Appearance at the Standing Committee on Science and Research
Briefing material

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Tuesday, May 28, 2024

On this page

• Purpose
• Background
• Opening Remarks
• Annexes
  • Annex A – SRSR Committee Membership
  • Annex B – Summary of SRSR Meetings to Date on This Study
  • Annex C – Examples of relevant research
  • Annex D – Analysis of the CCA Report on “Northern Research Leadership and Equity”

Purpose

On May 28, 2024, the SSHRC President will appear before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Science and Research (SRSR), to deliver opening remarks and answer questions in support of the committee’s study on science and research in Canada's Arctic in relation to climate change. The full scope of the study is:

• the science and research needs in Canada's Arctic in relation to the troubling effects of climate change and assess:
  1. the consequences and impacts of melting glaciers, rising oceans, thawing permafrost and unpredictable water levels, and other environmental phenomena throughout the ecosphere;
  2. whether Arctic and northern populations have the research infrastructure, tools and funds to participate in research; and
  3. if Arctic science and research collaboration is meaningfully conducted with local and Indigenous communities.

Also appearing before the committee during the same meeting:

• Kimberly Strong, Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Library (PEARL), and Professor and Chair, Department of Physics, University of Toronto
• Anne Barker, Arctic Program Leader, National Research Council

Background

The mandate of the committee includes, among other things, reviewing and reporting on all issues relating to science and research, including any reports of the Chief Science Advisor, and any other matter which the House refers to the standing committee.

On May 7, 2024, the committee elected a new Chair, MP Valerie Bradford, who replaces the outgoing Chair, MP Lloyd Longfield (see Annex A for the committee membership).

The first two meetings of the study on Science and Research in Canada's Arctic in Relation to Climate Change took place on May 9 and 21, 2024 (see Annex B for the list of witnesses and member questions).

The SRSR Committee has so far agreed to undertake studies on the following topics:

Study Topic	Study Status
Small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs)	Completed
Successes, challenges, and opportunities for science in Canada	Completed
Attracting and retaining top talent at Canadian post-secondary institutions	Completed
Research and scientific publication in French	Completed
International moonshot programs	Completed
Role and value of citizen scientists	Completed
Commercialization of intellectual property	Completed
Government of Canada graduate scholarship and post-doctoral fellowship programs	Completed
Integration of indigenous traditional knowledge and science in government policy development	Report pending
Long-term impacts of the gender and diversity pay gap for faculty at Canadian universities	Completed
Use of federal government research and development grants, funds, and contributions by Canadian universities and research institutions in partnerships with entities connected to the people’s republic of China	Completed
The distribution of federal government funding among Canada’s post-secondary institutions	Report pending
Science and Research in Canada's Arctic in Relation to Climate Change	Ongoing
Big Science (site visits to large research infrastructure projects)	Not started

Opening remarks

Opening Remarks for Ted Hewitt, President Social Science and Humanities Research Council

Appearance before the Standing Committee on Science and Research Science and Research in Canada's Arctic in Relation to Climate Change

Ottawa, Ontario
May 28, 2024
11:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M.

[ Check against delivery ]

Thank you for the opportunity to address the Committee, Madam Chair, as President of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, or SSHRC, and as Chair of the Steering Committee for the Tri-agency Institutional Programs Secretariat, (TIPS), both of which work closely with the other federal research funding agencies on various Arctic-related research initiatives.

As you know, communities across Northern Canada—many of which are Indigenous—are among the most vulnerable to climate change. They are witnessing first-hand the devastating impacts a changing climate is having across Arctic ecosystems, livelihoods, health, Indigenous culture and a traditional way of life that has existed for generations.

This reality reinforces the importance of research, including interdisciplinary work, to address the complex challenges faced in the Arctic. It also underscores the necessity of Indigenous-led research to respond to locally defined research priorities.

SSHRC’s current Arctic research initiatives build on the success of our past investments, like ArcticNet and Sentinel North. These projects brought together scientists from various disciplines with partners from northern communities, government agencies and the private sector, as well as international partners, to study the impacts of climate change in the Canadian North.

Through the tri-agency New Frontiers in Research Fund, we are also aligned with the Scandinavian research councils’ collective NordForsk international research initiative on Sustainable Development of the Arctic to further promote large-scale interdisciplinary and collaborative research on the region. This international partnership includes Canada, the United States and several Nordic European countries.

