Canada Excellence Research Chairs National Announcement

Speaking Points

The Honourable Tony Clement, PC, MP
Minister of Industry

University of Toronto
Toronto, Ontario
May 17, 2010

Check Against Delivery

Thank you, Gary, for the kind introduction.

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. This is truly an exciting day!

Our government recognizes that the jobs of the future will be created by talented, skilled and creative people whose research and ability to mobilize and commercialize innovative ideas are the most critical elements to ensuring economic growth over the long term.

Today's announcement is the result of a vision our government set out in 2007. Guided by Canada's Science and Technology Strategy, that vision is of a Canada that provides individuals, families and communities with a cleaner and safer environment, better medicines and health care, improved communications, and stronger research and educational opportunities.

The same year that the Strategy was launched, we recognized that Canada needed to attract, train and keep more of its talent here in Canada, creating jobs for Canadians.

Simply put, Canada had to become — more than ever — a magnet for talent.

That is why our government created the Canada Excellence Research Chairs (CERC) program, to establish prestigious research chairs in universities across the country. As world-leading researchers conduct research in Canada, they will create opportunities for fellow researchers to collaborate and share. They will create rich learning opportunities for students at Canada's universities. They will open up global network connections — at both the business and academic levels — with their home countries. And they will help position Canada's universities as centres of excellence, which will help attract more talent in the future.

We are working in partnership with provinces, non-governmental organizations, international organizations and industry to leverage our investments, and we would like to thank them for their contributions.

So, without further ado, I would like to present to you the very first Canada Excellence Research Chairholders:

The University of Alberta will host four Chairs: David Pearson, Chairholder in Arctic Resources; Michael Houghton, Chairholder in Virology; Thomas Thundat, Chairholder in Oil Sands Molecular Engineering; and Patrick Rorsman, Chairholder in Diabetes.

At Dalhousie University, Douglas Wallace is the Canada Excellence Research Chairholder in Ocean Science and Technology.

At Université Laval, Marcel Babin is Canada Excellence Research Chairholder in Remote Sensing of Canada's New Arctic Frontier, and Younes Messaddeq is Chairholder in Photonic Innovations for Information and Communication.

The University of Manitoba's Chairholder in Arctic Geomicrobiology and Climate Change is Soren Rysgaard.

The Canada Excellence Research Chairholder in Hybrid Powertrain at McMaster University is Ali Emadi.

At the University of Ottawa, Robert Boyd is Chairholder in Quantum Non-linear Optics.

At the University of Saskatchewan, Howard Wheater is Chairholder in Water Security.

Bertrand Reulet is the Canada Excellence Research Chairholder in Quantum Signal Processing at the Université de Sherbrooke.

At the University of British Colombia, Matthew Farrer is Chairholder in Neurogenetics and Translational Neuroscience.

Ian Gardner is Chairholder in Aquatic Epidemiology at the University of Prince Edward Island.

At the University of Waterloo, David Cory is Canada Excellence Research Chairholder in Quantum Information Processing, and Phillippe Van Cappelen is Chairholder in Echohydrology.

The University of Western Ontario will be home to Adrian Owen, Canada Excellence Research Chairholder in Cognitive Neuroscience and Imaging.

And finally, here at the University of Toronto, there will be two Canada Excellence Research Chairholders: Frederick Roth, whose research will focus on integrative biology; and Oliver Ernst, Chairholder in Structural Neurobiology. We will hear from both Dr. Roth and Dr. Ernst shortly.

These new chairholders will be joining the best and brightest from some of our other research and development-focused programs, such as the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships. Just last week, I announced the second cohort of the Vanier Scholars — 166 of them — who are among the world's foremost doctoral students and who will be studying at universities across Canada.

Both of these prestigious programs will help our universities attract and train the next generation of researchers and innovators. And both programs will help ensure Canada's international competitiveness in the future.

And to ensure they have the tools needed to accomplish these objectives, the Knowledge Infrastructure Program is investing $2 billion to renew college and university infrastructure across the country.

For example, at Dalhousie University, we are investing $2 million in the Life Sciences Centre to increase efficiencies and provide a green, safe and healthy environment in which to carry out research.

We are also investing $83 million in the Université de Sherbooke's MiQro Innovation Research Centre to create an international centre of excellence for electronic assembly research, and another $31.7 million in the University of British Columbia's Biological Sciences Complex.

Right here in Toronto, our investment of $35 million is making it possible for the University of Toronto's Mississauga Laboratory Centre to add critical infrastructure to catch up with significant enrollment growth over the past decade and to prepare for future growth.

Scarborough's new Instructional and Laboratory Centre, meanwhile, will add modern, technologically advanced facilities to the teaching and research environment thanks, in part, to our investment of $35 million.

The list goes on, in communities across this country.

Through Canada's Economic Action Plan, these significant investments are not only providing short-term economic stimulus in local communities — they are ensuring that our campuses are able to provide ideal environments for all of our researchers to conduct research, innovate and create new economic opportunities.

Ladies and gentlemen, our government is proud of the Science and Technology Strategy we set out for this country. And through programs like the CERC, we are more confident than ever that our strategy is on track and is having an impact, ensuring that the jobs of the future are created right here in Canada.

To all of the chairholders here today, or who will be making their way to our campuses in the weeks and months ahead, I say, “Welcome!” For some of you, this is a welcome home; for others, it is a welcome to Canada and to Canada's universities.

Wherever you have come from to join us, here you will discover campuses that are already vibrant centres of excellence. And you will find the drive for innovation growing even stronger, thanks in no small part to your presence and to the full support of this government.

Thank you.