President’s remarks to the Standing Committee on Science and Research

October 1, 2025

(Check against delivery)

Madame Chair,

Thank you for the invitation to appear before your committee.

It's a pleasure for me to be here for the first time as President of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

Research excellence is an issue close to my heart and fundamental to CIHR's work. 

9 months ago I accepted the role of President of CIHR because I deeply believe in its mission — to improve the health, well-being, and prosperity of Canadians through research excellence.

As a clinician-researcher for 33 years, I have seen firsthand how research transforms lives and health systems.

Cancer care and outcomes have also dramatically improved. This is personal for me. I lost my first wife to breast cancer. During her battle, a new class of anti-estrogen medications - aromatase inhibitors - became available just when we needed them.

Thanks in part to Canadian research, these treatments gave her more time and gave our 10-year old daughter 8 more years with her mother.

We are now at a critical moment in human history where scientific discoveries will transform our daily lives including all aspects of human health, security and prosperity.

25 years ago when CIHR was created, Canadian scientists joined the human genome project. It took thousands of scientists and billions of dollars to map one genome.

Today, not only can we map a whole genome over a weekend for less than 100$, we can now edit our genome to remove disease causing DNA sequences using a gene-editing tool (CRISPR), to potentially cure diseases such as sickle cell and cystic fibrosis. This means we now have the power to transform life.

Imagine if we couple this foundational transformation in biology with Artificial Intelligence.

In health and life sciences, this combination will accelerate discovery at unfathomable rates.

These powerful forces will generate new fundamental insights, and affect health and health care as well as ALL aspects of our social fabric. This convergence will require all of society, including our best scientists, to be at the forefront of this new revolution.

The question is whether we are ready to act boldly and together.

Are we willing and ready to overcome barriers and unlock the power of our health data, from our genome to health records to serve the public good?

Are we ready as a country to invest in being world leaders? Because as I see it, Canada has some of the world's best scientists, but we are beginning to fall behind other global leaders.

As the global research landscape explodes, there is a clear imperative to strengthen Canada's SCIENCE in order to grow our economy, as well as protect our sovereignty and security.

My vision of research excellence is captured in three words: collaboration for impact.

For me, it means fostering partnerships, building problem-focused networks and consortia across sectors and jurisdictions that integrate diverse disciplines and perspectives to tackle major societal challenges affecting all of us, including the most vulnerable.

It means EQUITY must be a foundational principle. Without enabling all Canadians to benefit from our many discoveries, we risk tearing at Canada's social fabric as well as worsen health and economic outcomes. Research excellence alone will not suffice. 

CIHR not only has the bold ambition, but the funding approaches to continue supporting research excellence.

We have a discovery fund, which supports the best and most original science; and a mission-driven fund, which targets priority areas like primary care and mental health, brain health, infectious diseases and the opioid crisis.

Both approaches rely on rigorous peer review in accordance with international standards.

This is how we produce impactful research that continues to change lives.

At this pivotal moment, we must not only provide all necessary resources to our top scientists, but also improve the commercialization of discoveries made right here in Canada. Otherwise, we risk enriching other countries instead of our own — as was the case with mRNA vaccines and Ozempic.

In summary, through our unwavering commitment to excellence, CIHR aims to maximize the impact of research on the health, well-being, and economic prosperity of Canadians from coast to coast to coast.

Thank you. I would be pleased to answer your questions.