The federal minister points to a $30 million investment in Sask’s VIDO research institute

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Federal Innovation, Science and Industry Minister François Phillippe Champagne joked that he is often Canada’s “show-off” in his portfolio as he discusses the country’s success stories in meetings with political and business leaders from around the world.

Anyone observing Champagne during a tour of the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) facility on the University of Saskatchewan campus in Saskatoon might also add “recruiter-in-chief” to their job description.

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VIDO attracts talent from all over the world, and Champagne asked where students and researchers were from, learned about their work, and then encouraged them to stay in Canada once they completed their program.

Champagne was in Saskatoon as part of a tour to promote initiatives in the most recent federal budget, including $30 million to help VIDO complete work on a new animal research building and make upgrades to bring lab space up to what is known as Containment Level 4 – the highest possible safety rating required for laboratories working with potentially dangerous pathogens.

VIDO champagne was scheduled to go to an ice cream parlor in Saskatoon, where he was promoting another budget initiative aimed at small businesses.

Critics, including at least two former Liberal finance ministers, have spoken out against the spending proposed in the federal budget, which calls for deficits of nearly $40 billion over the next two years before phasing out to $20 billion for the 2028-2029 budget. year.

Champagne said Monday that the budget funding for VIDO is an example of making “investments” that help attract highly qualified workers and generate innovation needed to drive productivity gains.

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“We must invest in our future. A confident nation invests,” he said, adding that VIDO is a good example of how billions in the budget to support scientific research and development can generate returns for future generations.

“Today’s science is tomorrow’s economy,” Champagne added, noting that he looks forward to showcasing VIDO’s cutting-edge facilities to the world.

VIDO’s national and international profile has expanded dramatically in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, with municipal, provincial and federal governments all helping to make the facility Canada’s pandemic research and vaccine development hub.

Once the new animal facility is completed, VIDO will be one of what CEO and Director Volker Gerdts described as “a handful” of facilities on the planet its size, offering a full range of animal research, vaccine development and manufacturing all in one place.

Gerdts noted during a presentation that the world benefited from some two decades of earlier research into coronaviruses when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, allowing vaccines to be developed quite quickly.

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Future pandemics could be caused by lesser-known pathogens, Gerdts said, and a facility like VIDO effectively provides assurance that Canada will be able to respond to the next pandemic.

In the meantime, VIDO will continue to leverage its roots in the development of vaccines for agricultural use. Gerdts noted that understanding and controlling animal diseases is critical to protecting human health and the food supply.

The provincial government of the Saskatchewan Party has been publicly at odds with the federal Liberals for years. That bitterness took a back seat during Monday’s event, when provincial Trade and Export Development Minister Jeremy Harrison noted that Champagne is “a good friend” of Saskatchewan within the federal government on issues including collaboration on VIDO, as well as federal support for projects. conducted by the Saskatchewan Research Council in the areas of critical mineral processing and the development of small modular nuclear reactors.

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