Dear Prime Minister Trudeau and Ministers Champagne, Holland and Freeland,

We want to begin by acknowledging your dedicated service to Canadians as well as your support of science and evidence-based decision-making. However, we are also writing to convey the urgent need for the Government of Canada to provide a multi-year funding increase for the Canadian Institutes of Health Research in the next Federal budget. 

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is the mainstay of Health Research in Canada. It has an outstanding reputation for critically reviewing and funding research ranging from fundamental molecular studies leading to the next generation of health innovations to studies that have been influential in shaping public health policy.  Canada has tremendous strength in health research in many critical fields from stem cell biology to genomics to population health and epidemiology. The need for a strong publicly funded health research enterprise was highly apparent during the recent COVID-19 pandemic.  CIHR funded researchers were at the core of this expertise. To cite a prominent example, the development of lipid nanoparticle technology that enabled SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines was based on decades of work by Dr. Peter Cullis and colleagues at the University of British Columbia. Such discoveries not only have direct effects on health, but also contribute to the Canadian economy by reducing lost productivity through health impacts, and by fuelling the burgeoning pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors.

CIHR funds research in strategic priority areas, scholarships for top trainees, as well as investigator-initiated research, through its Projects program. These investigator-driven grants are responsible for most new discoveries and fund not only the supplies and services to conduct the research, but also pay for 90% of the personnel to do that research. Competitive funding for trainees (i.e. post-doctoral fellows, PhD students, and MSc students) is critical for Canada to attract and retain the best and brightest, including international trainees, who often stay on as permanent residents, enriching our society. While targeted research spending may be appealing for short-term priorities, the long-term competitiveness of Canada depends on funding a broad base of investigator driven research and mentoring the next generation of Canadian researchers. 

Each CIHR grant awarded contributes in many ways to the Canadian economy and our health system, through the generation of new knowledge for the health of Canadians, through the training of personnel who go on to diverse roles in academia, government, and the private sector, and as a significant source of knowledge and employment. According to the Naylor Report (2017): “Canadian gross domestic expenditure on R&D from all sources relative to GDP (GERD intensity) has been declining slowly over the last 15 years, as contrasted with our G7 peers and key east Asian nations.” This has not changed in the ensuing 6 years contrary to other developed countries. In constant dollars, the CIHR budget has been flat since 2007.

The ability to rapidly respond to newly emerging threats will depend on having a strong and diverse group of functioning laboratories and research teams.  We strongly urge a sustained increase in the CIHR budget to ensure our future health and prosperity. 

Thank you for your dedicated service to Canadians and for considering this appeal.

Sincerely,     

Canadian Researchers, Physicians, and Patients.