SRSR meeting 18 · 2025-11-26 — Committee Evidence — LegisWatch

Summary

The committee was studying the role and activities of the Office of the Chief Science Advisor, and the sole witness was Mona Nemer, the Chief Science Advisor of Canada.

Mona Nemer described her role as providing independent, unbiased advice to the government and the public, noting that her office has a budget under $4 million and 24 employees. She emphasized the importance of international collaboration, citing Canada’s associate membership in Horizon Europe as a key achievement that gives Canadian researchers access to billions in EU funds, and she recommended strengthening science diplomacy, including placing science attachés in embassies. She also stressed the need for a long-term national science, technology and innovation strategy with clear goals and sustained funding to move Canada from being a G7 underperformer in R&D spending to at least the OECD average, and she advocated for doubling down on quantum computing and nuclear fusion. On domestic issues, she noted that her office is reviewing intellectual property management and that she has provided advice on AI, H5N1 preparedness, and open science, but she acknowledged that her recommendations on collecting data on the federal scientific workforce and on French-language research have not been fully implemented, deferring to responsible officials. She disagreed with the implication that her office lacks value, pointing to its role in convening multiple departments on cross-cutting issues like H5N1, and she defended her international travel as essential for science diplomacy, noting that her appointment on good behaviour ensures independence from political interference. She also stated that she has not been consulted on major project exemptions from federal laws but has initiated discussions with the Major Projects Office to ensure science is considered.

The meeting included procedural debate when Conservative members questioned Nemer’s salary, travel expenses, and the value of her office, with Liberal members raising points of order that the questions were outside her purview or disrespectful, though the chair allowed the questioning to continue.

AI-generated summary — may contain errors; verify against the official evidence.

Witnesses · 1

Mona Nemer

Chief Science Advisor of Canada, Office of the Chief Science Advisor of Canada

Opening remarks

Thank you very much, Good afternoon, Madam Chair and distinguished members of the committee. Thank you for the opportunity to be with you today. To start, I would like to acknowledge all the members who participated in our “Science Meets Parliament” event last week—It is important that we continue to build greater connections between decision‑makers and our scientific community. Thank you all for taking the time to engage with some of our brightest young scientists, who came from all over Canada to participate in this year's edition of Science Meets Parliament. They were thrilled by their experience. It helps them appreciate your important work and learn how their research and expertise can support our parliamentarians and benefit our country. Over the eight years that I have served in this role, the world has changed in profound ways. Technologically, we're in the midst of a transformation driven by artificial intelligence, quantum computing, genomics and clean energy innovation. Geopolitically, we're witnessing a shifting landscape and a global recognition that science and technology are deeply intertwined with national security and sovereignty. Economically, nations are…

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Science and Research

Summary

Witnesses · 1