Through the New Frontiers in Research Fund, SSHRC will administer $20 million over four years to create new knowledge for sustainable development of the Arctic. It will expand our understanding of how best to address complex climate change that impacts Canada’s North.

As a condition of joining the program, SSHRC stipulated that Indigenous communities must be involved in the design, development and leadership of any project deemed eligible for funding.

SSHRC also supports Arctic-related research through its core funding on topics such as climate change adaptation and mitigation, energy and resources, sustainable development, geopolitics, food security and many other areas. Between 2018 and mid-2023, SSHRC awarded over $67 million in funding to support northern research, including on Arctic-related topics.

These grants are administered at postsecondary research institutions across Canada—including Yukon University, Nunavut Arctic College and Aurora College in the Northwest Territories.

As mentioned, SSHRC understands that Indigenous rights to self-determination, as they relate to Arctic research, include leadership of, and governance over, research conducted in their communities. This commitment is reinforced through the Strengthening Indigenous Research Capacity initiative, a priority of the Canada Research Coordinating Committee led by SSHRC, which affirms Indigenous knowledge systems, approaches to learning, and means of sharing knowledge.

We have developed a new category of funding eligibility for Indigenous not-for-profit organizations as part of our response to Call to Action 65 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report.

There are currently 18 eligible Indigenous institutions in this category. These include the Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning, as well as the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation in the Northwest Territories, along with the Qaujigiarttit (pronunciation: Qua-gi-art-tit) Health Research Centre in Nunavut.

Madam Chair, we are determined that Northern researchers and communities, and the institutions that serve them, play a central role in Arctic research, given the direct impacts climate change have on them.

I would be pleased to provide further insights into our Arctic-related research activities during the question-and-answer period.

Thank you.

[ Q&A follows ]

Responsive Lines

Research on the impact of climate change in the Arctic

Q1. How does SSHRC support research on climate change in the Arctic?

• The main mechanisms through which SSHRC supports Arctic-related research is through our core investigator-driven funding opportunities.
  • Through its core funding opportunities, SSHRC supports a wide array of Arctic-related research on topics such as climate change adaptation and mitigation, energy and resources, sustainable development, geopolitics, food security and many other areas. These grants are administered at post-secondary research institutions across Canada, including those in the North, such as Yukon University, Nunavut Arctic College and Aurora College, which hold full institutional eligibility with SSHRC.
  • Between 2018 and mid-2023, SSHRC awarded over $67 million in funding to support northern research, including on Arctic-related topics.
    • For example, Gita J Ljubicic, based at McMaster University is a SSHRC-funded Canada Research Chair in Community-Engaged Research for Northern Sustainability and is working to provide unique insights into the connections between climate resilience, environmental governance and Indigenous self-determination in research.
• Given the complexity of the causes, effects, and responses to climate change in the Arctic, it is crucial to bring multiple perspectives to bear on these issues. To that end, SSHRC also administers, on behalf of the granting agencies, tri-agency mission-driven funding opportunities that support interdisciplinary and/or international research.
  • SSHRC will be administering $20 million over four years through the tri-agency New Frontiers in Research Fund as part of an international research initiative on Sustainable Development of the Arctic with research funding organizations from Nordic countries (Denmark, the Faroe Islands, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and the United States). As a condition of joining the program, SSHRC stipulated that Indigenous communities must be involved in the design, development and leadership of any project deemed eligible for funding. SSHRC also consulted ITK before joining the call and after, as the requirements for Canada-based teams were established. 
  • In 2023, SSHRC led a consortium of funding organizations in Brazil, Canada, Germany, Norway, South Africa, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States to launch the International Joint Initiative for Research in Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Competition which aims to further the design and implementation of co-produced adaptation and mitigation strategies for vulnerable groups (including those living on Indigenous territories)―those groups currently most impacted by the effects of climate change owing to both physical vulnerability and socioeconomic vulnerability.
  • Northern and Arctic research was recurring theme under multiple science, technology and innovation priorities identified by the Government of Canada for the 2022 competitions of the Canada First Research Excellence Fund and Canada Excellence Research Chairs programs.
    • For example, the Qanittaq Clean Arctic Shipping Initiative was awarded $91M through the 2022 CFREF competition. The partnership, co-led and co-developed by Memorial University and the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) Canada, to address and respond to concerns about Arctic shipping and related environmental impacts affecting Northern communities. It will develop robust and innovative ship design and operation technologies, as well as surrounding policy and governance to position Canada and Inuit as world leaders in Arctic shipping.
    • Sentinel North is another initiative regarding the Arctic, funded by the 2015 competition of the Canada First Research Excellence Fund. Based at Université Laval, the Sentinel North strategy draws on over a half-century of northern and optics/photonics research to develop innovative new technology, train the next generation of transdisciplinary researchers and improve our understanding of the northern environment and its impact on hu-man beings and their health.
• If should be noted that SSHRC supports a portion of the total Arctic-related research in Canada. The committee should also speak to NSERC and CIHR, if they are not planning to do so already.

