Thank you so much, Chair.

Good morning, everyone.

I would like to begin by acknowledging that we are meeting on the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin people.

Thank you for studying this issue, which is critical for the future of Canada's success in research and science. I am grateful for the invitation to be here on behalf of the Canadian Association of University Teachers. CAUT represents over 72,000 faculty, librarians and professional staff at more than 125 post-secondary institutions across the country.

We work in the public interest to improve the quality and accessibility of post-secondary education in Canada. Universities, colleges and polytechnics are essential to the preservation, dissemination and advancement of knowledge for the benefit of all.

Today's graduate students are tomorrow's leading researchers and are integral to Canada's research and science workforce. Although Canada and the world rely on this workforce to create the knowledge needed to improve quality of life and to face critical challenges, investment and planning are needed to ensure a flourishing research community today and tomorrow.

The impact of ongoing neglect in this area includes the following:

First is the slowing of Canada's research and science talent pipeline, as low award values make it increasingly difficult for Canada to attract and retain young talented researchers and innovators.

Second, academia is seen less and less as a career. The shrinking number of jobs for highly trained researchers in fundamental science is a deterrent and a brain drain. In the words of one of our members in a recent survey on the state of the academic profession, “I am losing pace with my research because the demands of my teaching intensive contract occupy so much time and any research I do is not allowed on my contract, so I'm always having to find creative ways to stay involved in research and do my own research. If I had known academia was going to be like this, I never would have pursued a Ph.D.”

Third are the delays to achieving greater equity, diversity and inclusion. The limited data that we do have for our sector show that the greatest diversity of skilled researchers is overrepresented in part-time or part-year contract work, and they are therefore less likely to be engaging in research activities at all.

In my remarks, I will focus on the importance of increasing fellowships and scholarships, including the pool of research grants that are used to employ and train the vast majority of graduate students and investing in workforce renewal.

In a recent survey of our members, 65% of respondents rated the level of federal support for graduate student salaries as either poor or very poor. As we saw with the recent Support our Science walkout and various job actions in our sector across the country, graduate students and post-doctoral fellows are at a breaking point. CAUT is in solidarity with these groups, and we echo their calls for more and better scholarships and fellowships.

Research grants must also increase. Most students are not funded via scholarships and fellowships but rather through research assistantships paid for by research grants. To improve student wages, increases are also needed to grant sizes and to the number of grants available.

CAUT to this point supports the recommendation made in the Bouchard report to increase the granting council's core grant programming by at least 10% annually for five years. This would be a first step to improving compensation and giving research funding the boost it needs.

Last, the issue of precarity and the need to renew the academic workforce cannot be ignored. To invest in graduate students, we must also grow our science and research workforce, and we are falling behind. At least one-third of faculty at Canadian universities and colleges are working in teaching-only contract positions.

In the last decade, the number of university professors working part time or part of the year increased by 79%. In our survey of the state of the academic profession, the majority of these would like to work in a position that also supports their research. Moreover, the number of assistant professorship or early career research jobs in Canada has shrunk by 18% over the last decade.

A workforce strategy is needed to support and nurture our next generation of talent. Canada is 26th in the OECD for graduate degree attainment. Without a strategy, it will be difficult for Canada to improve our standing and compete globally.

It is time to act on the clear and plentiful evidence and expert recommendations that have been made on Canada's research funding ecosystem. To support the next generation of academics, thought leaders, researchers and drivers of Canadian innovation, we urge the Government of Canada to increase the number and value of graduate student scholarships and post-doctoral fellowships, to increase research funding through the tri-council agencies and to take a leadership role to work with provinces to address the lack of renewal of our science and research workforce.

Thanks so much. I look forward to your questions.

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