Federal research funding reform
Professor Bruce Pardy calls for the elimination of federal research funding for universities in his presentation to the Standing Committee on Science and Research studies (SRSR)—tasked with evaluating whether the criteria used for awarding federal funding on research excellence are still appropriate or whether modifications should be made.
Prof. Pardy’s [video] presentation is available via this link at the 17:08:48 mark.
A transcript of this presentation follows in full:
Madam Chair, the members of your committee may be familiar with the Big Bang Theory—not the explosion, the TV sitcom. It’s about four scientist nerds who work at a research university. In one episode they argue with the university president who says to them, “Let me ask you something. What do you think the business of this university is?” “Science?” One of the science nerds replies. “Money!” the president snorts. In Canada, the business of universities isn't just money, it's government money.
The business of Canadian universities, in large part, is to get their hands on as much government money as they can. They have become chronic welfare recipients like the CBC, dependent on government largesse with no prospect of becoming self-sustaining. These are deep black holes into which gobs of money disappear.
If you are a young professor today, your university probably doesn't care so much about your work, it cares more about whether you get federal grants. From every grant, universities skim a cool chunk off the top, like 40%. To get the grant, you must pitch research that the granting councils like. Universities have whole departments of administrators dedicated to getting their academics to pitch the research in a way that will please the people holding the purse strings. Federal research money corrupts the intellectual enterprise of universities.
My academic colleagues and I are among the many, many Canadians feeding at the public trough. The public sector is 40% of this country's economy. That's not sustainable. It's one of the many reasons this country is becoming poor. He who pays the piper calls the tune. Government money always comes with strings; ideological strings, political strings. The way to have politically neutral research is not to have government granting agencies.
You are studying whether to reform federal research funding; don't reform it. Abolish it. Get rid of it. Universities fall under provincial jurisdiction. Please stop interfering. Please stop taking money from truck drivers and cashiers and giving it to elite institutions. Please stop corrupting the intellectual enterprise. Please stop requiring and funding discrimination against white people, Asian people, and men. Please stop dictating how research is done and by whom. Please get federal money out of the business of Canadian universities.
Thank you very much.
VIEW THE PROCEEDINGS IN FULL HERE [See 17:08:48 for Prof. Pardy, followed by the Q&A]
