Editorial - 19-3

After years of trying, Canada is on the verge of adopting a big science policy framework. Plans are in place to have a polished document presented to Cabinet this fall, capping a long and often frustrating effort to bring some coherence to this country’s treatment of major science facilities, either in Canada or offshore.

Canada nearly had a big science policy in the mid 1990s when John Manley was Industry minister. That policy was developed to an advanced level and a memorandum to Cabinet was prepared before it fell off the rails.

That the policy was killed due to a lack of interest after the Canadian Light Source received piecemeal funding is likely only part of the story. A contributing factor was almost certainly a change of ministers followed by shifting priorities –— yet another example of short-term political priorities trumping long-term strategic needs.

This time, the prospects of the framework being adopted as official policy appear more positive. The creation of the Office of the National Science Advisor and a strong, forthright Industry minister should be enough to convince Cabinet that the time has come to catch up with the rest of the industrialized world.

The immediate impact of a coherent policy could be the approval of the Canadian Neutron Facility (CNU). A worthy project with a hefty $400-million price-tag. it has repeatedly fallen between the political cracks, leaving the scientific community to work with an aging reactor well past its prime. Canadian S&T deserves far better and it will be interesting to see how the CNU ranks if the new policy is approved.