Q2. How do the social sciences and humanities contribute to this area of research?

• In short, social sciences and humanities research brings to the fore the human dimension of climate change in the Arctic. SSH research can provide insights in collaboration with local northern and Indigenous communities on the effects of climate change and its impact on livelihoods, culture, social relations, food security, health, well-being, housing, infrastructure and a way of life.
• The social sciences and humanities can also inform community-led responses to mitigate and adapt to climate-related risks. Further, SSH research sheds light on how the melting of polar sea ice is also rapidly changing the geopolitical, security and economic context within which these communities live.
• For example, Tristan Pearce, Canada Research Chair in Cumulative Impacts of Environmental Change at the University of Northern British Columbia, is working with communities across Canada and around the world to explore ways they can adapt and become more resilient to climate change. In the Canadian Arctic, for example, Pearce is partnering with Inuit to understand how changes in the marine environment affect the fish and wildlife that Inuit depend on for subsistence. Central to his approach is knowledge co-production. The data collected comes through both Western science (such as sampling and aerial photography) and Indigenous knowledge systems, recognizing that Inuit have an intimate understanding of the changes happening in their environment. This results in a more holistic view of climate change and the responses needed to address it. Pearce also ensures community members are involved in all stages of his research: they guide the identification of the research questions, collect and co-interpret data, and propose next steps based on local needs.

Q3. How do the granting agencies support large-scale and long-term research in the Arctic? How are projects selected? For example, will the granting agencies continue to support the ArcticNet initiative beyond 2025?

• SSHRC, on behalf of the three granting agencies, administers several funding opportunities which provide large and long-term grants, including on Arctic-related research, this includes the Canada First Excellence Research Fund, the New Frontiers in Research Fund Transformation grants, and the Canada Excellence Research Chairs.
• Regarding the ArcticNet initiative, as announced by the Government of Canada in 2018, the Networks of Centres of Excellence Program was discontinued. Networks continue to befully supported until the end of their funding agreement.
• As the committee knows, grants are awarded through national, competitive processes that rely onthe expertise of members of the research community in the assessment of applications (“peer review”).

Support for Arctic and northern populations (research funds, infrastructure, tools)

Q4. What does SSHRC do to support postsecondary institutions that serve Arctic and northern populations?

