The Canadian Society of Plant Biologists La Société Canadienne de Biologie Végétale Founded in 1958 Constituée en 1958 The Honourable Kirsty Duncan Minister of Science C.D. Howe Building 235 Queen Street Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0H5 Dear Minister Duncan: I am writing to you in my capacity as President of the Canadian Society of Plant Biologists / Société Canadienne de Biologie Végétale (CSPB/SCBV, www.cspp-­‐scpv.ca). The CSPB represents Canadian plant scientists whose research focuses on plant physiology, genetics, biochemistry, development, and microbial interactions, as well as tree biology and related fields. Our members are affiliated with academic institutions, national research organizations (Agriculture and Agrifood Canada, NRC) and industry. The Society serves to provide a platform for scientists to exchange and disseminate research data, to create and foster scientific networks, and to promote the education of undergraduate and graduate students, as well as postdoctoral fellows by supporting their participation at the Society's annual pan-­‐Canadian and regional meetings. The CSPB is a founding member of Plant Canada (plantcanada.ca/eng/default.htm), an umbrella organization uniting scientific societies in the fields of plant and horticultural sciences. Furthermore, the CSPB is a founding members of the Global Plant Council, a coalition of national, regional and international societies representing plant, crop and agricultural and environmental sciences across the globe (globalplantcouncil.org). On behalf of the CSPB, it is my pleasure to congratulate you on your appointment as Minister of Science. Now that you have settled in, we would like to seize the opportunity to introduce our Society to you and your staff. The members of the CSPB are enthusiastic about the fact that the new government recognizes that decisions must be informed by scientific data and that basic and discovery driven research are the fundamental underpinning for progress and countless areas of economic development. We believe that the research conducted by our members can make important contributions both to combating rising greenhouse gas emissions and to mitigating the inevitable consequences of climate change. Our members work on the development of plants that are resilient to a variety of environmental stresses, they study plant-­‐pathogen interactions, and many of the research activities support the development of sustainable agriculture through the use of biological pest control and biological fertilizers such as microbe-­‐based products. Technologies and practices developed by our members offer solutions to the unique challenges Canadian agriculture and forestry will face in the coming decades including the need to produce biofuels efficiently. Plant-­‐
based biotechnological strategies are being developed to address challenges in fields as diverse as agriculture and medicine. The membership of the Society would appreciate an opportunity to meet with you to discuss the challenges and the opportunities associated with a basic and applied research in the plant and forestry sciences. The next annual general meeting of the CSPB will take place at Queen’s University in Kingston on June 19-­‐21 (cspp-­‐
scpv.ca/meetings/2016AGM/). The theme for this conference is ‘Plant Biotech 2016’. We would be delighted if you were available to attend our conference to meet our members while learning more about the crucial role that research in the plant sciences will play in Canada and throughout the world over the coming decades. Yours truly, Dr. Anja Geitmann March 21, 2016 Dean, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University President, Canadian Society of Plant Biologists / Société Canadienne de Biologie Végétale cc: John Knubley, Deputy Minister Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Macdonald Campus, McGill University 21111 Lakeshore, Ste-­‐Anne-­‐de-­‐Bellevue, Québec H9X 3V9, Canada, [email protected], 514 398 7707