Thank you.

Good morning, Mr. Chair, and members of the committee.

I want to start off by thanking you for the opportunity to present as part of the 2019 budget consultations.

The post-secondary sector has appreciated the support of successive governments. We hope our recommendations will make the case for continuing this legacy in research and innovation and in talent.

I also want to express Queen's appreciation for the government's investment of $31 million to the post-secondary institutions strategic investment fund. This investment supported the construction of the Queen's innovation and wellness centre and the revitalization of our research facilities.

Universities support economic growth in many ways: through research, by supporting regional economic innovation and entrepreneurship, and by preparing students for success. Our recommendations for budget 2019 support these aims. With an undergraduate entrance average of 89%, Queen's attracts high-quality students from across Canada and around the world. Each of your ridings likely has a tie to Queen's, be it through current students, faculty or alumni.

From their first day on campus our students find themselves in a learning environment that challenges and supports them in equal measure. It's because of this approach that the Queen's undergraduate graduation rate of 86%, and graduate completion rates of over 90% in master's and Ph.D. programs exceed national averages. Queen's also has strong post-graduate employment figures with 90% of our graduates employed within six months, and an average income five years after graduation of $79,000, $8,000 higher than the national average.

This committee has already heard from other associations and institutions in this sector such as the U15 and Universities Canada, with whom we share some recommendations. Queen's echoes the U15's call to expand undergraduate research awards programs across the tri-council agencies, creating thousands of research opportunities for undergraduate students. We also support their proposal to invest $140 million annually by 2022 to increase the number of graduate and post-doctoral scholarships. Canada currently ranks 26th in the OECD in the proportion of population with a graduate education. To remain globally competitive, addressing the highly qualified personnel deficit must be a priority.

As well, expanding these programs will help more students, particularly indigenous students, women and students from equity-seeking groups, to access research and skills development opportunities. To maximize Canada's potential, we must ensure that the future economic growth is inclusive of all Canadians. These proposed investments will help achieve that aim.

For an example of the positive impact of undergraduate and graduate research experience, one need only to look at the words of Queen's professor emeritus in 2015, Nobel laureate Dr. Art McDonald. In lectures around the world, Dr. McDonald has proudly spoken of the hundreds of students and post-doctoral researchers who worked on the SNOLAB experiment in Sudbury, many of whom are employed in fields outside academia in finance and in industrial research across the country and around the world. However, their experiences in research provided an opportunity to hone both the technical and critical thinking skills that have allowed them success in those chosen fields.

Research that takes place on university campuses helps reshape our understanding of the world we live in, while advancing new technology and medical treatments that will improve countless lives. Two of Queen's research partnerships I would like to highlight are the Canadian Cancer Trials Group, or CCTG; and the Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research, or CIMVHR. I understand you'll hear from CIMVHR later today, and I encourage the government to support their important work. CCTG, a national research co-operative that runs clinical trials to test anti-cancer and supportive therapies, headquartered at Queen's, has supported over 500 trials in over 40 countries aimed at improving survival rates and quality of life. CCTG is also leading the development of the Canadian personalized health care innovation network, which will connect researchers nationwide to clinical data that guides the development of new cancer therapies.

Queen's has long been a leader among Canadian universities in commercializing technologies and IP emerging from research. At Queen's, our research discoveries have led to more than 500 patents and over 50 spinoff companies, attracting outside investments in excess of $1.4 billion. Queen's is at the centre of an emerging eastern Ontario innovation ecosystem that is breathing new life into a region that has too often been challenged to foster economic growth in the past. Queen's and its partners, supported by the former Canada accelerator and incubator program, or CAIP, have provided more than 14,500 hours of mentoring and services to over 500 entrepreneurs and start-ups in eastern Ontario.

These companies have attracted more than $200 million in investments and created hundreds of jobs in the region. With the conclusion of CAIP, this momentum is at risk. We would encourage the government to make a clear commitment to innovation and regional economic development so that partnerships such as ours can continue to support entrepreneurs who bring new jobs and opportunities to our community.

Finally, Queen's strongly supports the Business/Higher Education Roundtable proposal for a national work-integrated learning strategy. Nearly half of Queen's undergraduate students participate in some form of work-integrated learning, such as internships, co-op or clinical placement. A national strategy would strengthen existing institutional and industry efforts, while extending experimental learning opportunities for all Canadian students.

Thank you.

I look forward to any questions you may have.

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