Editorial - 19-10

Are federal S&T policies and programs veering toward crisis? Everywhere you look there’s a process or a program that is either delayed, breaking down or stalled altogether. They are casualties of the state of politics in Ottawa, a bureaucracy weakened by the departure of seasoned personnel and a persistent trait of the current Liberal regime: the inability to carry through on its seductive rhetoric on innovation and the knowledge-based economy.

Cut through the spin and take a look at the state of federal S&T. At the policy level, one would be hard pressed to find a complete strategy in any area of S&T, from the abandoned innovation strategy of 2002 to national strategies for nanotechnology, energy and commercialization. The budget for the Office of the National Science Advisor is an embarrassment and the position of parliamentary secretary is vacant and apparently forgotten.

The program side isn’t much better. The woefully underfunded Network of Centres of Excellence program is fully committed for years to come, leaving many prospective areas of science out in the cold. The planned division of Technology Partnerships Canada into two funds has yet to occur and its executive director — Tom Wright — remains invisible after nearly a year on the job. Ambitious strategic plans by the granting councils and fourth pillar organizations like CANARIE, Precarn and CMC Microsystems remain unfunded.

It’s time to get S&T back on track and boost its standing on the government’s list of priorities. Moving to implementation would demonstrate that there’s substance behind the Liberal rhetoric and give Canada a fighting chance in the global economy.