• SSHRC provides support to researchers who conduct work related to the Arctic at eligible postsecondary institutions across Canada, including those in the North, such as Yukon University, Nunavut Arctic College and Aurora College, which hold full institutional eligibility with SSHRC.
  • One of the main mechanisms for this is the College and Community Innovation Program (CCIP) which is administered by NSERC on behalf of the agencies. College-based projects in the social sciences and humanities are well represented as part of these funding opportunities.
  • In particular, the College and Community Social Innovation Fund supports mostly SSH-based projects. Over the past 3 years, 60% of the funded projects have been SSH-based (64% in 2023; 53% in 2022; 64% in 2021).
  • In between 2018-2023, SSHRC provided:
    • Yukon University: over $70,000 in research funding and $174,000 in support for indirect costs of research
    • Aurora College: over $212,000 in research funding and $2.7M in support for indirect costs of research
    • Nunavut Arctic College: over $32,000 in support for indirect costs of research
• Most research institutions in the northern and remote settings of Canada are of small and medium size which also benefit from the support provided by SSHRC. The following measures provide support to small and medium sized institutions.
  • Division of Insight Grants into Streams A and B, with Stream A offering funding to support smaller-scale research and initiatives in the range of $7,000 to $100,000, while Stream B offers funding for larger-scale research activities in the range of $100,001 to $400,000. The smaller scale grants were introduced in part to allow researchers at smaller institutions to compete successfully and build research capacity within their institutions, and have been partially successful, although a gap in success rates remains.
  • Creation of the Partnership Engage Grants to provide support for small-scale and short-term support for partnered research activities. These are especially tailored to smaller institutions that often have ties to local business, not-for-profit organizations, and governments. There has been a relatively high success rate for small institutions in this program line.
  • SSHRC Institutional Grants are block grants to institutions that are meant to support small-scale SSH research and research related activities at Canadian institutions. The value of these grants are determined by a formula based on the number of full-time SSH faculty and the value of the SSHRC grants awarded to researchers at the institution over the previous three years. There is a minimum block grant, which is typically applied to smaller institutions. The SIG program also offers a supplement of up to $30,000 per year to eligible small institutions. In 2022, an additional $500,000 per year was added to the budget envelope for the supplementary funding. The program is non-competitive and all eligible institutions who apply receive a grant.
  • The formula for the Research Support Fund provides higher rates of funding for institutions that receive the least amount of money from the federal research granting agencies. Some small institutions receive an RSF grant worth approximately 46% of their total granting agency funding, while most large institutions receive approximately 18%. This percentage provided to smaller institution is even higher when considering the Colleges and Cégeps that received funding in the RSF-2023 cycle. The RSF grant for 49 of them (out of 54) were at 80% of their total granting agency funding. The 5 others were between 46%-78%. In this way, the RSF helps smaller universities and colleges strengthen their research capacity.
  • The Canada Research Chairs program, where regular allocations are based on the research grant funding received by researchers from the three granting agencies, sets aside a special allocation of 137 Chairs for universities that have received 1% or less of the total funding paid out by the three federal granting agencies over the three years prior to the year of the allocation. This is known as the "1% threshold." Unlike regular allocations, universities can choose the areas in which they would like to use the Chair, which often are SSHRC CRCs.
  • Larger institutions have a greater participation rate to the Canada Excellence Research Chairs (CERC) then smaller institutions who are nevertheless eligible. The 2022 CERC competition modified its funding level to offer two amounts ($4M and $8M over 8 years) and removed its matching requirements, placing less emphasis on the research environment to increase access and incentives for the smaller institutions to participate by nominating chairs. This change opened the door for support to both smaller-scale research and host institutions and allowing for a more diverse cadre of chairholders (and support for students and HQP) across different disciplines.
• The Canada Foundation for Innovation, which funds research infrastructure, could also provide useful information for the committee’s study.

Research collaborations with local and Indigenous communities

Q5. How does SSHRC support research collaborations with Arctic communities?

