Speaking Notes

The Honourable Gary Goodyear, PC, MP
Minister of State (Science and Technology)

International Research Collaboration Reception -- Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences

Carleton University
Ottawa, Ontario
May 25, 2009

Check Against Delivery

Thank you, Nathalie Des Rosiers, for your kind introduction. Dr. Chad Gaffield, Michael Owen, Paul Davidson …

Thank you for inviting me to join you this afternoon to celebrate the humanities and social sciences and their contribution to Canada's prosperity and quality of life.

I want to extend a special welcome to the many international guests joining us.

It is a genuine pleasure to be at my first congress, and I want to congratulate the organizers from the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences for putting on this successful convention.

I have spent a good deal of time recently visiting universities and communities that are the recipients of federal funding initiatives. Each visit gives me an opportunity to see first-hand the important work being done by social sciences and humanities researchers and the benefits of that work to Canada's communities.

Just last week, I was in Kenora at an event to celebrate a Community–University Research Alliance that is bringing together scholars, different levels of government, business and the Aboriginal community to better understand the benefits of the City of Kenora and Grand Council Treaty #3's collaboration on taking stewardship of historic lands that were owned by Abitibi-Consolidated Inc. I heard first-hand how scholars plan to work with local groups to enhance the capacity for cross-cultural collaboration in the community. This is an example of what we can do as a government in terms of funding scholarship that brings communities together.

I want to take a moment to talk about the government's commitment to science, technology and research.

Our commitment has been firm from the very start — beginning with the release of Advantage Canada and the Science and Technology Strategy, and continuing through a series of budgets that have made major investments in this area.

In November 2006, the government released its economic plan, Advantage Canada. This plan underscores the critical importance of science and technology to our nation's prosperity and quality of life.

In May 2007, we built on Advantage Canada with the release of our Science and Technology Strategy.

Beyond articulating our vision for harnessing the positive impacts of research, development and innovation, we have implemented a series of measures to help turn that vision into reality.

One key measure was a significant funding increase in support of the federal granting councils' core programming — the most direct way that we support basic academic research.

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada received successive increases in the budgets of 2006, 2007 and 2008 respectively.

These increases are cumulative. They are permanent. And they are ongoing.

Since 2005–06, funding to SSHRC has increased by 20 percent, from $573 million to $685.1 million, including the indirect costs of research. Our funding increases have allowed SSHRC to create innovative new programs in areas such as the environment, the North, management, business and finance.

We introduced two major programs to position Canada as a magnet for the world's top students and researchers, and to promote the development and application of leading-edge knowledge — the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships and the Canada Excellence Research Chairs program.

That brings me to our latest series of investments — those announced in Budget 2009 — Canada's Economic Action Plan.

The action plan builds on the strong foundation established through the previous three budgets by investing an unprecedented $5.1 billion in science and technology — one of the single-largest investments of its kind in history.

We decided to act to repair a major portion of existing campus infrastructure that needs a serious overhaul.

We listened and we acted.

That is why we are investing $2 billion to improve infrastructure at Canadian universities and colleges through the Knowledge Infrastructure Program.

As you — more than anyone — are acutely aware, this investment in research infrastructure responds to a major pressing need identified to us by the university community.

The investment is also complemented by almost $90 million to offer 2500 additional Canada Graduate Scholarships over the next three years in order to help students facing a weakening labour market. In fact, our government has increased funding for Canada Graduate Scholarships by 50 percent since 2005. There are now more scholarships available for all students in all disciplines.

I am firmly committed to working with all of you here today to determine where future investments are most needed.

Let me assure you that support for basic discovery-oriented, curiosity-driven research is an important part of our strategy and is a fundamental foundation for a strong national research and innovation system.

As we move forward, I expect there will be discussions and consultations in the lead-up to the fall Economic and Fiscal Statement and Budget 2010 on how the government can continue to support our Science and Technology Strategy. I look forward to continuing to have a productive dialogue with all of you as we consider such issues.

I also recognize that SSHRC serves a very large community of scholars and that the process to receive SSHRC funding is particularly competitive. We're learning and we're open to hearing from you. We continue to strive for new ways to create innovative initiatives that will allow Canada to better capture its past and foster a strong future and a genuine economic advantage. SSHRC is an important component here, and so are all Canadian scholars in every discipline.

Our government is committed to fostering world-class research in the humanities and social sciences and increasing the supply of highly qualified graduates that Canada needs to be successful. The social sciences and humanities show us how to harness and interpret innovation from a human perspective, which translates into benefits for society.

The congress is an intellectual festival and a showcase of research excellence. It's been my first, and I look forward to joining you again. In the meantime, thank you for your contribution to the success of the Science and Technology Strategy and for your invitation.

Thank you.