a percentage of GDP, Canada's higher education expenditures on R&D are the highest in the G7. But we have more work to do in building the knowledge economy of tomorrow.
Despite high levels of federal support for R&D, Canada continues to lag in business R&D spending, commercialization of new products and services, and thus productivity growth.
We know that the private sector could do more by increasing investments in R&D and making it an integral part of their business strategies.
That is why, just over a year ago we asked an independent panel of experts to review federal investments in business R&D and provide advice on optimizing this support.
Last month I received the report and we are now studying its recommendations.
At the same time, the government is developing a strategy for Canada's digital economy. Moreover, we will soon launch a comprehensive review of programs and policies concerning the aerospace sector, with a view to maximizing its competitiveness.
These are just some of the initiatives in play, which build on the foundation we have laid out over the past few years.
And through the initiatives that I have outlined, I think it is clear that we have already begun this work in earnest.
It is in our best interest to continue to collaborate on innovation – through investment, through technology transfer and through expanded networks of cooperation that link our universities, research organizations and business communities.
There will be challenges. But I l am optimistic. And I look forward to working with you to ensure our collective success.
Thank you. Merci.