• Several of SSHRC’s core funding programs are designed to support research that is conducted in collaboration with partners from all sectors, including non-for-profit organizations, and respond to the needs of communities, including in the Arctic.
  • SSHRC’s Partnership Program supports curiosity-driven research with collaborators and partner organizations can be from all sectors. In 2020-2021, 42% of partner organizations were from not-for-profit sector.
  • The Connection Program, designed to support knowledge mobilization, enables non-academic researchers to participate as co-applicants or collaborators. In most of SSHRC’s programming, collaborators can be from non-academic sectors.
• Many communities in the Arctic are Indigenous. The federal granting agencies collaborate with First Nations, Inuit and Métis partners, to support Indigenous self-determination and capacity-building in research and research training.
  • Through alignment with the interagency Strengthening Indigenous Research Capacity initiative and its goals to support relationships with Indigenous Peoples, support the research priorities of Indigenous peoples and to create greater funding accessibility for Indigenous researchers, SSHRC supports Arctic and Northern peoples in the development of a long-term vision for research and training. In its definition of Indigenous research, SSHRC affirms and respects Indigenous knowledge systems, approaches to learning, and means of sharing knowledge. Indigenous rights to self-determination include leadership of and governance over research conducted in their communities.
  • As part of its response to Call to Action 65 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report, SSHRC developed a new category of funding eligibility for Indigenous not-for-profit organizations. There are presently 18 eligible Indigenous institutions of this category, several of which serve northern populations.
  • SSHRC strives to support transdisciplinary and collaborative approaches as they are articulated in the Guidelines for the Merit Review of Indigenous Research, which calls reviewers to ensure that “Indigenous research incorporating Indigenous knowledge systems (including ontologies, epistemologies and methodologies) are recognized as a scholarly contribution,” and reminds reviewers that Indigenous research must “respect relevant community research protocols” and be characterized by a “deep level of collaboration” which may include “learning within language and/or traditional knowledge systems.” 
  • The Tri-Agency Research Data Management Policy, promotes practices aligned with Indigenous data sovereignty. The agencies recognize that data related to research by and with the First Nations, Métis, or Inuit whose traditional and ancestral territories in Canada must be managed in accordance with data management principles developed and approved by these communities, and on the basis of free, prior and informed consent.
  • To support the next generation of Indigenous researchers, in September 2022, NSERC and SSHRC launched the Indigenous Scholars Awards and Supplements Pilot Initiative. This initiative provides financial support to First Nations, Inuit and Métis Master’s students in social science, humanities, natural science, and engineering programs.
  • SSHRC and the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR) have partnered on a national research program to advance understanding of reconciliation, in response to the TRC’s Call to Action 65, and to support calls to action 71 to 76. This collaboration has yielded three new funding opportunities:
    • Partnership Engage Grants—Residential Schools Joint Initiative was launched to support communities in their search
    • Reconciliation Network Coordination Hub was launched to support the NCTR in its role as a Coordination Hub for the future Reconciliation Network; and,
    • Reconciliation Network in Response to Call to Action 65 was launched to advance a collective understanding of reconciliation.
  • The granting agencies have submitted a written brief (PDF document, 286 KB) summarizing their actions to support in Indigenous research to inform the committee’s study on the “Integration of Indigenous Traditional Knowledge and Science in Government Policy Development”.

Q6. In December 2023, the Council of Canadian Academies has published a report entitled “Northern Research Leadership and Equity”. What is SSHRC’s position on the recommendations of the report?

• We welcome the findings and recommendations of the report they are being considered and have been discussed with SSHRC’s Indigenous Advisory Circle.
• Karla Jessen Williamson is a member of the Indigenous Advisory Circle and was one of the co-authors of the CCA report.
• SSHRC, alongside NSERC and CIHR, has taken several actions and remain committed to support Indigenous self-determination, research and research training [See Annex D for the list of CCA report recommendations and corresponding SSHRC actions].

Annex A – SRSR Committee Membership

Chair

Valerie Bradford (Kitchener South – Hespler, ON) - LPC

• Background: First elected in September 2021. Prior to entering politics, she was an economic development professional for the City of Kitchener. Spoke on panel at CSPC in 2022.
• Interests: Opportunities/gaps in research funding, robotics, sustainable aviation, economic development

Vice-Chairs

Corey Tochor (Saskatoon – University, SK) - CPC

• Background: Elected as Member of Parliament in 2019. Key focus areas have been: government ac-countability, advancing Canada's energy independence, and fighting against Internet censorship. Mr. Tochor was previously elected to the Saskatchewan legislature in 2011 and 2016. Before entering poli-tics, he was an entrepreneur who owned and operated Health Conveyance.
• Interests: Canadian nuclear energy; universities

Maxime Blachette-Joncas (Rimouski-Neigette – Témiscouata – Les Basques, QC) - BQ

• Background: Obtained a bachelor's degree in business administration from the Université du Québec à Rimouski. He briefly held a job at the Business Development Bank of Canada, then was hired as deputy director general of the municipality of L'Isle-Verte. Work in the House of Commons has focused on Public Accounts and Tourism.
• Interests: Investments in R&D and biomanufacturing, support for French language research and publications

Other Members

Liberal Party of Canada

Lloyd Longfield (Guelph, ON)

• Background: Previously a Mechanical Engineering Technologist, MP Longfield has been serving Guelph for 30 years including 7 years as the President of the Guelph Chamber of Commerce before being elected to Parliament in 2015. He has since served as a member of the Standing Committee for Industry, Science and Technology, as a member of the Standing Committee for Agriculture and Agri-Food, as Vice-Chair of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts and as a member of the Standing Committee on the Environment and Sustainable Development.
• Interests: Environment, housing, mental health, Indigenous reconciliation, early learning, childcare, entrepreneurship and economic development

Helena Jaczek (Markham - Stoufville, ON)

• Background: First elected in 2019. Minister Responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario and Vice-Chair of the Treasury Board of Canada. Before her work at the federal level, she was the Member of Provincial Parliament for the riding of Oak Ridges-Markham from 2007 to 2018. During that time, Helena served as Ontario’s Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, Chair of Cabinet, Ontario’s Minister of Community and Social Services, Vice-Chair of the Health, Education and Social Policy Cabinet Committee and, from 2011 to 2014, Chair of Liberal Caucus. She also served on the Standing Committee on General Government, the Standing Committee on Social Policy, the Select Committee on Mental Health and Addictions, and the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs.
• Interests: Health, public health, people living with disabilities.

