Science minister Gary Goodyear takes part in a press conference at the Canada Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa on Feb. 4, 2009.Sean Kilpatrick
Science and Technology Minister Gary Goodyear brushed off attacks against specific funding cuts in the last budget and called on scientists yesterday to bring him their ideas for new investments next year.
In a speech to social scientists at Carleton University, the minister of state said he is looking "onward to budget 2010."
"I am firmly committed to working with all of you to determine where future investments are most needed," he said.
In an interview, Mr. Goodyear said he has received overwhelming support in the scientific community for the recent budget, which included cuts to three funding bodies, as well as billions in new investments in research infrastructure. Mr. Goodyear said that the critics represented isolated cases.
"I don't know that there was [a hatchet to bury with scientists]" he said. "Frankly, I'm getting more of the good feel from everybody."
Mr. Goodyear was speaking at the annual Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences. Eight thousand delegates from across the country, including many researchers, are attending.
In recent months, the Harper government has been criticized by social scientists and humanities scholars for cutting funding, and for directing funds to business research and students.
In the January budget, the government chopped $147.9-million from the three granting agencies that fund research at Canadian universities, including the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.
But yesterday, the reaction to Mr. Goodyear's speech was positive, with people in the audience saying that now is the time to focus on the future and be optimistic.
"We're moving ahead. No budget can do everything," said historian Chad Gaffield, who is president of the research council.
Carleton University president Roseann Runte applauded Mr. Goodyear's speech, and told him to take the numerous calls for more money in stride.
"If we ask for more, we're just doing our job," she said.
The Harper government has defended its spending on science, noting that the budget also contained $750-million for the Canada Foundation for Innovation, which helps researchers buy expensive equipment.
It also set aside $2-billion for infrastructure spending at Canadian universities, although not all of that money is for projects related to research.
A number of senior researchers have publicly lamented the lack of funds for the basic, curiosity-driven research that they say leads to important discoveries. They said the budget cuts exacerbated a funding crunch that has left many scientists scrambling to find money to continue their work. At the same time, the United States is pouring $15-billion into research as part of an effort to stimulate the economy.
Nathalie Des Rosiers, president of the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, has asked the federal government to increase funding to her group by $100-million, or more than 20 per cent over the next three to five years. At current funding levels, scholars in these disciplines are far less likely to get federal research dollars than their lab-coat-wearing colleagues across campus. Just one researcher in five who applies to SSHRC receives funding, compared with success rates that range from 75 to 100 per cent at the other two federal granting agencies.
"Investment in health research is good, but certainly there is an imbalance in terms of funding," Prof. Des Rosiers said.