Government should broaden ban on research funding to cover any 'foreign dictatorship,' Poilievre says
Liberals ban federal research grants for projects linked to 'foreign state actors' that pose security risk
The Liberal government's move to ban all federal research grants for projects linked to "foreign state actors" that pose a threat to Canada's national security should be expanded to include all foreign dictatorships, the Conservatives say.
On Tuesday, Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced that in order to protect Canadian research and intellectual property, he would be changing the way federal research grant councils dole out money.
According to a government statement, grants will be denied if they involve research in a sensitive area and if any of the researchers involved "are affiliated with a university, research institute or laboratory connected to military, national defence or state security entities of foreign state actors that pose a risk to our national security."
Champagne said the new rules are being introduced in response to the actions of "China and others" and that any research with the China Military Institute would be captured by these new rules.
'We need to make sure that this does not happen to any other states that could be conducting research that would be harmful to our national security," Champagne said.
The grant changes come after the Globe and Mail reported last month that 50 Canadian universities have conducted "extensive research" with China's military since 2005.
The Globe reported that in the last five years, researchers at 10 leading universities in Canada published 240 research papers in conjunction with China's National University of Defence Technology.
The institution reports directly to the Chinese Communist Party's Central Military Commission, the report said.
Trudeau 'asleep at the switch': Poilievre
After that report broke, Conservative MP Michael Chong called for a halt to all joint research funding with Chinese military scientists. On Wednesday in Calgary, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre doubled down.
"Canadian universities should be banned from doing research projects in alliance with any foreign dictatorship, including the dictatorship in Beijing," Poilievre said.
"It is appalling that [Prime Minister] Justin Trudeau has allowed federal tax dollars to fund research projects with the communist regime in Beijing that could be used by that country's military in acts that are against our national interest."
Poilievre said Trudeau "has been asleep at the switch" when it comes to protecting Canada from foreign intelligence threats.
WATCH: Poilievre calls for a broader ban on research funding linked to 'dictatorships'
The new rules affect the Canada Foundation for Innovation and Canada's federal research granting councils, including the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
"We're not going to allow research to be done with some military institute that could be harmful to our national security in Canada," Champagne said Wednesday in Ottawa.
"We are going to direct those where we have full jurisdiction and, with respect to universities and provinces, invite them to follow suit because that's what Canadians expect of us."
Champagne said he is reaching out to provinces and the universities they govern to ensure that they take similar actions in their areas of jurisdiction.
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