Lena Metlege Diab (Halifax West, NS)

• Background: Nova Scotia’s first female Attorney General and Minister of Justice; served as Minister of Immigration, Minister of Labour and Advanced Education, and Ministre des Affaires acadiennes et de la Francophonie. She graduated from Saint Mary's University with a Bachelor of Arts in economics and political science. She also obtained her Master of Public Administration and Bachelor of Laws.
• Interests: Promoting advancements in science and research, EDI. Strong interest in science through her family (both children work in/study NSE)

Arielle Kayabaga (London West, ON)

• Background: Elected in 2021, MP Kayabaga is also member of the committee on citizenship and immigration, and was previously a member of the committee on official languages. She was previously elected as Member of Parliament in London and to London City Council. She is Co-Chair of the Global Cooperation Caucus, and the Chair of Liberal Black Caucus.
• Interests: Housing and homelessness, immigration and citizenship, marginalized populations.

Shaun Chen (Scarborough North, ON)

• Background: Elected in 2015, MP Chen has served on the Standing Committees on Canadian Heritage, Citizenship and Immigration, Library of Parliament, Public Accounts, and Veterans Affairs. He graduated from Sir John A. Macdonald Collegiate Institute and went on to the University of Toronto, where he received his BSc in computer science and equity studies and MA in sociology in education.
• Interests: Children and youth, students and education

Conservative Party of Canada

Gerald Soroka (Yellowhead, AB)

• Background: First elected in 2019. Prior to entering politics, served as Mayor of Yellowhead County. Served on the Standing Committee for COVID-19 Pandemic.
• Interests: Public safety, freedom of speech

Ben Lobb (Huron-Bruce, ON)

• Background: MP Lobb holds a Bachelor of Science in business administration from Lee university in Cleveland, Tennessee. Ben currently serves as the shadow minister for digital government and special advisor to the leader of the opposition on blockchain technologies and crypto assets. Previously worked in finance for desire2lean (d2l), an online education platform.
• Interests: Blockchain technology

Michelle Rempel Garner (Calgary-Nose Hill, AB)

• Background: First elected to parliament in 2011, MP Rempel Garner held the positions of Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment and of Minister of State (Western Economic Diversification) while within the Conservative government. She has served in a number of committee over the years, including the committees on Natural Resources, Citizenship and Immigration, Health, Industry, Science and Technology, and Environment and Sustainable Development.
• Interests: Innovative academic and business partnerships, technology commercialization, intellectual property management.

New Democratic Party

Richard Cannings (South Okanagan – West Kootenay)

• Background: Biologist specializing in birds; taught at the UBC for 17 years; current NDP Critic for Emergency Preparedness (Climate Adaptation), as well as Deputy Critic for Natural Resources and Deputy Critic for Innovation, Science and Industry; previously appointed NDP critic for Post-Secondary Education and Deputy Critic for Natural Resources. His father was also renowned environmentalist Stephen Cannings.
• Interests: student advocacy, Climate change, energy, oil and gas, fossil fuel subsidies, softwood lumber and forestry, natural resources

Annex B – Summary of SRSR Meetings to Date on This Study

Annex C – Examples of relevant research

Canada First Excellence Research Fund

2022 Competition

2015 Competition

Networks of Centres of Excellence of Canada (transitioned into NFRF)

