Federal and provincial S&T ministers agree to consult on new programs after first official meeting in nine years

The federal government will not introduce any new S&T programs that require substantial matching provincial funding without first consulting with the provinces. The agreement, which was not included in the final communiqué of the recent meeting of S&T ministers in Quebec City, would delay the introduction of any new programs stemming from the innovation paper until the fall of 2002. Separate documents on innovation and skills and learning are now expected some time in November.

Many provinces are finding it difficult identifying and securing the funds necessary to match federal contributions for programs like the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) and Genome Canada (GC). And there are concerns that new programs will only compound the problem. One provincial official said the next round of CFI and GC awards could pose serious problems for some provinces as they scramble to find significant amounts of cash within ever tightening budgets.

“It’s a touchy issue. At the press conference both Tobin and Marois said it was the thing to do, to consult on programs that require matching or substantial funding from either partner,” says the official. “This will be a major issue next June, especially after the results of the next CFI competition and the second round of Genome Canada projects are announced.”

The decision to omit a sensitive yet key component of the discussions from the carefully crafted official press release was opposed by Manitoba, but apparently had the backing of most other participants. The final communiqué only stated that there was agreement on “the need to consult and collaborate on initiatives and approaches on the part of all governments”. However, the need to consult on new initiatives was addressed by the meeting’s co-chairs — federal Industry minister Brian Tobin, and Pauline Marois, Quebec’s minister of state for the Economy and Finance, and minister for Research, Science and Technology — at a press conference following the two-day meeting.

“The provinces asked to be consulted on the White Paper and asked the federal government not to introduce any new programs without their consultation,” says Dr Gilbert Normand, secretary of state for science, research and development. “That means we won’t be able to propose any precise programs until next fall. We have to respect the provincial request to be consulted and react before next June, when we plan to have our next meeting.”

It’s unclear what potential new programs will be effected by the agreement to prior consultation, and whether it extends to all of the federal government or merely programs initiated through the Industry department. But the decision adds yet another wrinkle to the exhausting saga of the federal innovation agenda and accompanying papers, which have undergone several dramatic transformations between their inception and their pending release as two distinct documents.

Concern over new program funding demands and prior consultation with the provinces were the only significant points of contention at the Quebec City meeting, which was the first time the federal and provincial S&T representatives have officially gathered since 1992. Although the meeting was short in duration, extensive work prior to the meeting resulted in consensus on major issues such as the need to: address indirect costs of university research; provide a business climate supportive of industrial competitiveness; expand the supply of qualified professionals required by industry; and, develop new approaches to encourage commercialization. Most agree that the principles of action are general in nature (see chart), but they contend that such an approach was necessary to establish a common starting point in which all players would sign on.

“Science and technology and innovation have become central to the future, which is why we co-chaired the Quebec City meeting,” says Camille Limoges, DM of Quebec’s Ministry of Research, Science and Technology. “The principles for action were somewhat general but they will serve as the basis for discussion and mutual understanding... The next meeting is in June in British Columbia, and that in itself is a very positive result.”

Jim Wilson, Ontario’s minister for Energy, Science and Technology, agrees the principles of action have no real substance and says that little was achieved at the meeting. His main objective was to have a discussion about the ITER fusion facility proposed for Ontario and encourage the federal government to commit funding if Canada is successful in securing the project. ITER was not on the agenda, but Wilson says that the opportunity to meet his counterparts was extremely productive and opened up lines of communication that will bear fruit in the future.

“It was very valuable to meet my counterparts. I spent most of the day information sharing. I gave a presentation on our Research Performance Fund and the Ontario R&D Challenge Fund and that was useful to compare notes,” he says. “We need a common front to be able to take best practices from each other. For example, Quebec has some good models for commercialization and it’s been in the business a long time.”

Also included in the final communiqué was the “urgent and high priority” to complete broadband internet capacity, well known as a personal goal of Tobin.

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