Speaking Points
The Honourable Gary Goodyear, PC, MP
Minister of State (Science and Technology)
January 31, 2012
Ottawa, Ontario
Check Against Delivery
Thank you, Dr. Bradwejn, for the kind introduction.
I am very pleased to be here with you today at the University of Ottawa to make this important announcement.
We are here to launch a research competition that has three objectives:
- improving the health of all Canadians;
- keeping the health care system sustainable so it's there when you need it; and
- advancing our government's commitment to the knowledge-based economy.
Ladies and gentlemen, as Prime Minister Stephen Harper underlined last week in Davos at the World Economic Forum, the Canadian economy remains our top priority. Our government is committed to further investing in science and technology in order to sustain a modern, competitive economy.
We continue our hard work to ensure that Canada continues to lead and shine on the world stage.
And it's what brings us here today.
We know that the health and vitality of Canadians are essential to the overall fabric of a prosperous country. To that end, our government is encouraging and supporting innovation in a wide array of medical fields—from biomedicine to chronic diseases.
We are creating opportunities for Canadian businesses, markets and exports. We are encouraging job creation and growth. And we will strive to lead the world in personalized health, one of the most important, emerging frontiers of medicine.
Personalized health—or personalized medicine—is about tailoring medical intervention and care to individuals based on their genetic makeup and lifestyle factors. In other words, the care you receive is designed expressly and uniquely for you.
Through this approach, health care is expected to evolve from a one-size-fits-all system to one in which care is individualized, preventive and precise. This will lead to better, timely care for more Canadians.
That is why I am pleased to tell you about a very important and uniquely Canadian initiative.
Today, the Government of Canada is launching a research competition aimed at demonstrating the tangible clinical, economic and social health care benefits of personalized health.
This competition will be led by Genome Canada, with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Cancer Stem Cell Consortium providing additional support. What's more, the funding provided by these agencies will be matched. Successful applicants must leverage matching funds from other sources such as universities or provinces.
To be successful, applicants will have to first undertake research that makes a tangible, measurable difference to health care. They must also consider the economic, ethical, environmental, legal and social impacts and implications of their research so as to help speed its adoption and use.
We are excited by this approach because it involves three levels of partnerships in our country's research enterprise.
Genome Canada has been successfully translating scientific research into economic and social benefits for more than a decade.
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research is Canada's pre-eminent agency supporting scientific research and development in the health sector.
And the Cancer Stem Cell Consortium is a groundbreaking organization that supports international collaboration on promising fronts in the fight against cancer. Personalized medicine is one of the most promising approaches for fighting cancer.
On behalf of all Canadians, I thank you for your groundbreaking work.
The leading-edge research, ideas, products and technologies that result from this competition will improve health care, raise our quality of life and drive innovation in the important areas of science and medicine.
I wish you all the best in these truly significant endeavours.
Thank you.
