Catherine MacLeod

Advocacy regarding the Government of Canada’s innovation and economic development agenda, including policies, programs and regulations developed by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada and other relevant departments and agencies that directly or indirectly impact the post-secondary education sector. Advocacy regarding the Government of Canada’s health research and life sciences agenda, including policies, programs and regulations developed by Health Canada and other relevant departments and agencies that directly or indirectly impact the post-secondary education sector. Advocacy regarding immigration policies, programs and regulations related to international students, faculty, and highly qualified research personnel developed by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and other relevant departments and agencies that directly or indirectly impact the post-secondary education sector. Advocacy regarding housing strategy issues, policies and programs that directly or indirectly impact the post-secondary education sector. Advocacy regarding Government of Canada training, employment and skills policies or programs, developed by Employment and Social Development Canada and other relevant departments and agencies, that directly or indirectly impact the post-secondary education sector with respect to their research and education activities. Advocacy regarding Canada’s research and development agenda, including research funding administered through the granting agencies and other federal departments and agencies, program design, and regulatory concerns related to research, including research security. Advocacy to ensure that proposals to develop or amend federal legislation, regulations, policies or programs that directly or indirectly impact the post-secondary system reflect the needs of universities and support research and education activities, including communication with public office holders in the House of Commons of Canada, the Senate of Canada and relevant departments and agencies. Activities related to the operation of U15 digital initiatives including Cognit.ca and SecureScholar.

Seeking funding support for genomics and related sciences research in Canada through the financing of Genome Canada's activities.

Discussions about financial sustainability measures for universities. Discussions about shared priorities related to universities including workforce, talent, and employment. Discussions on the Canada-India Talent and Innovation Strategy. Government of Canada - Universities Working Group roundtable discussion on research security. Discussions about artificial intelligence (AI) funding as it relates to universities. Student housing and community enabling campus infrastructure programs. Working group meeting to discuss academic contributions to the Defence Industrial Strategy. Immigration policies and programs related to international students and affecting universities. Discussions of education and international relations opportunities. Engaging in discussions on research priorities for Canadian universities. Discussions about research policy and programs, Canada-US relations, and their impacts on the post-secondary sector Discussions about international students, the workforce, and the benefits of a university degree. Discussions about the Global Excellence Initiative (GEI) and future funding commitments. Meeting to discuss science policy and programs, impact of Canada-US relations Recent policy changes and development of other policy tools including the Recognized Institutions Framework.

Working with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to improve visa processing times, the Study Direct Stream program, and lower refusal rates for international students accepted to Canadian universities Lobbying to maintain fair dealing for education. Lobbying for an explicit exception for charities, not-for-profits and/or educational institutions to Canada’s Anti-Spam Law (CASL). Increased supports for Indigenous students seeking to access post-secondary education. Harmonization of immigration policies with regard to the improvement of study and work permit processing to identify areas where policies and procedures could be strengthened. Engaging with reviews of existing legislation covering charities to clarify how they apply to educational institutions. Engage with Statistics Canada regarding postsecondary education and research data collection and analysis with particular attention to the University and College Academic Staff System survey and labour market information. Engage with Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada regarding the role of universities in supporting innovation through the full suite of innovation initiatives (eg. Superclusters, economic sector tables, Innovation Canada, knowledge mobilization, digital research infrastructure etc.) Engage with Global Affairs Canada, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and ESDC on the implementation of the government’s International Education Strategy – including the targeting and recruitment of international students and the design of the outbound student mobility program for Canadian students to study abroad. Engage with Department of Status of Women and Statistics Canada regarding data collection and policies/frameworks regarding student safety on campus. Discussions with Employment and Social Development Canada concerning international student mobility and internship programs. Discussions concerning federal budget priorities. Priority topics include: federal government's support for university research through the federal granting agencies and other government programs; support for graduate students and post-doctoral fellows; changes to the Canada Research Chairs program; university infrastructure; international research collaboration; knowledge mobilization; equity diversity and inclusion; cybersecurity; and expanding university education opportunities for Indigenous Canadians. Discuss effective strategies and programs to support student transition to the work place and access to upskilling and reskilling programs for mid-career Canadians with Employment and Social Development Canada, including the Student Work-Integrated Learning Program (SWILP) and the Canada Training Benefit.

