Statement made on 26 May 2009 by Senator James Cowan
Hon. James S. Cowan (Leader of the Opposition):
Honourable senators, I am pleased to speak this afternoon in support of Senator Callbeck's motion introduced on January 28, authorizing our Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology to examine and report on the accessibility of post-secondary education in Canada.
The focus of Senator Callbeck's motion is to ask the committee to study the barriers that Canadians must overcome to access post-secondary education, so critical to personal success and so essential to Canada's success as a nation.
Senator Callbeck began her speech on February 26 by saying:
Education and training is not a cost but rather an investment in Canadians and in the country. We must invest wisely and strategically in our human resources, in the skills and knowledge of our people. It is essential that our governments have plans and policies in place to help the country move forward.
Post-secondary education has long been of keen interest to me and I have spoken on a number of occasions in the Senate on issues relating to post-secondary education and scientific research and development.
Last May, I spoke on Senator Hubley's inquiry into the status of higher education in Canada. At that time I said:
Canada has a world-class education system composed of universities, community colleges and polytechnic institutions. Ensuring access to the system by all qualified students, regardless of their personal financial circumstances, should be a national objective. Ensuring the quality of the system is a complementary and equally important objective. Financing higher education in Canada, or in any country for that matter, is a cooperative venture involving post-secondary educational institutions, governments, private benefactors, students and in many cases, as Senator Poy pointed out, their families.
Each of these partners has an important role to play in ensuring accessibility to and sustainability of that system. Achieving a proper level of financial support and balance amongst the contributors of that support is critical to achieving the twin goals of accessibility and sustainability.
Despite strong support from governments and benefactors, higher education remains beyond the means of many young Canadians. I concluded by asking why Canada should not aspire to be a nation that ensures that post-secondary education in a properly financed post-secondary system is available and affordable to all qualified students without regard to their personal financial circumstances.
Earlier this year, I launched my own inquiry into the state of scientific research and development in Canada, so much of which is done in our post-secondary institutions. In my speech on March 31, I drew attention to the fact that a number of world-class scientists are leaving Canadian universities to pursue their work elsewhere.
Over the past few months, Canadians have heard with increasing concern of the many financial hurdles faced by scientists in these difficult economic times. As I said a moment ago, most of the scientific research in this country takes place in our post-secondary institutions.
On May 2, The Globe & Mail published a lengthy piece in which the reporter interviewed a number of top science students in a highly competitive, top-rated program at a well-known high school here in Ottawa, Colonel By Secondary School. These were star students in biology, environmental science and physics, and yet only one of a class of 30 of these high achievers plans to pursue a career as a scientist.
The article says:
Ariana Rostami ranks chemistry and biology as her favourite classes. She gets top marks in her advanced Grade 11 courses and is happy to discuss quantum mechanics. But ask her about a career in research and she grimaces as though someone suggested locking her in a dark closet.
Which is only a slight exaggeration of how she and many of her fellow students regard the scientific enterprise — they picture long, lonely nights exiled in a lab, isolated from other humans, continually begging for funding.
Honourable senators, all of us are anxious to ensure that our post-secondary institutions are positioned to attract our top science students to pursue their studies. We all understand the value of science and the importance of encouraging our young people to pursue science as a career.
Canada has an extraordinary wealth of inquiring young people who bring a strong background in science from excellent high schools like Colonel By. I know all of us understand the importance of making sure they are encouraged to pursue their studies at the post-secondary level and establish strong and productive careers in these fields. It is in our national interest, and frankly in the individual interest of every Canadian, as each and every one of us benefits from scientific advances and discoveries.
In my March 31 speech, I suggested that the government needed to rebalance its support for scientific research and development, ensuring that in addition to bricks and mortar, such support is available for operating expenses to support basic research.
In her response delivered on May 14, 2009, the Leader of the Government in the Senate defended the approach taken by her government in those areas. While we may differ with respect to the means of achieving our objective, I believe we all support the view that scientific research and development is essential to our success and prosperity as nation.
In these difficult economic times, we must ensure that our post-secondary institutions continue to be able to attract and retain the next generation of scientists. Accordingly, I am proposing an amendment to Senator Callbeck's excellent motion so that our Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology can include this important issue of scientific research and development and the commercialization of such research in their timely study.
Therefore, honourable senators, I move that Senator Callbeck's motion be amended by adding immediately after paragraph (b), the following:
"(c) evaluation of the current mechanisms to fund scientific research and development in post-secondary and related institutions and the commercialization of such research;"
And by then relettering the subsequent paragraphs accordingly.
Honourable senators, I showed the wording of this proposed amendment to my colleague, Senator Callbeck, last week, and shared it with Senator Eggleton, who is the chair of the standing committee, and with the Deputy Leader of the Government, who kindly agreed to share that with the government members of the committee.