This week, Finance Minister Champagne announced in Budget 2025 an International Talent Attraction Strategy and Action Plan that allocates $1.7 billion to recruit over 1,000 researchers from abroad to Canadian universities. The expectation is that these new recruits will “help advance Canada’s competitiveness and contribute to the economy of the future.” This is a bold step and $1.7 billion is a lot of money. It reflects a firm belief by Prime Minister Carney, Minister Champagne, and Industry Minister Joly that science and innovation are central to economic growth, to improving health, and to addressing the great challenges facing the world today. They are to be congratulated for their foresight and determination, given the uncertainty in academic institutions outside Canada, and the exciting opportunities that science and technology offer for the future, that this is Canada’s time to step up.
This week’s Budget means that our universities and research hospitals will be able to attract a new cadre of scientific talent, bringing new ideas and a new entrepreneurial spirit to Canada. It means there will be more great minds working on new ways to diagnose, treat and prevent disease. It means there will be more research on developing AI, quantum and other disruptive technologies. It means that Canada will be a true energy superpower, leading both in the production of energy for the world’s current needs and in ensuring a smooth transition towards renewable energy. It means that Canadian researchers will be at the forefront in understanding the profound shifts now taking place in the world and that Canadian values and perspectives will be front and centre in those discussions.
It means that the changes taking place in the Arctic, accelerated both by climate change and by the race for rare earth minerals, can be evaluated for both their environmental impact and economic benefits in the context of the Indigenous peoples living in the Arctic.
As welcome as this news is, there remain significant issues to be addressed. Budget 2025 states that work is still being done on the details of the recruitment process. How this will be accomplished in the next few weeks is extraordinarily important. The devil will be in the details. The Europeans and the UK have also announced plans to recruit top scientists. While Budget 2025 goes well beyond what the Europeans have announced, getting the recruitment process right and ensuring that it is well known internationally will be key to its success. If done properly, our universities and hospitals will attract a new cadre of talented researchers who will bring new ideas and a new entrepreneurial spirit to Canada. If it is not done well, Canada will miss a once in a generation opportunity.
The second area to be addressed is the urgent need to increase the overall levels of research funding to internationally competitive levels. Otherwise, investments in talent attraction will be wasted if recruits to Canada start to look to other countries offering higher levels of funding for research. Our strategy must be both a talent attraction and a talent retention strategy.
Canada must now go big or go home. Science and technology have become key pillars of the growth and policy strategies of modern economies. If our goal is not just to diversify who we sell to, but what we have to sell, we must view investments in research as a key pillar in our growth strategy. That means the ongoing funding for research for both our existing researchers and the 1,000 researchers that Budget 2025 attracts, must increase significantly over the next 5 years.
Attracting new research talent will be a much-needed shot in the arm for our stalled economy. New discoveries, fuelled by the influx of scientists and entrepreneurs, will result in new economic activity, creating high value jobs for young Canadians and wealth from Canadian ideas. Indeed, in this, we are taking a page from the American playbook. The spectacular growth of the US economy post World War 2 is largely due to the sustained and significant investments the US made in research and innovation.
Budget 2025 has taken a bold step in recognizing the importance of scientific talent as key to the future of Canada. We now have an opportunity to become a world leader in the advancement of knowledge and its applications into growing our economy, improving our health and understanding the world. It is now up to all Canadians to seize the challenge and move forward.
David Johnston is a former Governor General of Canada, a former President of the University of Waterloo and a former Principal of McGill University. He is also a former Chair of the Harvard University Board of Overseers;
Eddie Goldenberg is a former Chief of Staff of Prime Minister Jean Chretien, and is currently Senior Advisor at Global Public Affairs;
Alan Bernstein is a Professor and Director of Global Health at Oxford University and President Emeritus of the Canadian Institutes for Health Research and of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research. He is also Professor Emeritus at the University of Toronto.