RESEARCH COMMERCIALIZATION (Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada) - with respect to the inclusion of and contribution of the humanities and social sciences in considerations of policy pertaining to the Science and Technology Strategy. Federal budget with respect to funding for research and post-secondary education

Federal budget with respect to funding for research and post-secondary education

Science & Technology Strategy - promotion of enhanced measures to increase research in science and technology Indirect Costs Program - support for enhanced provisions Increased support for commercialization of university research results Federal Research Granting Councils and agencies funding of research, academic pursuits, and publication or dissemination Centres of Excellence - promotion of increased funding for establishment of Centres of Excellence in research Budget - promotion of increased funding of research and academic pursuites

Bringing attention to OHA's Pre Budget Submission which includes the following: Recommendation 1: Position Canada as a global leader in the health research industry by strengthening talent pipelines, sustaining funding, and leveraging diversity. Recommendation 2: Bolster Canada’s competitiveness by accelerating health research commercialization through regulatory modernization, infrastructure investment, and federal-provincial partnerships. Inform the Government of Canada of the experience that Ontario hospitals are having with the timelines to expand Medical Assistance in Dying Doubling the funding investment to the Tri-Council (CIHR, NSERC, and SSHRC) to bring Canada into competitive balance globally. Advocate for increased funding into Canada Health Transfers to help bolster healthcare delivery capacity. Advocate for federal action on the Health Human Resources (HHR) crisis by delivering a Pan-Canadian strategy that addresses recruitment, retention, and other key issues.

Tax policy affecting philanthropy, small business innovation and post-secondary institutions; tax benefits and credits for apprentices; tax benefits and credits for employers. Participate in all relevant policy discussions and consultations about academic research funding, business innovation and applied research; how businesses, non-profits and other enterprises benefit from innovation supports from academic institutions/polytechnics. Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, College and Community Innovation Program; tri-council structure and funding; eligibility of polytechnics and colleges for research funding and research support; Horizon Europe and opportunities for polytechnics to engage in international research partnerships. Highly skilled workforce; in-demand occupations. Supports, programs and policies designed to boost innovation and productivity; technology adoption; respond to skills needs; polytechnics and colleges as innovation intermediaries. Student housing; funding to support equipment purchase for training in high-demand fields, infrastructure programs geared to the post-secondary sector. Respond to consultations and advocate for change to international student policy; consider how polytechnics/colleges support inward and outward student mobility; consider international best practices for workforce development and applied research; better integration of newcomers through credential recognition, prior learning recognition and upskilling. Participate in all relevant policy discussions about skills training and work-integrated learning; upskilling and reskilling policies, programs and funding; apprenticeship training, attraction, retention and completion, including on federal projects. Adequate financial support for learners through the Canada Student Loan Program and other student-centered programs; Edu-Canada marketing and branding initiatives. Participate in all relevant policy discussions and consultations related to productivity, business innovation, technology adoption and artificial intelligence. Seeking funding for the activities of polytechnics and colleges in areas including workforce development, applied research and infrastructure/equipment. Canada Foundation for Innovation - Seek ongoing infrastructure support for the applied research conducted by colleges and Polytechnics.

