Engagement

Federal Pre-Budget 2021 Consultations

In August 2020, we shared our recommendations for Budget 2021 to The House of Commons’ Standing Committee on Finance (FINA) as part of their consultations for the 2021 federal budget. We emphasized the need to invest in research, and to support graduate students across Canada. Our recommendations were presented to the House of Commons as part of the FINA Committee Report in February 2021.

From January 25th to February 19th 2021, the Federal Government held a second round of open consultations. We submitted a second budget recommendation to the government in support of Recommendation 14 in the FINA Committee Report which supported a one time increase in funding for the tri-council to support research recovery and restart from COVID-19 setbacks. We also urged the government to take long-term action to support graduate students by expanding and increasing the available number of subsidized work experience programs, increasing the level of funding allocated to federal graduate scholarships and awards and to extend student loan repayment deferrals to the end of May 2022.

Letter Writing Campaign – February 2020

Following the 2019 federal elections, we undertook a letter writing campaign to a large cohort of newly (re-)elected federal MPs to outline the broad importance of science policy in federal decision-making. We asked elected officials to develop a national science strategy which could include:

• All Canadians are empowered to engage with science
• All Canadians can receive scientific training, including advanced training, if they so choose
• Robust funding for the most promising scientific ideas our researchers have to offer
• Inclusion of provinces and municipalities in the discussion about Canadian science such that Canadians from coast-to-coast can reap the benefits of a knowledge-driven economy
• Evidence is prioritized in policy-making at all levels of government.