HESA Committee Report

Research, a fundamental issue for Quebec

First of all, the Bloc Québécois wishes to thank all the witnesses who appeared before the Standing Committee on Health with regard to the cancellation of the HIV vaccine manufacturing facility. The Bloc Québécois notes that the Committee quickly demonstrated in its report how poorly the Conservative government coordinated the Canadian HIV Vaccine Initiative, which in turn led to the failure of the project and created false expectations among organizations submitting proposals.

Challenge of finding an HIV vaccine

In keeping with the observations made in the report, the Bloc Québécois recognizes the importance of creating an effective HIV vaccine and finding alternatives further to the cancellation of the HIV vaccine manufacturing facility. Since a promising experimental vaccine has not produced the anticipated scientific results and the number of clinical trials has decreased, the Bloc Québécois also agrees that funding must be reallocated from the CHVI to basic research. The head of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Dr. Stefano Bertozzi, noted that “prominent researchers called for a return to basic research to discover new vaccine candidates, and for better ways to identify which vaccines are truly promising”.

However, federal funding for basic research is currently awarded through funding agencies, such as the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). The Bloc Québécois cannot support the report’s recommendations as they encroach on the jurisdiction of Quebec and the provinces.

A question of jurisdiction

Although more must be invested in research, it must be noted that the federal government, through CIHR, has given itself the power to impose its priorities and beliefs on the health sector, and in turn on university chairs. While the Bloc Québécois is calling on the federal government to substantially increase research budgets, it maintains that this money should be transferred to Quebec and the provinces, which will then be better able to support university research chairs, for instance. In conclusion, whether the issue is basic or clinical research in the health sector, it falls under the jurisdiction of Quebec and the provinces.

The Bloc Québécois therefore recommends that:

Since health and education fall under the jurisdiction of Quebec and the provinces, the federal government must not interfere in research funding through funding agencies. The Bloc Québécois accordingly demands that the federal government transfer to Quebec its share of the $88 million initially allocated to the HIV vaccine manufacturing facility so that Quebec may use that funding in accordance with its own policies and on its own terms.