Canada's Higher Education and R&D Initiatives Await Its Conservative Government's Decisions. (September 20, 2006)

    From 1997 to ---- while Australia's federal coalition government was putting the feet of Australia's universities to the flames, Canada's Liberal government was following a mantra that its universities and research and development were an avenue to the nation's future prosperity.

To that end for example the government founded the Canada Research Chairs program to create 2000 new professorships.

To date  1689 have been appointed and of particular significance 32% have been recruited from outside Canada. It's in sharp contrast to the Australian Federation Fellowship program which so far has provided 7.5% that of the Canadian program.

And as The Australian's  Julia Hinde reports, "the Canada Foundation for Innovation is investing $C3.65 billion ($4.32billion) in university research infrastructure and a scheme to cover the indirect costs of research has been introduced."

However, earlier this year after 13 years in opposition, the Conservatives - led by Stephen Harper assumed government and the question as to how supportive a Harper government would be of the Liberal's programs exercised Canadian academics and researchers, but with the bring down of the first Conservative budget the universities relaxed a bit.

"We have had an important and encouraging signal in the first budget," explains Claire Morris, president of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada to Ms Hinde, which represents Canada's universities. "In the May budget we received $C40million for indirect costs, $C40million for the research councils and $C20 million for the Canada Foundation for Innovation; $C100million in what could have been a very restrained agenda."

And John Challis, vice-president (research) at the University of Toronto, noted that though the research council gains were modest, the commitment shown to CFI and to indirect costs were "tremendously helpful".

For example the increased investment in indirect costs in the budget raises the average reimbursement rate to about 27% of the direct costs, something Australian universities can only fantasise about.

On the other hand Canada, just as is Australia, is competing in a world market and Ms Hinde says, "Stories are beginning to emerge of potential professorial recruits to Canadian universities turning away at the last minute due to uncertainty that the research climate is as conducive as was previously the case."

Finally, as far as funding for public higher education is concerned Canada is more like the US than Australia in that the Canadian provinces are responsible for a considerable proportion of basic funding and in most cases budgets are tight. Oil-rich Alberta is a stark exception and it is choosing to plough some of its budget surplus into universities.

In all likelihood Canadians will go to the polls within the next two years and the incumbent Mr Harper will undoubtedly weigh up just what he believes the next couple of budgets as well as election promises will sit well with his constituents.