The Socio-Economic Importance of Scientific Research To Canada

The Socio-Economic Importance of Scientific Research to Canada Page 43© David A. Wolfe and Ammon Salterabout one fifth of total federal spending on R&D. The data in Table 9 indicate how the trendin this category has fared in recent years.Table 9. Federal Government Payments to the Higher Education Sector for R&D, byDepartment or Agency, 1987-88 to 1996-97 (in millions of dollars)Department 1987-88 1988-89 1989-90 1990-91 1991-92 1992-93 1993-94 1994-95 1995-96 p 1996-97 eor agencyAGR............. 4 7 5 5 4 3 3 5 4 2CIDA............ 25 27 24 25 26 24 22 21 21 21ENV............. 2 2 1 2 2 5 9 15 13 11HC............... 8 11 10 11 11 11 9 15 16 16MRC............ 158 170 183 219 222 231 233 239 227 218.NDEF........... 8 9 9 11 8 7 6 6 10 8NRES........... 5 6 7 7 7 7 8 7 6 4.NRC............. 28 30 32 37 33 37 32 35 34 19NSERC......... 281 299 317 377 389 401 394 393 380 360.SSHRC.......... 40 46 50 57 60 61 61 61 60 57Other............ 15 17 26 18 18 33 39 34 28 31Total ............ 574 624 664 769 780 820 814 831 798 748Notes: p = preliminary figures; e estimatesSource: Statistics Canada, Table 24, Federal Government Expenditures and Personnel onActivities in the Natural and Social Sciences, 1987-88 to 1996-97, ST 97-04 (March 1997).The data in Table 9 indicate that the pattern of federal spending on research activities in thehigher education sector has tracked the broader pattern of spending in the portfolio as a whole.Spending rose significantly in the late 1980s and early 1990s following the commitment by thegovernment to improve the research base, especially for the three granting councils. Notsurprisingly, it reached its peak in 1994-95, just before the introduction of the government’srestraint program. While spending levels held fairly steady during the first two years of thegovernment’s mandate, they have fallen precipitously since — by more than $80 million incurrent dollars (and even more if allowance is made for the effects of inflation). Thisrepresents a fairly major reversal of the policy directions enunciated in the early years of theLiberal government’s mandate and contradicts fairly strongly the message sent out during theS&T Review — both those contained in the interdepartmental working documents and in thefinal report. The fall in the level of federal spending in this area represents a significant blow43