Science and Research Committee on May 30th, 2024

[Shaun Chen, Liberal, Scarborough North, ON]

Okay.

Just very quickly then, do you find it challenging? You mentioned the use of drones, but we're talking also about logistics for researchers. Do you find there's more capacity that can be built in terms of adopting technologies to support your research in the Arctic?

[The Chair, Liberal, Valerie Bradford]

Give a very short answer, please.

[Prof. Isla Myers-Smith]

The short answer is yes. The technology will continue to shift, so we need to be able to adapt to that changing technology, and keep going out into the Arctic to use that technology to its maximum.

[The Chair, Liberal, Valerie Bradford]

Thank you.

Now we'll turn to MP Blanchette-Joncas for six minutes.

[Maxime Blanchette-Joncas, Bloc, Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I want to extend my greetings to the witnesses here today.

My first question is for Joël Bêty.

Mr. Bêty, I would like to congratulate you on your many years of commitment to scientific research. I know that you have received a number of awards and accolades. It's an honour and a pleasure to welcome you to the committee today.

My first question concerns your work as a professor from the Canada Research Chair in Arctic biodiversity. Can you provide some examples of foreign Arctic research initiatives that Canada could learn from?

[Joël Bêty]

Thank you for your question.

There are some good examples in other parts of the world, particularly when it comes to long‑term monitoring. Some countries, such as Denmark and Norway, have set up long‑term ecosystem monitoring programs in the Arctic tundra, which involve both government and university researchers.

For example, Greenland Ecosystem Monitoring is an integrated long‑term monitoring and research program that focuses on ecosystems and climate change in the Arctic. Since 1995, this program has been promoting a much more coherent and integrated understanding of how terrestrial ecosystems work. The program is based on the collection of interdisciplinary data that includes a number of Arctic biodiversity components. As part of this program, 75 scientists go out into the field each year to collect standardized data at the same sampling site. Over 1,000 parameters are measured and made available free of charge. This data is used by program participants, other scientists, the public or external partners to produce a number of scientific articles and assessments or advisory reports.

Norway's Climate Ecological Observatory for Arctic tundra, or COAT, is a similar observation system.

Overall, these long‑term and multi‑component monitoring programs are highly productive and provide a better understanding of species interactions and the many indirect effects of warming on Arctic systems. These things should inspire us here in Canada.

[Maxime Blanchette-Joncas, Bloc, Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Bêty.

Witnesses came here to talk about the competition among countries around the Arctic circle. You just compared different programs abroad. I also read the report on the polar continental shelf program by Canada's chief scientist, Mona Nemer. The report states that Canada should aspire to become a global leader in northern research, because it has one of the largest territorial claims in the Arctic.

Mr. Boudreault, the first chair of Polar Knowledge Canada, said that Canada lacked both the researchers and the funding to carry out northern research.

I would like you to elaborate on this topic.

[Joël Bêty]

You referred to the extremely important polar continental shelf program. We were surprised to learn recently that a large part of its budget wasn't permanent. This has obviously caused a great deal of concern for a number of university researchers in Canada.

These budgets don't align with the rising costs of Arctic research. This poses a major issue. In Canada, we have a huge research capacity and a number of global leaders in Arctic research. We must keep this in mind. However, the situation is precarious, given that some funding programs don't reflect the rising costs of research.

There are also programs such as the northern research supplements. I've sat on the selection committees. We're unable to support some excellent projects because of a lack of funding. As a result, we're sometimes unable to fund projects that meet community needs. The amounts received are similar to the amounts allocated 20 years ago. This makes no sense, given that the cost of Arctic research has risen enormously.

In short, Canada is undoubtedly among the global leaders. However, I find this situation precarious. Some programs deserve more attention. We have international leaders in Canada and we must keep that in mind.

[Maxime Blanchette-Joncas, Bloc, Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

I agree, Mr. Bêty. Northern research can't be conducted with Popsicle sticks.

