On behalf of the Government of Canada, welcome to Ottawa and welcome to the Canada Science and Technology Museum.
The Science and Technology Museum is symbolic of the role that science, technology and innovation play in our government's economic policy and in our country's development. With its focus on the transformation of Canada, this museum explores Canada's evolution through science and technology. To think, when Sir John A. Macdonald was prime minister, he tied our nation together from east to west with the Canadian Pacific Railway—the train being the most modern, and fastest, form of land transportation at the time. And today, with our space program and the fifth largest aerospace industry in the world, Canadian scientists and engineers are involved in an altogether different mode of transportation.
Science and technology has helped define us as a nation and as a people. From Sir Sandford Fleming, the Father of Standard Time, to Abraham Gesner, whose discovery of kerosene led to the modern petroleum industry, to RIM founder Mike Lazaridis, Canadians have changed the lives of people around the world.
Of course, we wouldn't have these great advances if Canadians didn't first become interested in how things work. And nowhere does science and technology come to life like it does at your centres across Canada. Science has many fields—most of which are represented by your centres. Looking over your membership list, it's remarkable how many areas of discovery you exhibit—from planetariums to biospheres to the Oil Sands Discovery Centre.
I remember my own children's fascination after a school trip to the Ontario Science Centre. Your centres are a world of science non-fiction where we can all be inspired. And this museum is full of incredible stories of visionaries who pursued their dreams and produced innovations that have contributed to the quality of life we now enjoy.
It's not a cliché: Our young people are our future. When young people develop interests in science, research and technology, they are securing our future. Demographic studies have shown that we have a rapidly aging population. In 2006, we had a ratio of five workers for every retiree, but it is expected that within 50 years we will be facing a ratio of only two workers for every retiree. So we will have to learn to do more with less. How do we do this successfully and efficiently? Through innovation.
Our government is doing its part. Since first coming into office in 2006, we have been systematically building a sophisticated, knowledge-based economy for the 21st century.
In 2007, Prime Minister Stephen Harper introduced an overarching science and technology strategy, focused on Canada's strengths and four priority areas: the environment; natural resources and energy; health and life sciences; and information and communications technologies.
Guided by this strategy, we have been systematically enhancing federal support for advanced research. We are promoting partnerships between industry and academia through the granting councils. We are supporting research in human health and genomics technology through Genome Canada. We are supporting studies to improve patient outcomes and the cost-effectiveness of health care. We are promoting the development of alternative technologies for producing medical isotopes. And we are linking Canadian researchers to the world through the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research.
Moreover, we are providing significant support for leading-edge research infrastructure. Investments are being made in the Canada Foundation for Innovation; in Canada's ultra-high-speed research network, CANARIE; in satellite data reception facilities; in Canada's continued participation in the International Space Station mission; and in the Canadian High Arctic Research Station.
Beyond this, our government is also investing in institutions that are pushing the frontiers of knowledge. I am talking about the Institute for Quantum Computing and the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, which leverage significant private sector funding for work that is of benefit to all Canadians. Their work is the kind of stuff that will make its way to your centres some day.
Our history of discovery and research and development tells us that we play an important role on the world stage. From the pacemaker to the Canadarm to the first mass-market smartphone, Canadian entrepreneurs, researchers and businesses have made their mark time and again and proven that they can be world-class innovators.
Our government is committed to helping these types of breakthroughs happen. We know that Canadians want results. This means bringing innovative products and processes to the marketplace, which will in turn create high-quality jobs, economic growth and long-term prosperity.
But we know that we also need to keep interesting even more of our young people in the sciences. Through initiatives such as Y-STEM—Youth in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics—which is administered by the agency for which I am responsible, the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, we support not-for-profit organizations in enhancing their current educational STEM outreach programs.
For example, we recently announced an investment of up to $970,000 for the Scientists in School program. This will create opportunities for students in southern Ontario to discover science through hands-on activities, workshops and interaction with scientists in their own classrooms.
The investment will also enable Scientists in School to expand the delivery of classroom workshops to regions where there is currently limited programming, to develop new and engaging workshop topics, and to broaden the program to include French-language students, particularly here in the Ottawa area.
I understand that the scientists who visit these schools to provide their real-life experiences are treated like rock stars and that the students actually ask for their autographs.
Another youth-focused program is the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada's PromoScience program. Last year, this program provided $2.9 million to 58 organizations promoting science and engineering to young Canadians.
We have a great story to tell when it comes to Canada's youth. Science is already captivating our young people, and I would say that your facilities are certainly playing a role.
Canada's young people outperform their peers in most other countries in reading, math and science, and our graduation rates in science and engineering are rising quickly, especially at the PhD level. Our country ranks first in the G7 in terms of higher-education expenditures on research and development expressed as a percentage of GDP.
Our post-secondary schools do well in international rankings, not only because they are fine institutions but also because of our keen students.
Our government supports higher education in the sciences through funding provided by the federal granting councils: the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, which I just mentioned, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Through their initiatives, the councils enable established researchers and graduate and post-graduate students to push the boundaries of science and make important discoveries here in Canada.
Through our investments, we have retained and developed outstanding researchers here at home and attracted others from around the world. We have done this by putting in place programs for promising and proven researchers at all stages of their careers.
For those at the beginning of their careers, there are the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships, which support world-class doctoral students who demonstrate high academic achievement and leadership skills, and the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships, which provide assistance to top-tier emerging researchers who are continuing their work beyond their dissertations.
The Canada Research Chairs program, which is funded at $300 million annually, supports 2,000 research professorships at post-secondary institutions across Canada. And then there is the Canada Excellence Research Chairs program, which targets world-leading university researchers and their teams.
As I said earlier, science is already captivating our young people, and science centres are key players in this regard.
Ladies and gentlemen, you are bringing the spark of discovery to the next generation of researchers, scientists and innovators who will lead us into the future. With conferences such as these, you are exploring new ways of attracting Canadians to the marvels of science and technology. And our government is doing its part by creating an economic environment that allows science and technology to flourish.
Another way we can promote this culture of innovation is by encouraging our researchers and science centres to find ways in which to collaborate. There is no shortage of inspiring ideas out there. By working together to promote ideas at places like this museum, we can nurture the next generation of innovators.
Scientific discoveries and new technologies are essential to building a dynamic economy. Perhaps this is even more important in challenging economic times. By investing in science and technology and in research, the government is creating a stronger economy, generating future job opportunities and improving the quality of life of Canadians. New knowledge and technologies will help us meet many of the challenges of the 21st century—from preserving the quality of the environment to enhancing our health and from protecting our safety and security to managing our energy and natural resources.
We have a strong scientific base in Canada on which we are building a modern, innovative economy. To a large extent, our success depends on producing talented professionals who can take on challenging problems and create new knowledge, products and services. With our science and technology strategy and our ongoing commitment to making Canada a world leader in innovation, we will continue to encourage our young people to pursue a future in science.
I hope you have a great conference.
Thank you.
