Liberal pledges for research and innovation easily outstrip Conservative commitments

$1 billion for university research

The Liberal Party of Canada is pledging more than $1 billion in new funding for university-based research, including massive increases to the base budgets of the granting councils and the indirect costs of university research. The election commitment is by far the most generous of any political party, easily outstripping the Conservative Party's plan to top up the Strategic Aerospace and Defence Fund (SADI) and the Automotive Innovation Fund (AIF) by $200 million each over four years.

RE$EARCH MONEY has examined the election platforms of the four national parties to determine their emphasis on R&D, S&T and innovation and determined that it's essentially a two-party race on these issues. The Liberal stance is the most prominent of any party and expands upon many of the programs it introduced in the past, as well as reviving commitments made in the former Liberal government's 2005 Economic and Fiscal Update (R$, November 25/05).

A Liberal government would provide $760 million in new money for the three granting councils — $315 million each for the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and $130 million more for the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). That would bring the CIHR and NSERC budgets to $1.275 billion each, while SSHRC's would climb to $450 million.

Those figures presumably include support for the Canada Research Chairs program. The $1.3 billion for NSERC is in line with projections in the council's 2005 strategic plan (R$, February 22/05).

The Liberals would also increase the indirect costs of research program to $500 million from its current $330 million annual price tag. While the increase is substantial and would be welcomed by the university research community, it does not boost support for indirect costs to 40% — a demand by both the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) and the Conference of Rectors and Principals of Quebec Universities.

A Liberal government would also create a new fund with a vaguely environmental focus. The $100-million Interdisciplinary Sustainability Fund would be open to researchers, scientists and graduate students for "projects that reach beyond the barriers of their discipline".

For its part, the Conservative increases in funding for SADI would give that program a 22.2% funding boost from its current annual budget of $225 million, assuming that the $200 million over four years is allocated evenly. The increase of $200 million for AIF would nearly double that program's budget and appears to be a response to the downturn in Ontario's automotive and manufacturing sectors.

The cost for boosting both programs is 50% less than the $600 million cost associated with the two-cent/litre reduction in the excise tax on diesel fuel — a reduction most economists and environmentalists have respectively denounced as ineffectual and dangerous. Curiously, the details of these investments were not contained in the platform but conveyed in the speech prime minister Stephen Harper made to unveil the platform.

The Tory platform also contains a pledge to make "additional investments" in internationally recognized S&T projects in Canada although details were not available at press time. The forestry industry would receive $20 million a year to convert from fossil fuels to biomass and market its products internationally.

For the private sector, the Liberal plan would make 25% of the Scientific Research and Experimental Development tax credit program received by companies refundable. The enhancement of the program appears to be linked to the Green Shift plan, meaning that refundability, regardless of a company's revenue or tax status, could depend on whether the R&D is spent on projects "that Canada will need to compete in the green economy of the 21st century".

slim NDP offerings

The New Democratic Party has traditionally paid little attention to science and research but its current election platform is something of an exception. Details are scarce but the NDP is committing to create and develop sector-based strategies to "keep our country, our industries, and our workforce in a leading global position". Most of the industry sectors listed in their platform are tech-based

Perhaps as important is a pledge to develop a "Made-in-Canada procurement policy" for all federal departments and agencies — something that has been requested by the Canadian high-tech sector for years.

For universities, the NDP commits to increased funding for university and college-based research but there are few specifics other than a $100-million pledge.

In response to questions posed by the AUCC, the NDP contends that its "commitment to investing in innovation ... forms the very heart of our platform". Its responses, however, are generally devoid of specifics beyond generic support for university research and research infrastructure.

Green Party

Most R&D and S&T initiatives in the Green Party platform are related to generating environmental benefits or combatting environmental degradation. For instance, it advocates substantial R&D funding for ocean energy and electricity storage technologies.

The Greens are the only party to mention federal science capacity. It criticizes the outsourcing of scientific expertise and the appointment of managers lacking policy strength and scientific backgrounds and pledges $15 million to boost the scientific staff at Environment Canada, Health Canada and Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

In response to the AUCC questionnaire, the Greens stressed it would maintain Canada's G-7 leadership in public sector research investments but added that it would focus on targeted funding towards applied research in support of renewable energy, energy conservation and so-called smart growth.

The Conservative Party and the Bloc Québécois did not respond to the AUCC request to explain their position on university research issues.

low profile

S&T and R&D have made few ripples during the election campaign, but several groups have attempted to make their particularly issues known. A blog called Science Canada operated by two Univ of Toronto PhD students tracks all media related to science in an attempt to make science issues more mainstream.

Another group called Canadian Scientists Against the Politicization of Science have drafted a letter listing government actions against scientists or scientific bodies such as the Office of the National Science Advisor.

Another letter urging Canadians to vote strategically for the environment has also been drafted and signed by more than 120 climate scientists. It contends that the Harper government has not addressed innovative policies that are urgently needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The group issued a similar letter earlier this year (R$, July 7/08).

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