CCA Welcomes New Federal Funding

The Council of Canadian Academies (CCA) welcomes the federal government’s announcement in Budget 2018 of renewed funding to the CCA of $9 million over 3 years to allow the Government “to have access to world-class, independent scientific assessments to inform policy development in priority areas.”

“We are delighted with the news of the Government of Canada’s renewed commitment to the CCA and its work,” said Dr. Eric M. Meslin, FCAHS, President and CEO of the CCA. “For more than a decade, the CCA’s value has been in its proven record of convening high quality experts in the natural sciences, health sciences, social sciences, humanities, and engineering to objectively assess the state of the science across a wide spectrum of policy issues. With this renewed funding, we look forward to continuing to address issues of importance to Canadians. On behalf of the CCA, I would like to thank the Government of Canada for its continued support.”

The CCA has completed 45 assessments on diverse topics critical to Canada: child health, women in science, policing, food security in the north, low emission energy, regenerative medicine, water management, and the Arctic. In addition to these topic-based studies, the CCA has undertaken influential “state of the science/knowledge” assessments on Canada’s international performance in science and technology, innovation, and industrial research and development. Working with its Member Academies — the Royal Society of Canada, the Canadian Academy of Engineering, and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences — the CCA has leveraged the expertise of over 1,000 experts who have lent their time and knowledge to inform public policy development in Canada. The CCA’s work has stimulated national dialogues on topics such as business innovation, the gender wage gap, and shale gas extraction.

“We simply could not do what we do without continued investment in science and research,” Dr. Meslin confirmed. “It is gratifying to see the government’s recognition of science in this budget, and we at the CCA look forward to our continued work with the broader science community.”