Madam Speaker, I thank everyone who took the time and effort to speak to Motion No. 38. Most important, I thank them for their support. Our world-leading scientists and researchers, and our outstanding students and research institutions, deserve a dedicated voice in Parliament, and that means a permanent standing committee on science and research beginning in the 44th Parliament.

Science is not a club. It is not for a select few. Science is for everyone. Canadians should have better access to the science and research they fund because science and research provide our best hope for solutions to improving health, addressing the climate crisis, jump-starting economic growth and growing jobs. Canadians should hear about science and research through a permanent standing committee in the House of Commons.

Science should not be a partisan issue. It is a fundamental building block of Canada that everyone in this House has a stake in and everyone should fight for. In a politically charged environment in a polarized world, science, evidence and fact offer shared understanding and common ground. We need all sides of this House, all members of Parliament, fighting for fundamental and applied science and research. We need them to take a stand and say we have learned from COVID-19, that we have finally learned what we always learn following a pandemic, namely that science, research and public health matter, and not just when we are in crisis.

Research institutions have a crucial role to play in both research and policy, in reviewing pandemic response, in helping to define lessons to ensure we are better prepared for a future pandemic and in evidence-based policy. From a political perspective, science, research and public health cannot just be hot or on government agendas during the pandemic and the next few years. Rather, they require continual attention, nurturing and support for a better future, environment and quality of life for all. By voting for this motion, we have a chance to acknowledge our responsibility to protect science and research, and anchor them in one of our most important democratic institutions.

Science and research should have a permanent place where issues that are important to the research community, Canadians and the future of the country can be studied; where scientists, researchers and parliamentarians can come to know one another; where parliamentarians can get a better understanding of science and research; where parliamentarians can learn about Canada's research strengths in areas such as computer science applications, fuel cells, neurodegeneration, personalized medicine, bioinformatics and regenerative medicine; and where parliamentarians can learn about what is needed to make improvements and yield benefits to Canadians.

It is time for scientists, researchers and students to be given the key to the people's House. Not only is a standing committee on science and research long overdue, it is also critically important to building the future Canadians deserve. After all, it is science and research that will bring this pandemic to an end, fuel our restart and supercharge our economic recovery.

Let me be clear. Science and research have always mattered, and they will matter more than ever beyond this pandemic. We must turn the recovery from the pandemic into a real opportunity to build a better future, a future driven by knowledge and forged by curiosity and a quest for understanding.

I will finish by saying that science and research are a public good that we must all protect. One of the best ways to protect science is to have a dedicated standing committee in the House of Commons. My friends and colleagues, with this motion, we have an opportunity to do something really important. We have an opportunity to embed science and research into one of our most important democratic institutions and build a better future for all Canadians.

Kirsty Duncan

$331,043.00