NSERC-funded CERCs and Canada 150 Research Chair

Researcher	Chair Title	Description	University
Dahl-Jensen, Dorthe	Canada Excellence Research Chair in Arctic Ice, Freshwater Marine Coupling and Climate Change	Generate transformative knowledge, allowing policy-makers, communities, industry and co-management groups to create informed sustainable development, adaptation and mitigation strategies needed to address both the unprecedented challenges and opportunities of the opening of Canada’s Arctic Ocean.	University of Manitoba
Myers-Smith, Isla	Canada Excellence Research Chair in Global Change Ecology of Northern Ecosystems	Integrate field research, remote sensing, data synthesis and community engagement to address critical research questions about northern ecosystems experiencing rapid and accelerating climate change, and the resulting implications for northern communities.	The University of British Columbia
Stroeve, Julienne Christine	Canada 150 Research Chair in Climate Sea Ice Coupling	Use satellite and in situ data, Inuit traditional knowledge, community monitoring, and climate models to improve our understanding of how changes in sea ice contribute to the large-scale coupling of freshwater and the Arctic Ocean.	University of Manitoba

SSHRC-funded Canada Research Chairs

Researcher	Chair Title	Description	University
Byers, Michael	Canada Research Chair in Global Politics and International Law	Examining the interaction of international politics and international law on such topics as the Arctic, United States-Canada relations and international organizations.	The University of British Columbia
Compton, Richard J.	Transmission and Knowledge of the Inuit Language	Collaborate with Inuit communities and organizations to collect culturally appropriate documentary data to describe two dialect groups: Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun.	Université du Québec à Montréal
Dawson, Jackie	Canada Research Chair in The Human and Policy Dimensions of Climate Change	Examining the human and policy elements of environmental change with a focus on Arctic oceans and maritime transportation.	University of Ottawa
Duhaime, Gérard	Canada Research Chair in Comparative Aboriginal Conditions	Studying the social, economic and political conditions of contemporary Aboriginal People and of inhabitants of the circumpolar region.	Université Laval
Lackenbauer, Whitney	Canada Research Chair in the Study of the Canadian North	Examining the historical and contemporary forces that shape how we understand the Canadian and circumpolar Norths.	Trent University
Ljubicic, Gita J	Canada Research Chair in Community-Engaged Research for Northern Sustainability	Exploring how community-engaged research can contribute to sustainability in the North	McMaster University
McMaster, Gerald	Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Visual Culture and Curatorial Practice	Exploring indigenous views of historic settler populations; studying distant, internationally renowned art-producing communities; and connecting Arctic and Amazonian voices to environmental issues.	OCAD University
Szpak, Paul	Canada Research Chair in Environmental Archaeology	Analyzing the bones and teeth of marine mammals to understand how Arctic ecosystems have changed over the last 12,000 years due to climatic variation and human activity.	Trent University
Wilson, Nicole J.	Canada Research Chair in Arctic Environmental Change and Governance	Exploring how Indigenous people in the Arctic are navigating environmental change in unequal social-ecological systems.	University of Manitoba

SSHRC Partnership and Insight Grants

Annex D – Analysis of the CCA Report on “Northern Research Leadership and Equity”

Key elements

• Arctic and Northern research has long been centred on Southern voices, needs, priorities, and institutions. As a result of longstanding Southern influences, there are numerous systemic challenges that have gone unaddressed and continue to impact Arctic and Northern research in Canada.
• The Panel was charged with envisioning an Arctic and Northern research system that is inclusive, collaborative, and effective. The Panel identified four key elements:
  • Justice: research in Canada must be just and thereby conducted consistent with the right to self-determination of Indigenous Peoples;
  • Cultural security: Inclusivity and effectiveness in research require that the system provide cultural security for Indigenous knowledge systems and any related data, rooted deeply in Indigenous Peoples’ distinct status, rights, and roles;
  • Accessibility: All aspects of Arctic and Northern research in Canada, including processes and outputs, must be accessible; and,
  • Accountability: Research must be based in accountability and rooted in responsibility and reciprocity.
• The Panel identified two main avenues that can light the fire of sustained change in an ethical and equitable research system:
  • Shifting the influence related to decision-making from the South to the North: Without Northern Indigenous leadership in research, any changes achieved will remain superficial.
  • Increase in human, financial, and infrastructural capacity: Capacity refers to both the needs identified by Indigenous communities themselves as well as the capacity of non-Indigenous people to respect and recognize Indigenous rights and ethically engage with Indigenous Peoples and their knowledge systems.
• The Panel identified four vectors to achieve transformational changes (see recommendations listed below): funding, infrastructure, data, and education.

Recommendations and corresponding SSHRC and Tri-agency actions

Recommendations for All Actors

Recommendations for Funders