Government defines role of chief science officer and launches search for candidate

Supporting office to be housed at ISED

The top-listed priority of Science minister Kirsty Duncan's mandate letter — to create a Chief Science Officer (CSO) — has taken an important step forward with the official launch of a search for the best candidate. The announcement includes a change in the title's position from CSO to Chief Science Advisor (CSA) — a title that carries more weight and suggests greater access to the Science minister. Candidates have until January 17 to apply.

The UK and New Zealand — two models the government examined closely — both have CSAs.

The launch was announced by Duncan December 5th and coincided with the release of a description of the position's responsibilities and reporting lines. The CSA will report to both the prime minister and minister of Science and "be available to the Government to provide scientific advice on key issues".

The CSA office will be supported by a team of scientists and policy experts and housed at the Department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development.

The CSA position marks the first time Canada will have a national science advisor since early 2008. The previous government closed the Office of the National Science Advisor (ONSA) and eliminated three long-standing science advisory bodies, replacing them with the Science, Technology and Innovation Council (STIC) (R$, January 24/05).

Dr Arthur Carty, who held the NSA position over its three-year lifespan, says the government appears to have taken into account some of the shortcomings that hindered his tenure (R$, January 21/08), although specifics on staff support and budget have yet to be revealed.

"It's great the government is proceeding with the position. It appears they are in the process of solving some of the problems (but) it depends on the individual, the process and the systems they put in place," says Carty, who recently stepped down as executive director of the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology. "The government needs to protect the independence of the advice and the CSA has to report to the top."

Carty says the ONSA was axed in 2008 in part because the office's governance wasn't set up properly, exposing it to government diktat. He adds that the current government appears to have learned from past experience and is setting up the new office with corresponding legislation to ensure it can endure over successive governments.

"The job won't be easy for the person selected. It will be very challenging," says Carty. "The person must have integrity, good science and technology credibility and be able to build relationships and trust with all players in the system. They must be known nationally and internationally with a good network of contacts and familiarity with the machinery of government."

Paul Dufour, the former ONSA executive director, is optimistic the government is serious about building robust governance for the CSA and recognizes the growing trend of using scientific advice in policy making.

"The minister (Duncan) made all the right statements about transparency, legislation and credibility for this position and the need to staff it up properly," says Dufour, an adjunct professor at the Univ of Ottawa. "They have to have this thing well resourced and they know what it will take to get it up and running ... They've done their homework."

The CSA job description provides insight into how the government intends to make the position as robust as possible.

Carty says the importance of having top-level science advice to government has only grown since the ONSA was shut down. He points to the presence of provincial science advisors in Quebec, the territories and Ontario beginning next year. Canada is one of the very few developed nations without a national CSA.

"Science is so important these days to everyday life and many issues we face in the world," says Carty. "It's equally important that we don't re-invent the wheel. Over the past 10 years, many excellent CSAs have been established around the world. Examining best practices will help."

Build for permanence

Dufour says it's important that CSAs are also established in government departments and agencies such as those already in place at Natural Resources Canada and Health Canada. He adds the office also needs to be protected against political interference.

"The Government of Canada is establishing the position of Chief Science Advisor, which will report to the Prime Minister and the Minister of Science. Transparent communication of science and evidence-based policy-making are among the federal government's top priorities. The new Chief Science Advisor will play a key role in fulfilling that commitment." — CSA job description

"Let the CSA determine the focus and expertise required. You've got to anchor this thing with nine-inch nails and institutionalize it," he says. "There's a growing trend towards making sure you have capacity to draw and filter information for informing your choices — ignore, defer or implement."

Both Dufour and Carty note that a CSA should not work in isolation and needs to be complemented by a strong national science advisory council. The current advisory body — the Science, Technology and Innovation Council (STIC) — was formed in 2007 just months before the elimination of the ONSA, replacing the Advisory Council on Science and Technology (ACST), Council of Science and Technology Advisors (CSTA) and Canadian Biotechnology Advisory Committee (CBAC) (R$, June 18/07).

STIC has been criticized for not making its advice public and government has yet to announce its intention to keep STIC as is, modify it or replace it with a new body. Carty says STIC's value for providing scientific advice to government has been limited.

"A strong robust science advisory council that's open is essential to go along with the CSA," he says. "Fifteen years ago, we had a good way forward with the CSTA and ACST. We've come down a long way since then."

While the role of the CSA is to advise government on the best use of government science, researchers from the academic sector will also benefit, says Paul Davidson, president of Universities Canada.

"Making sure the best evidence and science is brought to bear on government will be welcomed by the university research community as will the promotion of science and its use in evidence and government policy," says Davidson. "The minister has consulted broadly and listened very carefully so that it's not an off-the-shelf model but one designed for the Canadian environment."

Davidson notes that although resources to support the CSA remain undetermined, it appears the government will ensure the office is "not a broom closet like the previous (ONSA) position".

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