CAGS Statement on the 2024 Federal Budget
18 April 2024
The Board of Directors of the Canadian Association for Graduate Studies (CAGS) is delighted by the significant investments and long-term commitments to the Canadian research ecosystem that were outlined in Budget 2024: Fairness for Every Generation. We are grateful to the federal government for recognizing and supporting the critical roles played by graduate students and postdoctoral scholars in driving innovation, building an ideas-based economy, and creating new opportunities for growth.
We are pleased to see proposals for significant increases to graduate student and postdoctoral research funding:
- “Budget 2024 proposes to provide $825 million over five years, starting in 2024-25, with $199.8 million per year ongoing, to increase the annual value of master’s and doctoral student scholarships to $27,000 and $40,000, respectively, and post-doctoral fellowships to $70,000. This will also increase the number of research scholarships and fellowships provided, building to approximately 1,720 more graduate students or fellows benefiting each year. To make it easier for students and fellows to access support, the enhanced suite of scholarships and fellowship programs will be streamlined into one talent program.” (p. 175)
- “To support Indigenous researchers and their communities, Budget 2024 also proposes to provide $30 million over three years, starting in 2024-25, to support Indigenous participation in research, with $10 million each for First Nation, Métis, and Inuit partners.” (p. 175)
We are pleased to see proposals to modernize and enhance the governance structure and funding distribution mechanisms of the three federal research granting agencies (SSHRC; NSERC; CIHR). We look forward to the 2024 Fall Economic Statement, when more details about these important modernization efforts will be announced:
- “To increase core research grant funding and support Canadian researchers, Budget 2024 proposes to provide $1.8 billion over five years, starting in 2024-25, with $748.3 million per year ongoing to SSHRC, NSERC, and CIHR.” (p. 171)
- “To provide better coordination across the federally funded research ecosystem, Budget 2024 announces the government will create a new capstone research funding organization. The granting councils will continue to exist within this new organization, and continue supporting excellence in investigator-driven research, including linkages with the Health portfolio. This new organization and structure will also help to advance internationally collaborative, multi-disciplinary, and mission-driven research. The government is delivering on the Advisory Panel’s observation that more coordination is needed to maximize the impact of federal research support across Canada’s research ecosystem.” (p. 171)
- “To help guide research priorities moving forward, Budget 2024 also announces the government will create an advisory Council on Science and Innovation. This Council will be made up of leaders from the academic, industry, and not-for-profit sectors, and be responsible for a national science and innovation strategy to guide priority setting and increase the impact of these significant federal investments.” (p. 172)
- “Budget 2024 also proposes to provide a further $26.9 million over five years, starting in 2024-25, with $26.6 million in remaining amortization and $6.6 million ongoing, to the granting councils to establish an improved and harmonized grant management system.” (p. 172)
Budget 2024 reflects the urgent calls to action that have been made in recent years by CAGS and its partners in the higher education community, including Universities Canada, the U15, the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, the Canadian Association of University Teachers, ACFAS, the Alliance of Canadian Comprehensive Research Universities, the grassroots student movement, Support Our Science, and members of the Coalition for Canadian Research.
These important new investments – the largest in 21 years – reaffirm the federal government’s commitment to the transformative power of graduate education and postdoctoral training, and underscore its support for all individuals who, through scholarship, research, innovation, and practice contribute to the flourishing of societies in Canada and the world.
The Board of Directors of the Canadian Association for Graduate Studies
