AUCC pre-budget presentation to the House of Commons Finance Committee

By Paul Davidson
President, Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada

Good morning. I’m pleased to be with you in Montreal, where AUCC was founded, and where we will be celebrating our centennial later this month. Looking back, we see a century of growth, dynamism and diversity. Looking forward, we see how vital high quality education and research will be to Canada’s prosperity in a global world.

I envy you. You have each earned the trust and confidence of voters in your community. And for the first time in almost a decade you have a four year mandate. Each of you has the opportunity to do something extraordinary for Canada.

Canada’s universities recognize we are facing a period of intense worldwide uncertainty. Universities are helping Canadians navigate through these challenging times.

When the last downturn hit, the government moved quickly to create the Knowledge Infrastructure Program. It showed tremendous alignment of federal and provincial governments in an area of national priority, and it has helped transform campuses.

From idea to announcement in six weeks, and from announcement to funding decisions in six months it was an example of public policy and implementation at its best.

And next month, universities across the country will open their doors to showcase the upgraded, expanded or newly-built facilities made possible through KIP. It is our way of showing Canadians the lasting value of smart stimulus. There are more than 59 public events that will demonstrate how KIP is improving the quality of the research and learning experience for Canadian students, and we hope that you will join us.

This year, Canada’s universities welcomed the largest incoming class ever – because students and their parents recognize the value of a degree. Through the last downturn, from 2008 to 2010 there were more than 300,000 net new jobs for those with a university degree – compared to 430,000 jobs lost for those with no post-secondary education.

And we are going to need to continue to increase participation even more to meet the needs of an aging society, where the number of retirees will double and the workforce will grow by just 8%.

Let me talk now about the 2012 Budget.

We appreciate the recovery is fragile and there may be the need for flexibility in the months ahead.

This government is to be commended for sustaining investments in research – even during a downturn. And those investments are yielding results for individuals and communities. In the past the committee has asked me to elaborate on these results. I am pleased to say that today we are releasing new information to all MPs about the value of university research to Canada’s prosperity.

For next year’s budget, we have three major priorities.

First, university research. Funding through Canada’s three federal granting councils and the Canada Foundation for Innovation not only supports new discoveries, products and processes, it also allows faculty to engage students in hands-on research. And that gives students the analytical and innovative skills they need to thrive in today’s knowledge-based economy.

Second, enhancing links to the private sector and building a stronger innovation culture. We need to link university students and faculty more closely with private sector partners to build greater collaboration and networks.

What’s needed now is a new mechanism to help business engage new talent, and to help highly qualified graduates connect with Canadian enterprises. Such a mechanism will help create job experiences in the private sector for master’s and PhD graduates, and foster a culture of innovation in Canada.

And finally we need to improve Canada’s educational connectivity to the world.

Last year I spoke of India – in November, Canada’s universities committed $4 million of their resources to promote student mobility and research collaboration with India. And there is more to be done.

We are also delighted that the Prime Minister announced that the Governor General will lead an AUCC mission to Brazil in spring 2012.

Why do I keep referring to the need for greater educational connectivity? Because of scope, scale and urgency.

Brazil has just announced a scholarship program for 75,000 students to study abroad. India has 160,000 students studying abroad – but only 3,000 of them are in Canada. China has increased enrolment by two million in two years.

As a country we need to be able to seize these opportunities to connect to growing markets – especially when our competitors cannot.

That is why our third priority is a significant global research fund, focussed on priorities such as Brazil and India, enabling more students and faculty to participate in international collaborative research. And creating the linkages essential to prosperity in the years ahead.

Conclusion:

I am pleased that others have taken up our recommendation to improve access and success for Canada’s aboriginal youth, and we continue to see that as an urgent national challenge.

We need to make sure that this generation of students is the best educated and prepared to meet the challenges our country is facing. We believe that research-enriched, globally engaged university experiences within a culture of innovation are the best way for Canada to prosper as we navigate through a changing world.