Quebec medical deans react to federal budget

The Deans of the faculties of medicine of McGill University, Université Laval, Université de Montréal and the Université de Sherbrooke are pleased with the announcement made by the Hon. Paul Martin, Minister of Finance, in his budget speech Tuesday night, concerning the creation of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). An investment of $240M by the federal government in the newly created institutes will enhance significantly the funds available to Canadian researchers and will permit them to continue a leading role on the international stage.

The Dean of Medicine of the Université de Sherbrooke, Dr Michel Baron, welcomed the creation of the CIHR and commented: "The benefits for medical research in Quebec will be significant, not only for the new research opportunities it will generate but also for the improvement to the health care of the general population it will produce. Such improvements are an obvious consequence of an enhanced world-class research activity that the CIHR will foster."

At Université Laval, Dr Marc Desmeules is particularly enthusiastic about the effect of the CIHR. "The influx of funds will permit the training of highly qualified manpower better equipped to serve the needs of the Quebec population in the next century," he stated. "It will provide the right environment to keep the best researchers here, and even attract some from other countries. The CIHR is a timely response to the current brain drain in the health sector," he added.

Dean Abraham Fuks of McGill University also welcomed the federal initiative. "As Quebec researchers already receive more than thirty percent of Medical Research Council (MRC) dollars, the impact on hospital and university based research will be tremendous," he noted. Dr. Fuks foresees the CIHR will serve to fully integrate health research with Canada’s health care delivery system. According to Dr. Fuks, "Synergies among researchers from coast to coast will improve the efficiency of the whole system. The Canadian population will be the main benefactor of this increased commitment in the health sector."

Dr Patrick Vinay, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the Université de Montréal, is pleased that the federal government will increase the funding it already provides in the area of health research, one of the essential conditions for ensuring the quality of health care delivery in Canada.

For further information, please contact:
Dr Michel Baron, Dean, Faculty of Medicine, Université de Sherbrooke
819-564-5201
Dr Marc Desmeules, Dean, Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval
418-656-2131 Ext. 2301
Dr Abraham Fuks, Dean, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University
514-398-3524
Dr Patrick Vinay, Dean, Faculty Of Medicine, Université de Montréal
514-343-6351