Government of Canada Invests in Research and Graduate Students

Government of Canada Invests in Research and Graduate Students

(SUDBURY, Ont., September 1, 2010)—The Honourable Tony Clement, Minister of Industry, today announced a significant federal investment to further the development of talent and knowledge among Canada’s top scholars in the social sciences and humanities. Through grants and scholarships awarded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), these investments, totalling some $190.5 million, will support nearly 4,000 of Canada’s best researchers.

Included in today’s announcement are more than 2,000 master’s, doctoral and postdoctoral scholarships and fellowships providing students and new scholars with training that will increase the pool of talented graduates available to Canada’s private, public and not-for-profit sectors.

“Our government continues to invest in world-class research to improve Canadians’ quality of life and increase the supply of highly qualified graduates that Canada needs to be successful,” said Minister Clement. “The social sciences and humanities show us how to harness and interpret innovation from a human perspective, which translates into benefits for society.”

Charles Daviau, a Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship Doctoral Scholarship recipient at Laurentian University also spoke about his research. As a tutor and teacher in northern rural communities, he saw first hand how social, economic, and cultural factors led youth to see themselves as having a limited range of career choices. The youth Daviau worked with did not choose to pursue postsecondary education streams in disciplines such as mathematics which may lead to higher paying careers. His research will not only help us understand why students make these choices, but will also provide strategies to empower students to dream big and achieve their full potential.

“Research and research training in the social sciences and humanities play a central role in Canadian innovation,” said Chad Gaffield, President of SSHRC. “To understand innovation today is to understand human thought and behaviour—why we do the things we do, and why we strive to change or stay the same. The investments in these research projects will generate understanding of the political, social, cultural and economic issues that are vital to our future.”

The research grants announced today directly support the priorities of Canadians, including the social and economic success of communities; environmental issues; women’s and youth issues; and innovation, leadership and prosperity in Canada.

Some of the research funded will examine :

how to make educators more effective teachers of First Nations students, thereby increasing the number of First Nations students who complete high school and university programs—Lynda Doige, University New Brunswick;
young Canadians’ participation in digital media culture and its contribution to their literacy in policy issues—Leslie Regan Shade, Concordia University;
the United Nations over the past decade—Jean-Philippe Thérien, Université de Montréal;
the success of microcredit programs for economic development—Brenda Spotton Visano, York University;
rural economic diversification and the improved use of natural resources through knowledge-sharing—Budd Hall, University of Victoria;
students’ and teachers’ assessments of anti-bullying interventions—Sandra Ingram and Marcia Friesen, University of Manitoba; and
how to empower young mothers through education, and well-being—Anne Hill, Fanshawe College.
See all competition results on the SSHRC website.

For additional information on this release and other SSHRC-supported research projects, please contact:

Julia Gualtieri
Media Relations Advisor
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council
Tel.: 613-944-4347
[email protected]

Lynn Meahan
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Tony Clement
Minister of Industry
Tel.: 613-995-9001