Professor Mark Lautens writes in the Globe and Mail about the need to pay graduate students and postdocs better here in Canada.
"Why are international postdocs paid more than we pay in Canada? It seems that their governments and granting agencies value the skills and talents they acquire in Canada, and as such they are willing to invest to attract people to the field. Nearly all my visitors did return home, so those countries got good returns on their investments. Meanwhile, Canadian science was the beneficiary of this external support."
"Increasing the stipends at both the graduate and postdoctoral level is certainly warranted. But where will the money to make up the shortfall come from? The cupboards of Canada’s cash-strapped granting agencies are bare. They are currently unable to provide research grants that are competitive on the world stage. Leaving faculty members to pay more out-of-grants to those not holding a scholarship is not a solution. The change needs to come from the top."