Advocacy for investment in the Canadian energy sector. Advocacy to advance international collaboration to support sustainable development. Advocacy to support funding for higher education programs and research initiatives in the health sciences. Advocacy to advance Canadian leadership in key areas through long-term support for major research facilities and initiatives. Advocacy related to policies that impact international students. Advocacy to represent university interests in the allocation of land. International collaboration to support the reputation of Canadian universities abroad. Advocacy to advance Canadian leadership in priority areas, including artificial intelligence and defence, to support world-class research and the attraction and retention of top talent, including, but not limited to, specific calls for proposals. Regulations related to visitor visas to support international engagement. Support in principle for high-speed rail along the Québec–Toronto corridor and advocacy for the inclusion of a stop in Kingston. Advocacy to secure support in the budget for post-secondary education, research, innovation, and science. Advocacy to increase support for university research, including research funding and granting programs administered by the tri-agencies (SSHRC, NSERC, CIHR) and other departments and agencies. Advocacy to enhance support for university research mobilization and commercialization. Timeliness of decisions regarding Temporary Residence Visas in the recruiting of international faculty. Student assistance and financial support for higher education, sources of funding to be determined. Science and Technology Policy - Operating funding for major scientific installations and equipment from the Canada Foundation for Innovation. Regulations related to the provision of immigration advice (under section 91 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act) Military and Veteran's Health - seeking support for the national research program of the Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health through Veterans Affairs Canada and the Department of National Defence. Maintenance and growth in funding for investigator-driven grants from tricouncils. Indirect Costs of Research Program - increase in support to levels of international peers, source of funding to be determined. Funding for infrastructure to support advanced research and teaching Funding for health sciences initiatives - Obtain federal funding to extend the value chain of cancer clinical trails in Canada. Sources of funding to be determined. FedDev Ontario Applied Research and Commercialization (ARC) initiative to support applied research and commercialization for SME-University partnerships

YOUNG TRAINEES AND STUDENTS: Advocate for continued support of and investment in the next generation of highly skilled researchers through the federal awards system for doctoral students, post-doctoral trainees and fellows. RESEARCH HOSPITALS: Advocate for direct support and stability for Canada's academic health science centres and research hospitals that will further enable them to fulfill their strategically critical contribution to Canada's health and economic security. INDUSTRY: Advocate for policies that enhance the health and biosciences sector’s capacity to do business in Canada and to invest in Canadian health research and commercialization. INDIRECT COSTS OF RESEARCH: Advocate for an increase to the minimum threshold for reimbursement of indirect research costs for all institutions via the Research Support Fund. INDIGENOUS RESEARCH: Advocate for greater investments in Indigenous health research through the three granting councils and the Canada Research Coordinating Committee. HEALTH RESEARCH: Focus on increasing public investments across the research spectrum of operating grants, people and infrastructure and encourages investments from private and private-not-for-profit sectors. GOVERNMENT FUNDING: Advocate for increased health research funding through the three granting councils (Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada) and the Canada Research Coordinating Committee. FEDERAL BUDGET CONSULTATION: Advocate for continued support of Canadian health research and health innovation through investments and commitments made in the federal budget, such as the Strategic Science Fund, the Canada Graduate Scholarship Program, etc. DIVERSE TALENT BASE: Advocate for better support for a diversified talent base in Canada, with a focus on Indigenous researchers, Black and people of colour researchers, early-career researchers, and other underrepresented and equity-deserving groups. DIGITAL HEALTH SYSTEM: Advocate for investment in the digitalization of our health system so that high-quality data and digital technologies support healthcare decisions, empower patients as partners, and drive research and innovation.

Discuss post-secondary institutions' role in agriculture and food innovations through education and research. Tri-council grant programs (Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, Canadian Institutes of Health Research), and Canada Foundation for Innovation, with respect to research funding Post-secondary education policies, with respect to knowledge capacity development Policies of Canada Revenue Agency, with respect to tax measures to further philanthropic support of public postsecondary institutions Millennium Scholarships, Canada Student Loans Program, with respect to maintenance/enhancement of student assistance programs Health Canada and Canada Food Inspection Agency research and programs with respect to food safety Global Affairs Canada, with respect to international development and research; as well as funding support for refugee students