The university community has for many years been unable to speak with one voice to the federal government on the importance of federal funding for university research.
A sign of the serious nature of the crisis in university research is that five national organizations - CAUT, AUCC, the National Consortium, and the two graduate student's organizations (the National Graduate Council and the Canadian Graduate Council) came together in May for a meeting with the two key ministers in the area, Finance Minister Paul Martin and Industry Minister John Manley, who is responsible for NSERC and SSHRC.
The meeting was organized by Peter Adams, the Liberal MP for Peterborough and chair of the Liberal Caucus on Higher Education.
The university group agreed on a common document which was sent to the ministers in advance and stressed that university researchers wished to work with government on imaginative policies to ensure that they could continue to plan an effective role in the national research agenda.
At the meeting Robert Giroux, the new president of AUCC, led off for the group. During discussion the representatives of the various associations underlined the importance of the federal granting councils, the need to ensure support for graduate students, the significance of infrastructure funding, and the need for a specially designated senior person in Mr. Manley's ministry who could act as an effective liaison between the government and the academic community.
Mr. Martin underlined the fiscal realities of the country, but he also indicated he thought the university research community and the ministries could work together. It was both important and not an easy task, he suggested, to persuade the Liberal caucus and the public in general to accept expenditures in this area especially in a time of general restrictions and cutbacks.
He made it clear that he considered research to be a national priority and not an area that could be devolved to the provinces. And he indicated that the universities might be more forthcoming on this latter point.
Mr. Manley also said he would welcome a cooperative effort in the area of research between his ministry and cooperative effort in the area of research between his ministry and the university research community provided the researchers were realistic about the sums of money available and about the constitutional and political problems faced by the government.
There then followed a general exchange about how these general principles might best be turned into action.
Subsequently the group met with members of the Liberal caucus on higher education to debrief and to consider future action to keep the research issue, especially university research, on the federal political agenda. Present were Andy Scott (Fredericton-York-Sunbury), Ian Murray (Lanark-Carleton), Mauril B‚langer (Ottawa-Vanier), Ted McWhinney (Vancouver Quadra), Andrew Telegdi (Waterloo), and Warren Allmand (Notre-Dame-de-Grace).
Professor Bill Bruneau, newly-elected president of CAUT, and Executive Director Donald Savage represented CAUT at the meeting. Robert Giroux and Ron Ianni, president of the University of Windsor, represented AUCC. Jean Lengell‚ and Paul Hough came from the National Consortium. Bob Burge and Steve Wilson represented the Canadian Graduate Council and the National Graduate Council respectively.