Universities call for education focus in election

Canada’s U15 group of research-intensive universities has started lobbying federal political parties to use higher education and research as part of their platforms for the upcoming election, scheduled for October.

In a statement on the group’s website, Allan Rock, the president of the University of Ottawa, says that although education is a provincial responsibility, Canada’s universities can have a strong impact on all parties’ goals of economic development and innovation.

“The U15 is encouraging all the political parties to include, in their forthcoming federal election platforms, a recognition of the enormous impact Canada’s research-intensive universities have on the country,” said Rock. “We are also reminding all parties that whichever is elected, it is in the public interest for the Canadian government to work in partnership with the U15 to devise ways to keep our research universities healthy and globally competitive.”