Sarah MacDonald

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.

Federal support for equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility and Indigenization efforts including Employment Equity, Pay Equity and data collection Support for federal policies, legislation and regulations that respect institutional autonomy, academic freedom and collegial governance in post-secondary education. Increased federal supports for post-secondary education, students, academic and professional staff, including student financial assistance, federal transfers and programs such as infrastructure, official languages, and training. Advocacy on federal research funding, policy, science governance, research integrity and research security frameworks Ensuring users' rights are respected with regards to educators' ability to access, use and share materials covered by copyright. Increase in funding for federal programs that support Indigenous post-secondary education

Targeted federal transfer payments for postsecondary education. Review of the SR&ED Tax Credit Program to encourage greater participation of small and medium-sized businesses and providing mechanisms for colleges and institutes to assist them in the process. Review of the Canada Student Loan Program with respect to increased grants, modernization and simplification measures and increased flexibility for students in debt repayment. Research integrity related issues with respect to the review of the federal granting agencies' policiy framework for research integrity and the Tri-Council Memorandum of Understanding on roles and Responsibilities in the Management of Federal Grants and Awards. Modification of the Employment Insurance Program to enable workers currently in the workforce to access funding for skills upgrading. Introduction of new tax measures to encourage employer/employee based training, address literacy training and essential skills as well as an increase in internships and apprenticeship opportunities. Increase domesting and international student mobility to the mid-point of other OECD countries. Increased federal investments with regard to college and institute costs of supporting applied research through the Indicrect Costs Program. Harmonization and simplification of immigration policies with respect to facilitating study and work permit processes. Federal Investment for a national college and institute mobility program for faculty and student exchanges between Francophone Institutions and Anglophone Institutions. Extension of the 100% GST exemption that has been afforded to municipalities to postsecondary institutions as recommended by the Standing Committee on Finance Expansion of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council College and Community Innovation Program Examination of all federal training programs with the goal of eliminating fragmentation, short term funding and inequities for learners. Enhancement of the federal infrastructure policy with respect to college and institute infrastructure and acquisition of leading edge technology. Enhanced opportunities for Aboriginal learners, immigrants and disadvantaged groups to access postsecondary education and training and labour market. Discussions underway with the Global Affairs Canada regarding a proposal for a new partnership between colleges and institutes and the Pacific Alliance with respect to education and training. Discussions underway with the federal government for recognition of college and institute applied degrees as equal to university degrees as stipulated in a statement by the Council of Ministers. Discussions underway with Statistics Canada for current college and institute data. Discussions underway for a new international partnership program - Education for Employment which will support educational reform of technical education in Mozambique, Senegal and Tanzania. Direct 5% of federal investment in research to applied research, product development and commercialization carried out by colleges and institutes and their private sector partners Dedicated funding of college and institute facilities, technology and equipment Creation of a college and Institute Internship Program to expose more students to private sector research challenges. Changes to amend the Copyright Act with respect to support colleges and institutes in their mandate to provide advanced skills and to enable them to better respond to the skills shortage.

Advocate for place-based solutions to Canada’s biggest challenges, which support the region-specific mandates of public colleges and ensure local training needs are considered in policy development. Increase support to developing countries and other partner countries to build technical and vocational training capacity, strengthen skills development and education systems, and enhance Canada’s global education brand. Advocate for support for college-led research as a core component of federal research and innovation funding and policy. Discuss how colleges can support immigration programs, such as foreign credential recognition or international students, to meet Canada’s labour market needs, and share with officials impacts of policy changes on the college sector. Share with officials how colleges can support Canada’s training and workforce development needs to meet Canada’s biggest challenges. Share with officials the role of colleges and institutes in delivering high quality education for Canadians, and ensuring access to education for Canadians. Advance reconciliation through partnerships with Canada’s public colleges, institutes, CEGEPs, polytechnics, and Indigenous Institutes of Education. Promote the role and expertise of colleges in deepening Canada’s relationships with other countries. Promote the value of educational fair dealing in supporting colleges and institutes in their mandate to provide advanced skills and to enable them to better respond to the skills shortage. Increase investments and support to address colleges’ infrastructure needs to increase Canada’s training space and access in key high-demand fields that align with federal priority areas. Enable post-secondary institutions to obtain grants and loans to develop student housing projects, with additional supports for housing that supports students from vulnerable populations. Ensure Canada’s colleges and institutes have the necessary federal support to provide high-quality training for future healthcare professionals. Ensure the specific needs of institutions, including French institutions and those in minority linguistic communities, are taken into account when federal policies and programs are designed and delivered.

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.

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.

Enhancing cybersecurity resiliency and standards in the health sector. Improving Canada’s physical and digital infrastructure for both health research and healthcare delivery. Strengthening Canada’s health workforce including through the development of a pan-Canadian health workforce plan. Federal role in the health system as it relates to funding, the use of federal spending power, and pan-Canadian priorities, including in the areas of aging, older adult care, child and youth health, mental health and substance use, palliative care, Indigenous health, public health, and data. Advancing Canada’s health research and innovation agenda as it relates to funding, policy and program design, and regulatory matters, including in the areas of clinical trials and development of innovative medical treatments.

Federal role in the health system as it relates to funding, the use of federal spending power, and pan-Canadian priorities, including in the areas of physical and digital infrastructure, health workforce, immigration, aging, older adult care, child and youth health, mental health and substance use, palliative care, cybersecurity, Indigenous health, environment, and data. Advancing Canada’s health research and innovation agenda as it relates to funding, policy and program design, and regulatory matters, including in the areas of clinical trials and development of innovative medical treatments.

Discussions on policies, programs and regulations related to the energy efficiency, decarbonization, and competitiveness of the mining and metal industry. Discussions on mining and regional economic development, including mine closures, as well as policies on conservation, nature-based solutions, and marine protected areas. Discussions on enhancing Canada’s Mining and Metals sector competitiveness through fiscal and tax policies, supporting new technologies, innovation, and advanced manufacturing and national security. Discussions on existing policies and regulations that impact efficient operations of port, rail, and transportation and trade corridors; and development of enabling infrastructure to support competitiveness of mining projects in remote regions of Canada. Discussions on policies and programs aimed at enhancing access to energy to support project development. Discussions on regulatory reforms for major projects and their effects on the mining and metal industry. Discussions on labour measures, skilled labour access, supply chain challenges, and the implementation of legislation and regulations related to this topic. Discussions on critical minerals including federal programs and policies, sector competitiveness, infrastructure, and project updates Trade-related matters, including policies, tariffs, international agreements.

Seeking government funding opportunities that will enable more youth to get in to Science, Technology, engineering and mathematics.

Seeking funding for health care, aboriginal studies and aerospace program and facility development on campus

Seek solutions to challenges related to the international students cap. Seeking funding for health care, aboriginal studies and aerospace program and facility development on campus