The recent Canadian Science Policy Conference (CPSC) offered one of the largest gatherings of high-profile S&T policy makers and practitioners for Dr Gary Goodyear to pitch the Conservative government's commitment to research and innovation. Touching on all the key planks in the 2007 S&T framework, the minister of state for science and technology reiterated funding initiatives made over the past three years from top-up funding for the Industrial Research Assistance Program to the creation of the Vanier Scholarships program.

Goodyear also had words for the government's key bodies for S&T policy advice — the Science, Technology and Innovation Council (STIC) and the Council of Canadian Academies. He addressed the findings of the CCA report, Innovation and Business Strategy: Why Canada Falls Short and said that, while weak industrial R&D performance is a "decades-old problem", the report served as "a wake-up call" for government, researchers and anyone concerned with S&T.

"We have a serious productivity growth problem … The statistics are unambiguous," said Goodyear, adding that, while the STIC 2008 State of the Nation report on Canada's S&T and innovation system indicated Canada was doing relatively well, "other nations are often improving at a faster rate".

In response to the productivity and competitiveness challenges facing Canada, Goodyear said his government would continue to "do our part" and that business must do more. Yet the minister offered no specifics for how the government will address these problems other than stating that "work is underway to curtail the innovation shortfall".

next budget

Goodyear was also noncommittal about measures that may be taken in the upcoming federal Budget. Many organizations across the country are facing funding renewal at the end of the current FY and concern is rising over the government's ability to maintain key S&T programs and facilities in the face of a slow economic recovery and a rapidly increasing deficit.

Taking media questions after his presentation, Goodyear was asked by RE$EARCH MONEY if the government was prepared to re-fund organizations like the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory, TRIUMF and the new strategic plan for the Canadian Institutes for Health Research.

"Irrespective of the Canadian economy and not being derailed from our science and technology strategy, we are already beginning consultations with a number of stakeholders, whether it's the universities and colleges or associations and scientists themselves. We'll be entertaining all the ideas moving forward," he said. "We've pretty much rebuilt our capital capacity so we're looking at the next step forward. I can't comment on what it's going to be right now."

Asked whether Cabinet had the appetite for entertaining support for S&T, Goodyear responded that the prime minister would not have created his position one year ago if he didn't think the government had the capacity for supporting it.

federal government committed to S&T

Responding to a question on whether the Conservative government was anti-science, the minister was forthright, asserting that "there has never been a government more committed to science and technology than this one".

"In the last recession in the 90s that wasn't anything like this, government cut science and technology and invented the term ‘brain drain'. What we've done is increased science and technology in every single budget we've ever had. And that is to shore up and that is exactly what we're doing."

In addressing the conference, Goodyear praised the organizers for their efforts to raise the level of science policy in Canada and said that the work of the delegates is to be part of the solution. He stated that the conference was the first step towards establishing a national policy network and prepare the road for the next generation of researchers. Yet Goodyear was silent on whether the government was willing to engage in the planning for such a network.

The general consensus at the conference was that Canada's science policy has degraded over time and is now the weakest it's been in 20 or 30 years.

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