Science and Research

The committee was studying the governance and accountability of federal science policy and institutions. Appearing were Professor Sheila Jasanoff of Harvard University, Martin Normand of the Association des collèges et universités de la francophonie canadienne, and Dugan O'Neil of Simon Fraser University.

Professor Jasanoff argued that accountability mechanisms must be tailored to specific institutional contexts rather than imposed as one-size-fits-all measures, warning that centralized oversight can be costly, burdensome to researchers, and vulnerable to political capture. She cautioned that transparency is a double-edged sword, as mandated data dumps can discourage important research and shift burdens onto researchers, while well-structured review processes with diverse viewpoints are more effective. She recommended against creating a centralized independent accountability body, comparing it to past U.S. failures, and instead favoured improving existing decentralized institutions through incremental reform.

Martin Normand stated that the Official Languages Act already provides the necessary tools to support French-language research, but federal institutions responsible for science policy have been reluctant to implement their language obligations. He called for a robust implementation plan for those obligations, including mandatory francophone representation on research decision-making bodies and better data collection and reporting on francophone minority communities. He noted that the upcoming report from the external advisory panel on scientific information in French will be key to identifying governance shortcomings, and he disagreed with any approach that overlooks existing legal frameworks.

Dugan O'Neil emphasized that oversight mechanisms must be aligned with the long time horizons and risk profiles of scientific research, using portfolio-level evaluation and forward-looking indicators rather than retrospective audits of individual grants. He supported robust parliamentary oversight but warned that centralized oversight bodies for research integrity are less promising than coordination across existing councils. He argued that Canada needs better conditions—such as infrastructure and venture capital—to make intellectual property "sticky" and keep economic benefits in Canada, and he disagreed with the characterization that the commercialization system is failing overall.

The committee also debated a motion to withdraw a data request for translation of 88 million words from granting councils, after the Translation Bureau estimated costs between $4.9 million and $16.5 million and up to 400 business days. The Bloc Québécois member filibustered, arguing the cost was a small fraction of the federal budget and that access to data was essential for accountability, while Liberal and Conservative members argued the study already under way was the appropriate vehicle to address the issue. The meeting ended with a motion to adjourn debate.