I often bring up the fact that Richard Boudreault, the first chair of Polar Knowledge Canada, said that a country such as Iceland had proportionally many more researchers than Canada, specifically 13 times more researchers per square metre. We could see that some countries had much higher levels of scientific research activity given the financial support provided by their governments. These countries included Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark.

Based on your expertise, I would like to hear your opinion on this data.

[Joël Bêty]

I don't have the figures for the number of researchers in other parts of the world. However, I can say that, if more funding is provided for northern and Arctic research, the number of researchers working in the north will increase. A number of universities train people who become highly qualified and ready to get involved in northern research. Of course, funding is needed to support these projects in the far north.

[Maxime Blanchette-Joncas, Bloc, Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

Mr. Bêty, what are the implications of not having proper long‑term funding? How does this affect northern research in particular?

[Joël Bêty]

We sometimes need to put an end to certain time series. As I explained earlier, to fully understand the changes and their causes, we need long‑term time series. However, given the lack of funding, we sometimes need to put an end to certain monitoring and time series. As a result, we have less of an understanding of the situation.

The lack of funding can sometimes limit our potential impact and our ability to engage with northern communities.

[The Chair, Liberal, Valerie Bradford]

Thank you, Mr. Bêty.

Now we will turn to MP Cannings for six minutes.

[Richard Cannings, NDP, South Okanagan—West Kootenay, BC]

Thank you.

Thank you, all, for being here today.

I'm going to start with Dr. Myers-Smith.

On a personal note, I just wanted to say we had Dave Hik here on Tuesday before the committee, so it's wonderful to have another alumna of the Arctic Institute of North America's Kluane Lake Research Station before us who has gone on to do important work in the Arctic.

We were talking earlier about mitigation versus adaptation. I'm wondering if you could comment on the need for simply work that monitors the effects that climate change is having in the Arctic. It's being impacted several times more than we are down here. You talked about permafrost changes, and Herschel Island is the poster child there. Those permafrost melting incidents release methane into the atmosphere, which causes a vicious circle of climate impacts. We have melting sea ice, which does the same there, where you have loss of albedo on the ocean, which warms the earth faster.

How important is it for Canada to be leading the world in monitoring climate impacts in the Arctic?

[Prof. Isla Myers-Smith]

I think it's vital that internationally we monitor what's going on in the Arctic, and Canada is perhaps the premier hub for leading that international effort. We do need a component of monitoring, because we cannot predict some of the changes that are going on in the Arctic. We need continuous and consistent methods of collecting data to understand the change that's playing out.

We need to understand that change because those feedbacks that can happen within the Arctic—changes to the ecosystems, the permafrost, sea ice—have global implications. We see four times the rate of warming in the Arctic relative to the rest of the planet. The impacts of that warming in the Arctic are influencing the climate for the rest of the planet.

What we do now in terms of releasing greenhouse gases is influencing the Arctic now. Those changes are playing out in a way that we can't fully mitigate at this point. The impacts of those changes that will play out over the coming decades are going to influence that global climate and the rate of warming for the entire planet. What happens in the Arctic will not stay within the Arctic. It's going to influence all of us, and we have to monitor those changes and have integrated research programs with all players involved to really document the impacts of climate change.

[Richard Cannings, NDP, South Okanagan—West Kootenay, BC]

Thanks.

You also mentioned logistic support. We know that the Arctic is a big place. It's very difficult and expensive to travel around. You mentioned the polar shelf project, which has been the heart of logistics for Arctic research for many years. I remember hearing—in 2018, I think—that that project hadn't received an increase in its budget for 20 years. I think there was an adjustment then, but I'm just wondering if you could comment on that logistic support, using the polar shelf project as an example, perhaps, in terms of how much funding it receives and how it should be designed. You talked briefly about the hub-and-spoke model. Perhaps just give us an idea of what you think would work best to support Canadian research in the Arctic.

[Prof. Isla Myers-Smith]

Well, I think a really important point to start out with is that the polar continental shelf funding does support research within and across the Canadian Arctic. I'm working in the far west of the Canadian Arctic, right along the Alaska border, and that program does support my research.

