Valérie Laflamme

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

Providing recommendations to support policy development for talent and research initiatives in key priority areas, such as defence and artificial intelligence, particularly in regards to coordination with provincial and industry stakeholders. Related to various FedDev and FedNor programs and universities' role in regional economic and community development. Related to international study permits, provincial allocations and permit processing backlogs. Issues of federal - provincial cooperation relating to funding of postsecondary education and the provision of financial assistance to postsecondary students. Increased scholarship funding for domestic and international graduate students. Funding university research. Funding would be used by universities to facilitate medical or scientific research. Funding for universities to construct new buildings, housing and residences or upgrade existing facilities. Eligibility of universities for green funding to reduce GHG emissions.

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.

Health Infrastructure Fund - hospital infrastructure Bill C-265 - FDA amendments related to pre-approval of therapeutic products Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) - various bills, including with respect to advance requests and in the context of mental illness Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) Canada with respect to artificial intelligence (AI) Investments in health research, commercialization support, and recruitment of scientists to Canada. Health care implications of an aging population; Senior care; Health research and innovation to address aging population implications Tri-Council - Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) with respect to research funding.

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.

Support for new research and campus infrastructure. Increased funding and program design for various programs administered by Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), and Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). Funding or support with respect to international development cooperation (student and academic mobility, internships, research collaboration, exchanges, technical assistance). Discussions regarding possible research and development initiatives for, and investments in, partnerships with the University of Calgary. Discussions concerning potential research and development initiatives and investments related to clean energy, environmental research and climate change policy. Discussions about policy implementation regarding the academic visa process in support of international faculty recruitment with respect to changes to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations. Budget bills in support of federal funding for post-secondary education, research, innovation, science and technology.

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.

Teacher training in Quebec. Explore opportunites to obtain funding from the New Media Research and Development Initiative and/or the Development of Official-language Communities Program to adapt a digital learning tool into French to offer opportunities for use in both official languages. Post-secondary education research. Press for an increased contribution from the Government of Canada regarding the indirect costs of research. Make representations to the Minister regarding the funding levels of various research granting agencies. Discuss Canada's Science and Technology research orientations. Explore experiential learning opportunities that would allow students to work directly with departments and agencies, including posting and providing opportunities for students. Obtain infrastructure funding under the Building Canada Plan, the Knowledge Infrastructure Program and Recreational Infrastructures Canada to: renovate and expand our athletics facilities; renovate and expand our teaching and research capability in Fine Arts at the Grey Nuns facility and; enhance and improve our overall research and development infrastructure. Obtain historic site designation for our Grey Nuns property under the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (administered by Parks Canada). Improvement of federal student aid for certain categories of students Examine the possibility of reducing the time required by Citizenship and Immigration Canada to issue study permits. Public Service Concordia Champion. Discussed how Concordia students can learn about existing opportunities in the Canadian public service.

CCA was established by the federal government in 2005 to provide assessments of evidence on policy priorities important to the Government of Canada and Canadians. CCA's interactions with federal departments and agencies are focused on developing interest in new assessment projects which are typically funded through a program or grant. Assessments are carried out by expert panels and can be on any topic in areas of health, environment, energy and society, or S&T and innovation.

Strengthening Canada’s health workforce including promoting health workforce safety. Advancing adoption of AI in the healthcare and health research sectors. Improving Canada’s physical and digital infrastructure for both health research and healthcare delivery. 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.

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