OTTAWA, May 1st, 2023 - Students, stakeholders, and researchers from across Canada are participating in a walk-out in support of increasing federal funding for student researchers. Today, the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA) is joining the call for increased research support, and asking the Government of Canada to increase the value and number of scholarships provided to graduate students through Canada’s three research funding agencies.
“Tri-Agencies scholarship amounts have not changed since 2004, despite inflation rising 48% over that period,” said Mackenzy Metcalfe, Executive Director of the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations. “
Currently, the Tri-Agencies receive over 2.19 billion in federal funding, yet only $190 million in scholarships is provided to support 4,500 Master’s, PhD, and postdoctoral student researchers. Since 2001, Canadian federal expenditures on R&D have dropped by 16%, making Canada only 1 of 5 OECD countries to have a decline in research funding over this period.
“Graduate student research is one of the strongest drivers of the $14.3 billion in research & development that is generated across Canadian universities,” said Samy-Jane Tremblay, President of the Quebec Student Union. “We are calling on the federal government to increase Tri-Agency budgets on a consistent basis, and to commit to investing in Tri-Agency scholarships for Canada’s top researchers.”
Canada’s three research funding agencies include the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).
Representatives from and the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA), Quebec Student Union (QSU), and the Support Our Science (SOS) will be joined by MP Blanchette-Joncas and MP Cannings at the joint press conference on Parliament Hill at 10:00 am.
-30-
About CASA
Established in 1995, the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations is a non-partisan, not-for-profit national student organization composed of 25 student associations across the country. Through our partnership with the Quebec Student Union/Union étudiante du Québec, CASA represents 365,000 post-secondary students across Canada.
About QSU:
The Quebec Student Union's mission is to defend the rights and interests of the student community, its member associations, and their members, by promoting, protecting, and ameliorating the conditions of students and those of local and international communities. The QSU represents more than 91,000 members from university campuses across Quebec.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Canadian Alliance of Student Associations
Max Greer, Communications and Creative Content Officer
Email: [email protected]
Cell: (289)-214-8608
Office: (613)-236-3457
Quebec Student Union
Alexandre Ducharme, Political Advisor
Email: [email protected]
Cell: 514 497-2602
Office: (877) 213-3551
