44th Parl. 1st Sess.
December 1, 2022 10:00AM
Mr. Speaker, I am enjoying this Manitoba debate. There are a couple of things I would say.
The government, in the last budget of 2021-22, announced about $700 million for cybersecurity. It seems that it is all going to the Communications Security Establishment, which, as I mentioned in my speech, is the government's sort of cybersecurity agency under the Minister of National Defence. It is great. We do need more resources at the government level for CSE. However, I asked the minister if any of that funding was being provided for our small and medium-sized enterprises so they could boost their cybersecurity. The minister never did get a response to my email.
Again, when we are looking at small companies, it is easy for Telus, big banks and others to afford some of these things. However, if we are looking at small telecom providers, like a small Internet provider in northern B.C., the cost to meet the red tape in the bill might put them out of business. Why not take a little of that funding the government has announced and provide it to our SMEs to help them get to the level we need them to be to protect our critical infrastructure? Perhaps we can get a bit creative and look at our tax system to see if there is some sort of capital expense tax write-off or something we can provide our SMEs to help them get there, because we really need to, as I made the case in my remarks, as I am sure others will as well.
I have not heard a response to that. The government is spending the money anyway. It is spending more money than any government in history. Why not provide a little of that to our SMEs to ensure that critical infrastructure is up to par?
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- Dec/1/22 2:57:12 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question.
Our government has been working with the provinces and territories for a long time now, not only to provide funding, but also to create a national vision for health care and systems that meet Canadians' needs. We will increase Canadian health transfers by 10% in March 2023, which is in addition to the extra 5% increase announced a few months ago.
We will continue to work with the provinces and territories to improve health care in Canada.
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- Dec/1/22 3:03:31 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for Halifax West for her important question and her hard work.
In the past few months, I have been fortunate enough to travel to Atlantic Canada on several occasions and have seen first-hand the impact of hurricane Fiona on the ground. Our communities were greatly affected. That is why we quickly set up the hurricane Fiona recovery fund.
This week we announced that people may begin submitting their applications so that we can support the hardest-hit communities and sectors that are not eligible for other sources of funding. We will always be there for Atlantic Canadians, in good times and in bad.
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- Dec/1/22 3:11:01 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, last week Canada's federal housing advocate was clear that the national housing strategy is failing. In my community we are seeing this first-hand. Over the past three years, the number of people experiencing homelessness has tripled. Organizations across the Waterloo region are ready to build the affordable housing we need, but they are still waiting on federal funding.
Will the Minister of Housing commit to ensuring the national housing strategy actually reduces homelessness in my community and in others across the country?
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- Dec/1/22 6:45:28 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, science and research are the basis of our modern life. All the technological marvels and comforts we enjoy come from that. In the research ecosystem, it is graduate students and post-doctoral fellows who do most of the work. They do the heavy lifting, and they work full time on their research. It is a full-time job.
They are paid through postgraduate scholarships through the federal funding councils: the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. The values of these scholarships were at one time enough to allow young researchers to live reasonable lives. I had one of these scholarships when I was doing my masters studies at the Memorial University of Newfoundland in the 1970s, and it paid for my housing and food, with a bit left over. By sheer coincidence, I am wearing my MUN tie tonight.
However, that is not the case today. The scholarship amounts have not changed since 2003. That is almost 20 years ago. Masters students now receive $17,500 annually, and Ph.D. students get $21,000 annually. That might have been enough 20 years ago, but we know how housing and food costs have skyrocketed since then. On top of that, these students have to pay their tuition, and that adds thousands of dollars to those annual costs. In fact, the average postgraduate tuition in Canada is over $7,000 a year.
These are poverty wages. This is below minimum wage, yet this is what we are expecting our best and brightest to live on. We are depending on these students for our future, and we have to keep them here in Canada, but many of them are lured out of the country to find research and educational opportunities in countries that value them more than we do.
A group of students, scientists and other concerned citizens formed a group called “Support our Science” recently. They sponsored a petition here in the House of Commons that garnered over 3,500 signatures. They were asking the government to increase the value of graduate scholarships by 48% to match inflation over the past 20 years, and to index that to the consumer price index so it does not fall behind again. They also asked that the number of scholarships be increased by 50% to match the demand for graduate students and the demand for these graduates in the innovation workplaces of Canada.
Once these students complete their doctoral degrees, they seek out post-doctoral fellowships. It is the traditional route to finding work in academic institutions and in research and development companies across the country, but the number of post-doctoral fellowships does not line up with the number of doctoral students. About 3,000 masters students receive these scholarships, and almost 2,000 Ph.D. students receive the scholarships, but there are only about 450 post-doctoral fellowships offered. Because of that, a huge number of recent graduates leave Canada for post-doctoral work elsewhere in the world. In fact, 38% of them leave the country. They are drawn by good salaries and good lab support, both aspects in which Canada does not compete well.
At its most basic, valuing these students means paying them enough, so I urge the government to do the right thing and the obvious thing, and pay these young researchers a living wage.
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- Dec/1/22 6:49:20 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I am happy to respond to the comments made by the hon. member for South Okanagan—West Kootenay regarding federal investments in science for our graduate students, scientists and researchers. In fact, I agree with just about everything he said. I must say it is good to see him flying the MUN school colours.
Canada is a leader in science and research, and the government is committed to ensuring that this continues. Every day, Canadian researchers stand at the forefront of new scientific discoveries and research breakthroughs. The Government of Canada has continued to invest in Canadian researchers, the key drivers of innovation who are helping to build a healthier and more prosperous future.
Enhancing the opportunities available to researchers has been a priority that the government has backed up with significant investments in successive budgets. Since 2016, Canada has committed more than $14 billion to support the valuable contributions that scientists and researchers make to the health, well-being and prosperity of all Canadians. For example, budget 2018 announced historic new investments in science and research of over $1.7 billion over five years, including $925 million to the three granting agencies to support fundamental science, and $462 million per year to establish permanent, stable funding to the Canada Foundation for Innovation to support research infrastructure in our country.
In terms of targeted investments to support students and post-doctoral fellows, the government recognizes the critical role that federal scholarships and fellowships play in nurturing and sustaining Canada's top talent, through support for career progression and increased financial security and independence. Budget 2019 provided $114 million over five years, with $26.5 million per year, ongoing, to create 500 more master's level scholarship awards annually, and 167 more three-year doctoral scholarship awards annually through the graduate scholarships program.
The government also recognizes that students and researchers are facing financial challenges that could be a barrier to pursuing higher education. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the government made $450 million available through the Canada research continuity emergency fund with a view to helping our scientists and trainees get through a very difficult period.
Looking forward, to deliver an equitable, accessible and effective suite of scholarships and fellowships, the Government of Canada continues its work to promote equity, diversity and inclusion. Budget 2019 invested $37.4 million over five years, and $8.6 million per year, ongoing, to expand parental leave coverage from six months to 12 months for students and post-doctoral fellows to help young researchers better balance work and family.
Budget 2019 also invested in bursaries and scholarships for first nations, Inuit and Métis students through a $9-million investment in Indspire, while the granting agencies have partnered with indigenous people to develop a national research program to advance reconciliation. Furthermore, through budget 2022, we invested $40.9 million to support targeted scholarships and fellowships for Black student researchers.
We want to promote science in this country, and we will continue to invest in science across our nation.
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