However, the hub for the polar continental shelf is based in the eastern Arctic, so I'm very far from the logistics people. They're still helping me out with the funding even though I'm thousands of kilometres away in the west with my research team.

Just to put some numbers on it, to get to my research site, Qikiqtaruk-Herschel Island, you need to get to Inuvik first. Then you take a one-hour charter airplane flight from Inuvik. A few years ago it cost $7,000 one way, then $8,000 one way. This summer it will be $9,000 to $10,000 one way, for one trip for a few members of my research team. We have to take multiple of trips per summer, and the costs are accelerating at an enormous pace, because of the cost of fuel and other logistical constraints. The polar continental shelf program comes in and supports those costs to allow us to use our research funds for the actual research. Without that logistical support, we could not go to these sites, and these sites are where climate change impacts are playing out. We need to be there on the ground.

[Richard Cannings, NDP, South Okanagan—West Kootenay, BC]

Thank you.

I'd like to turn to Dr. Bêty and ask more or less similar questions. I know, Dr. Bêty, you've studied snow geese, and you mentioned the impacts again, and that what happens in the Arctic affects us further south. Perhaps you could talk about what the populations of snow geese have been doing in response to climate change and other things and how complex that is, and how it affects us in the temperate parts of North America.

[Joël Bêty]

Thank you for your question.

I should point out that migratory species are influenced by factors all over the planet. Take the example of snow geese. These birds are affected by both developments in the Arctic and changes in farming practices in the south, for instance.

At the international level, we're seeing an increase in a number of snow goose, duck and goose populations as a result of changes in farming practices. This has considerably increased the density of snow goose populations in the Arctic. These higher densities of snow geese in the Arctic affect the Arctic ecosystems. For example, this can lead to negative effects on plant communities, transform plant communities and adversely affect other species currently in decline, such as birds—

[The Chair, Liberal, Valerie Bradford]

Mr. Cannings, perhaps you can pursue this further in your next round. Thank you very much.

We will now turn to MP Lobb for five minutes.

[Ben Lobb, Conservative, Huron—Bruce, ON]

Thanks very much.

My first question is for Ms. Myers-Smith.

The question is on some of your research and the work you have done on the treeline. Could you expand a bit more on that work and what it's showing you?

[Prof. Isla Myers-Smith]

Yes, I have done a little bit of work on the treeline. A lot of my research focuses on the shrubline, which is the next line up as you move across the Arctic. As you move northwards, and also as you move up slopes and mountain ranges, you hit an elevational edge, which is where trees stop growing. Beyond that, large woody shrubs stop growing and then you end up with shorter plants, and eventually plants stop growing altogether.

One of the impacts of climate change is that those edges can be moving either northwards or upslope. You get taller vegetation, more woody vegetation and more carbon in that vegetation, but changes to the below-ground environment as well, and that can influence things like permafrost thaw and create some of those climate feedbacks. That changes the habitat for wildlife as well.

[Ben Lobb, Conservative, Huron—Bruce, ON]

The historical shrubline and treeline, what does that tell us? Have you had the ability to do the research on the historical moves up and down?

[Prof. Isla Myers-Smith]

Yes. If you think about history, we could go back to the last ice age. When we're doing that kind of work, we're working with pollen, so you have a much more coarse understanding of where the treeline and the shrubline were, but in the past, the Arctic has been a pretty shrubby place and treelines have been further north when the climate was warmer. Then the climate got cooler and those lines receded.

What we're actually seeing to a certain extent is the movement of treelines and shrublines northwards, still as a response to the last ice age, but now on top of that we have anthropogenic warming and that movement of treelines and shrublines. The shrubline also moves a lot faster than the treeline, so that vegetation change is happening faster now because of anthropogenic warming on top of that response to the last ice age.

[Ben Lobb, Conservative, Huron—Bruce, ON]

In your 20 years—if I missed it, I apologize—you would have seen a noticeable difference in the move northwards, then?