Blog Post
Dr. Claude Lajeunesse, FCAE, is a member of the board of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited. Dr. Lajeunesse, a native of Quebec City, was also a member of the Expert Panel on the State of Industrial R&D and a former President and CEO of the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada, which he joined in 2008 following his tenure as President of Concordia University in Montréal. Prior to this, he served as President of Ryerson University in Toronto for 10 years, where he led the institution through significant increases in enrollment, helped redevelop its academic and research programs, and engineered a renewal of campus facilities. He is also past President and CEO of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada.
The CCA was honoured to have you as a member of the Expert Panel on the State of Industrial R&D. Can you tell us about what drew you to the role and to working with the CCA?
I was pleased to accept the Canadian of Council of Academies’ invitation to join the Expert Panel on the State of Industrial R&D because I deeply believe in the key role that industrial R&D has played and – just as important – needs to continue to play, in the innovation and commercialization cycle. Combined with increased productivity, the improvement of industrial R&D will lead to a stronger economy, creating more and better jobs for Canadian citizens. The CCA had assembled a group of leading Canadian and international experts whose knowledge and experience were a guarantee that the report would represent a rigorous analysis of the issue based on the best, most credible data available. I also felt [The State of Industrial R&D in Canada] would be very timely as the current government is committed to improving the quality and competitiveness of our industry. Under those circumstances, I was honoured to join the Expert Panel.
What do you believe is the value of evidence-based assessments?
In today’s world where access to accurate, credible, and vetted information is often confused with access to any information, it is critical to emphasize the need to rely on evidence-based data to develop policies and programs that will respond to the needs of Canadian citizens. It remains very disturbing that even university and college students very often have not acquired the tools to validate the information they read on the Web. As these students later become policy-makers such as public servants or politicians, the Council plays a key role in reminding them of the importance of basing the development of their policies and programs on rigorous evidence-based data.
Having spent several years in a university environment, as President of both Concordia University and Ryerson University, what role do you think universities and colleges play in fostering innovation in Canada?
Universities and colleges play a key role in fostering innovation through the education and training of students. Given the process from science to R&D to innovation, I had the opportunity at Concordia and Ryerson to witness first-hand the key role that professors play in developing students’ ability to learn and to apply that learning to innovate. Students who received a rigorous education and were exposed to outstanding teachers can then go on and transfer their knowledge and ability to innovate to their new colleagues in industry.
You have had an impressive career in both the academic sphere as well as in the aerospace industry. How did these two seemingly very different areas appeal to you? Are there a couple of career highlights you could share?
Concordia and Ryerson Universities had both developed (and continued to develop after I left) exceptional teams of professors and researchers with international expertise in aerospace engineering. Leading companies, such as Bombardier and Pratt & Whitney Canada, invested considerable amounts of energy internally and in cooperation with universities to develop R&D that allows them to compete around the world with the best players in the aerospace industry. They developed strong linkages with university researchers and teachers that allowed students to gain practical knowledge while they were learning the theory from their professors. This is how I became acquainted with the strengths and performance of the Canadian aerospace industry. When I left Concordia and was approached by the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada (AIAC), I felt that it was a unique opportunity to channel my university experience into the development of an industry that employs over 80,000 Canadians and exports 80 per cent of its 24 billion dollar production.
The highlight of my career at Ryerson was the successful transformation of Ryerson Polytechnic University into Ryerson University with, amongst other key steps, the development of graduate programs in many areas, including aerospace engineering. The highlight of my career at AIAC was to leverage the sincere commitment that the Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, has towards the aerospace industry into a commitment to study the needs of the industry and develop appropriate policies and programs. That led to the excellent Emerson Report whose recommendations our government is implementing. I should point out that the Emerson Report clearly indicated the need to develop strong industrial R&D in the aerospace industry. These comments bring us back to my prior statement that [The State of IR&D in Canada] comes at a very pertinent moment when the government is committed to identifying the best possible initiatives to support the creation of jobs in Canadian industry.