Advocacy
The 1,000 Letters Project
Posted: March 11, 2011
The goal of this project is to send 1,000 letters to the Minister of Health, the Prime Minister, the Minister of Finance, and your local M.P. concerning the need for further investments in CIHR to provide internationally competitive levels of funding to our researchers and to allow CIHR to fulfill its mandate to improve the health and prosperity of Canadians.
Via Post:
The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, P.C., M.P.
Health Canada
Brooke Claxton Building, Tunney's Pasture
Postal Locator: 0906C
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0K9
Via e.mail: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/contact/ahc-asc/minist-eng.php
The letter should be positive and include the following elements:
- Re: CIHR
- thank the government for its many investments in health research
- tell a personal story on the positive impact of CIHR and how the research we conduct improves the health and prosperity of Canadians
- raise a concern about the research enterprise, operating grants, international competitiveness, etc
- suggest further government investments in CIHR (e.g., The 7% Solution: a government commitment to an additional investment of 7% per year in CIHR would double its budget to $2 billion in 10 years.)
Reinhart Reithmeier
University of Toronto
CIHR University Delegate
r.reithmeier@utoronto.ca
Jean-Pierre Perreault
Jean-Pierre.Perreault@usherbrooke.ca
Send Your Letters Today!
From the President’s Desk
March 10th, 2011
Dear Members:
The Toronto Star recently published a powerful Op-Ed piece by Dr. Reinhart Reithmeier, entitled « Let’s Own the Podium in Health Research ». You can read it at: http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/article/947633--let-s-own-the-podium-in-health-research
Briefly, Dr. Reithmeier points out that Canada’s investments in the Let’s own the Podium Program have been an outstanding success that led to heightened performances by our athletes and a record number of Canadian medals at the Vancouver Olympics. He went on to point out the excellence of Canadian health researchers whose past contributions have been rewarded by Nobel Prizes. Dr. Reithmeier warns, however, that if Canada is to maintain its competitive edge and its position as one of the world’s health research leaders, it must not fall behind in its financial support to CIHR. Injecting an additional 7% into CIHR’s annual budget every year over the next 10 years would double the budget of Canada’s leading health research funding agency. New investments will enable Canada’s best scientific minds to remain leaders at the international level and step up to the Nobel podium once again! Importantly, this investment would also help us to maintain and enhance the quality of our health care system and ensure that we are training and recruiting the best people to build for the future.
I invite you all to actively take part in the 1,000 Letters Project, the details of which are posted on the CSBMCB Advocacy page: http://www.csbmcb.ca/advocacy.aspx . The goal of this project is to send 1,000 letters to the Minister of Health, the Prime Minister, the Minister of Finance, and your local MP concerning the need for further investment in CIHR to provide internationally competitive levels of funding to our researchers and to allow CIHR to fulfill its mandate to improve the health and prosperity of Canadians. If each and every one of us sends out a letter, we will collectively succeed in making a difference for the development of Canadian health research and a stronger economy.
Jean-Pierre Perreault
President, Canadian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular and Cellular Biology
2010 Canadian Science Policy Conference
Better Policies, Better Science
Canadian Science Policy Conference Canadian Science Policy Conference CSPC is designed to fill a critical gap in the Canadian science policy environment: the absence of a permanent national forum to discuss science policy.
CSPC is Canada’s most comprehensive, multi-sector, multi-disciplinary event devoted to science policy: a “must attend” annual conference for Canada’s science policy community.
CSPC objectives:
- To identify and discuss current Canadian science policy.
- Forge stronger links between stakeholders and policy- makers.
2010 Conference:
• Build on momentum and dialogue of CSPC 2009
• Also, considering the global economic recession, increasing competition for talent, labour market shortfalls and demographic challenges, S&T investment and appropriate supporting policy have never been more critical.
• Federal government is shifting from short-term stimulus efforts to long-term strategies for productivity and innovation.
Therefore, the presence of science policy community is more important than ever. CSBMCB is a bronze sponsor of the CSPC 2010 Conference. A representative from the CSBMCB Executive will be participating and later reporting to the membership.
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