Speaking Points
The Honourable Gary Goodyear, PC, MP Minister of State (Science and Technology)
Ottawa, Ontario
March 13, 2012
Check Against Delivery
Thank you, Dr. Bradwejn, for your kind introduction.
Greetings to Dr. Gaffield from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, Mr. Normand from the Canada Foundation for Innovation, Canada Research Chairs and other distinguished guests.
I am pleased to be here today to celebrate the Canada Research Chairs program. Through this program, our government invests $300 million annually to help Canadian universities attract, retain and support the world's best researchers. Our goal is to achieve research excellence in the fields of engineering, natural sciences, health sciences, humanities and social sciences.
This program has helped attract and retain top scholars from across Canada and abroad to find solutions to our most pressing challenges. Canada Research Chairs are driving innovation, spurring economic growth and addressing health, environmental and social issues to improve the lives of Canadians.
I am very impressed by the number of Research Chairs here at the University of Ottawa and by the quality of their work. With more than 50 Canada Research Chairs across several disciplines, the University of Ottawa has demonstrated a strong commitment to advancing knowledge and innovation and is poised for many years of discovery.
For example, Dr. Pierre Lévy, Canada Research Chair in Collective Intelligence, is one of the world's leading thinkers in the area of cyberculture. His work on collective intelligence—or, more specifically, the capacity of human communities to cooperate intellectually to create, innovate and invent—has led to the invention of software systems that are now being used by communities and companies worldwide to map, assess and share knowledge.
You should all be proud of the significant contributions you are making to push the boundaries of scientific discovery and human knowledge here at the University of Ottawa. Your achievements have helped enhance Canada's international reputation in research and development, particularly in the area of health.
Ladies and gentlemen, in these uncertain economic times, our government's top priority continues to be the economy. The research and innovation taking place here, and at post-secondary institutions across Canada, are vital to Canada's continued global scientific leadership and economic growth. We understand that investing in science and technology ultimately translates into a better quality of life for Canadians.
As our government prepares to introduce its 2012 Economic Action Plan, I want to be clear: We are committed to continued support for research, innovation and training at universities and colleges across the country.
With more than 1,800 chairholders working in various fields in universities across the country, the Canada Research Chairs program helps advance the kind of leading-edge research that positively affects our lives. Indeed, the ideas, practices and technologies being developed today by many of the researchers here at the University of Ottawa may soon reach—or, indeed, may have already begun to reach—well beyond the walls of this institution and translate into economic opportunities as well as better heath and social outcomes for Canadians.
As part of the Government of Canada's ongoing commitment to supporting the development of knowledge and building a competitive advantage, we are today announcing an investment of $124.5 million that will enable 36 universities across Canada to appoint or renew 132 Canada Research Chairs.
And the University of Ottawa has special reason to celebrate this announcement. Five Canada Research Chairs at the University of Ottawa will see their mandates renewed.
One of these researchers is Dr. Lora Ramunno, Canada Research Chair in Computational Nanophotonics, who will advance her studies in how light interacts with matter on a nanoscale. Her research is leading to new applications in such diverse areas as telecommunications, computation and biotechnology.
Another of these researchers is Dr. Julian Little, Canada Research Chair in Human Genome Epidemiology. Dr. Little is developing new ways to investigate the roles that genes play in a number of diseases. He is helping to develop much-needed techniques that will translate genetic discoveries into opportunities for preventive medicine and greater public health benefits. In a few moments, Dr. Little will tell us first-hand about his research. The work of Dr. Daniel Figeys, Canada Research Chair in the field of Proteomics and Systems Biology will be the feature of a laboratory tour to follow; I hope that you'll join me.
The Canada Foundation for Innovation, or CFI, also contributes to the success of the Canada Research Chairs program by providing funding through its Leaders Opportunity Fund. In this regard, the investment announced today includes $6.3 million from the CFI to fund 32 research infrastructure projects associated with the work of Canada Research Chairs. This support helps the universities acquire the infrastructure and operational support that their leading research faculty needs to undertake cutting-edge research.
Science and technology is essential to ensuring that Canada is competitive with other countries around the world and can continue to prosper in this new economy. A few years ago, the Prime Minister said, "Science powers commerce." And that's why our investments have been across the board, from basic blue skies research and discovery all the way through to commercialization and successful market entry.
That's why our government recently made new investments to support leading-edge research, international collaborations, health research and the creation of world-class research centres here in Canada. That's why we've enhanced funding support to researchers and scientists who are pushing the frontiers of knowledge and to graduate and postgraduate students who will make the breakthroughs of tomorrow.
We have been taking steps toward meeting this goal by helping to refocus the NRC on areas where it can make the most effective contributions. And to do so in ways that will significantly improve Canada's innovation performance, restore the NRC's reputation and create a stable business model going forward.
The model that we are developing will be built on proven approaches used by successful global innovation players but carefully adapted to the Canadian reality. It will be based on hands-on experience with multinational companies, small and medium-sized businesses, government agencies and academia. We are working to make the NRC a world-class organization that is more effective than ever before in generating new jobs and growth for Canada through science, technology and innovation. And I think you will agree that this is a surefire way to sustain and expand Canada's economy and the prosperity of Canadians in the years to come.
Ladies and gentlemen, as many of you may remember, Canada had the privilege of hosting Professor Stephen Hawking in July 2010 at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo. I would like to close with a quote from Professor Hawking, who said: "The world has changed far more in the past 100 years than in any other century in history. The reason is not political or economic but technological—technologies that flowed directly from advances in basic science."
With investments like those our government is making through the Canada Research Chairs program and the Canada Foundation for Innovation, I know that Canada will play a major role in the transformations that will occur over the next 100 years. And it is thanks to the scientific discovery and innovation taking place right across this great country of ours in institutions like this.
On behalf of the Harper Government, I wish Dr. Lévy, Dr. Ramunno, Dr. Little and all of the other Canada Research chairholders success in their work. I thank you for your commitment to excellence in research.
I look forward to seeing your discoveries.
Thank you.
