Editorial - 29-14

Party leaders have participated in two debates so far and not once has science been mentioned. Should we take that to mean that science is not a key election issue?

Well, yes and no. While the politicians may not deem science to be an issue that resonates with the public, the past three years have witnessed an unprecedented outpouring of protest against current science policies and how they are implemented at the federal level.

The muzzling of government scientists, Canada's anemic business R&D performance and the shrinkage of the nation's knowledge-based sectors have been fodder for endless articles and opinion columns. Clearly the importance of science is an issue with legs.

To cite just one example, the Univ of Ottawa hosted a packed public forum earlier this week. The discussion featured a powerful slate of speakers: renowned environmentalist David Suzuki, former parliamentary budget officer Kevin Page, preeminent S&T historian Paul Dufour, former Statistics Canada chief statistician Munir Sheikh and researcher Scott Findlay. co-founder of Evidence for Democracy.

Similar events have been occurring across the country and more Canadians are listening. In recent days, the leaders of the Liberal, NDP and Green parties committed to unmuzzling government scientists and creating a Parliamentary Science Officer to ensure that policy decisions are based on the best available evidence.

The takeaway message is clear: Excellent science and effective, open science policy is good for business and for Canada.