As a result of their deliberations committees may make recommendations which they include in their reports for the consideration of the House of Commons or the Government. Recommendations related to this study are listed below.

Recommendation 1

That the Government of Canada review the COVID-19 Task Force’s work and publish its recommendations for improving advisory groups’ transparency within one year.

Recommendation 2

That the Government of Canada assess the current state of development of the country’s biomanufacturing capacity to determine whether it meets its needs for a future health crisis and publicly disclose the status of this work within one year.

Recommendation 3

That the Government of Canada create a five-year domestic biomanufacturing capacity review process. This process could include consideration of pharmaceutical companies operating in Canada, the scope of their work and the vaccine manufacturing capacity of production facilities.

Recommendation 4

That the Government of Canada establish a follow-up mechanism for funding awarded through the various research support programs, including, but not limited to, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), in order to consider other funding options for research organizations awarded funding through the networks of centres of excellence program so they do not suffer a funding shortfall after 31 March, 2023, and are able to continue their activities through another source such as the strategic science fund, as of 1 April, 2023.

Recommendation 5

That the Government of Canada consider ways to improve its funding structure at the interface between academic research and the pharmaceutical industry to both support research at universities and stimulate investment by pharmaceutical companies.

Recommendation 6

That the Government of Canada carry out a review of lessons learned during the pandemic as regards vaccine procurement and development and publish its findings within one year. The review could include, but is not limited to:

• The work done by scientific experts to advise the government during this period;
• The investments in research infrastructure and vaccine production and the status of that work;
• The investments in organizations that developed a COVID‑19 vaccine and the status of their work;
• The costs of the large-scale vaccine procurement strategy and the timelines for vaccinating all Canadians;
• Government of Canada contracts with pharmaceutical companies for COVID-19 vaccines procurement.

Recommendation 7

That the Government of Canada increase investment in university research and fundamental sciences, bringing it in line with other advanced OECD nations in the world.

Recommendation 8

That the Government of Canada support the creation of high-value, well-paying positions in biomanufacturing and life sciences to attract and retain top talent and consider:

• increasing the value of graduate scholarships and the number of scholarships awarded at the master’s, doctoral and postdoctoral levels;
• ensuring that scholarships are internationally competitive and increase with the cost of living;
• addressing the underinvestment in a generation of Canada’s most promising young researchers;
• ensuring that graduates and workers have the skills Canada needs by increasing opportunities for lifelong learning and work-integrated learning; and
• encouraging the immigration of international talent to the country by strengthening Canada’s position as a destination for global talent by reducing processing times for study and work permits for students and faculty.

Recommendation 9

That the Government of Canada help strengthen Canada’s biomanufacturing ecosystem by funding diverse national expertise capable of withstanding future health crises, by taking a broad approach that includes research related not only to vaccine development but also to neuroscience, mental health and immunotherapy, and protecting the patents and intellectual properties.

Recommendation 10

That, as part of the implementation and evolution of the Biomanufacturing and Life Sciences Strategy, the government develop a holistic approach to supporting Canada’s biomanufacturing industry and develop a framework for funding translational research organizations by supporting pre-clinical to clinical translation.