Madam Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to rise virtually in the House of Commons today in support of private member's motion, Motion No. 38, brought forward by my great friend and hon. colleague, the MP for Etobicoke North. This motion would create a permanent standing committee on science and research.

I had the pleasure of serving as the parliamentary secretary to science, working alongside the former minister, and I can say that it was the most rewarding time I have had as a member of Parliament.

Growing up in London, Ontario, I was keenly aware of the amazing research that has been done at Western University over the years. Sir Frederick Banting was working at Western 100 years ago when his research for a lecture inspired his idea that provided the key to discovering insulin. Dr. Vladimir Hachinski, the distinguished professor of neurology at Western, transformed the understanding, diagnosis and prevention of the two greatest threats to the brain: stroke and dementia. Dr. Cal Stiller was Canada's major voice in organ transplantation during the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. He championed innovation in health and biomedical research and pioneered multi-organ transplantation.

These are just a few of the many laureates that are honoured in Canada's medical hall of fame based in London, and that is not even mentioning some of the stars in the science and research world today, like Ravi Menon, the pioneer in the use of MRI for brain imaging, or the applied research under way at Fanshawe College. Suffice it to say that I think members can understand why I am so passionate about this as a parliamentarian.

Being the parliamentary secretary to this important portfolio made me understand the depth of Canada's scientific and research community. What this experience made me realize is that science and research must be celebrated, promoted and supported, and if we have learned anything from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is that science must be respected and believed for all of us to be safe and healthy.

It was once said that the good thing about science is that it is true whether or not one believes in it. We must bear this in mind as we are challenged to understand the world we live in. We need guidance and we need knowledge, and as parliamentarians, we need to ask questions of scientists and researchers to find solutions to the problems that confront us.

The goal of the minister of science was to unmuzzle scientists, to make them realize that their voices were being heard. I am pleased to say that during my time as PS to science, the government restored respect in the science community and made the largest investment in science research in our country's history. I am not for a second taking any credit for this important step. I was simply at the right place at the right time.

As a government, and under the leadership of our minister of science, we delivered in budget 2018 great news for science with the announcement of the largest increase in new funding for fundamental research through the granting councils in Canadian history with an investment of $925 million over five years. We also put money into the Canada Foundation for Innovation to cover the cost of running research labs and buying equipment for the Canada research chairs program to support the country's top professors, money to support fast-breaking research, and investments to collect data on government-funded researchers and to improve equality and diversity in academia.

It was apparent then and still is today that science and research play an important part in moving Canada forward, but it does not happen overnight. We need governments that have a long-term vision and that recognize that scientists need long-term support to be successful.

We also need to encourage our next generation to choose STEM or STEAM, as it is quite often referred to today. We need to bring young girls and women into the fold and make them believe that their future career choices can be science, technology, engineering and math, and, of course, the arts are important, too.

I was especially pleased when it was announced that we were investing $5.9 million over five years to Let's Talk Science, which is located in my riding of London West. With this funding, Let's Talk Science will educate young people on climate change through hands-on activities, projects, events and digital resources. Let's Talk Science is helping youth learn to take risks and develop the persistence to find innovative solutions to real-world problems.

The world is a better place when our young people are encouraged to be curious and pursue their passion for science. As parliamentarians, we must do the same, so I would like to read what Motion No. 38 is calling on this House to do.

It states:

(i) recognize that science and research are of critical importance to all Canadians, including, but not limited to, improving the health of Canadians, improving the environment, driving innovation and economic growth, and improving the quality of life of Canadians, (ii) recognize that science and research are more important than ever, as the economic, environmental and social challenges we face are greater, (iii) affirm its commitment to science, research and evidence-informed decision-making

How can we not agree with the motion? By agreeing with it, we need to make sure science and research get the attention they deserve by giving parliamentarians a chance to meet with people in the science community and hear what they have to say. I cannot say this more clearly: At no time in our history have science and research been more important. COVID-19 has done what few natural or people-made disasters have ever done. It has literally and figuratively stopped us in our tracks.

I know I am not allowed to use the member's name in the House, so I will refer to her again as the MP for Etobicoke North. Many people are unaware that she was the first scientist to become the minister of science in Canada, and prior to entering politics, she served on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, an organization that won the Nobel Prize in 2007. However, it is her work on the influenza pandemic of 1918 that is so interesting, especially in light of COVID-19. She published a book in 2003 about her expedition to uncover the cause of the flu epidemic. The book is entitled Hunting the 1918 Flu: One Scientist's Search for a Killer Virus.

After 100 years of research, we are still learning. We are learning what works to eradicate viruses like COVID and how to stop them before they spread. We cannot let it happen again. As parliamentarians, it is our responsibility to make sure it does not. It is our responsibility to ask the big questions and challenge the assumptions. This standing committee would give us a venue to do just that.

One of the first decisions the member for Etobicoke North made as the minister of science was to reinstate the position of the government chief science advisor. Dr. Mona Nemer has been working with her G7 counterparts to launch a new global partnership to fight pandemics. Dr. Nemer has had the opportunity to appear before a number of committees, but a stand-alone committee dealing solely with science and research could rely on her expertise on a more regular basis. She could be called upon to navigate some of the challenges we face, including the so-called brain drain, early career research, stem cell research and the ongoing issue of women in research who are not taken seriously.

In 2018, the minister of science drew a line in the sand for universities in this country: Hire more women, people with diverse backgrounds, indigenous people and people with disabilities as Canada research chairs or be prepared to face funding cuts. Some considered this heavy-handed, but it was necessary to move the dial.

Canadian science grows stronger as our research community better reflects the diversity of background, experience and perspective of Canadians themselves. If we are to remain competitive, Canada simply must have more diversity in senior academic roles and in those coveted research chairs. This is but one issue that a permanent standing committee on science and research could take a closer look at and delve into, with witnesses who could tell us first-hand about their experiences and push us as a government to make better public policy and make government science fully available to the public.

Every day, we are confronted with problems that need scientists and researchers to help solve. It is time for parliamentarians to take a closer look at this and vote in favour of establishing a permanent standing committee on science and research.

Kate Young

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