NDP launch cross-Canada consultation to develop national science policy

By Debbie Lawes

The federal NDP will spend the next year and a half meeting with entrepreneurs, academics, students and government agencies from across Canada to draft the party's most comprehensive science policy to date. NDP science critic Dr Kennedy Stewart (Burnaby-Douglas, BC) and deputy science critic Laurin Liu (Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC) kicked off the process November 6 at the Canadian Science Policy Conference (CSPC) in Calgary with the release of a 13-page discussion paper, entitled Towards a National Science Policy.

The paper is the first in a series of documents charting what the NDP describes as a "science, engineering and technology policy for Canada"

"As the party that's looking to form the government in 2015, do we want to continue this policy of the current government or are there things we want to change?," Stewart asked an informal workshop attended by about 15 CSPC delegates.

The New Democrats have historically paid scant attention to S&T and R&D issues. Their 2011 election platform contained only two references to R&D: the creation of a Green Bond Fund to allow Canadians to support renewable energy R&D and commercialization, and increased public funding for medical research (R$, April 18/11).

As the Official Opposition, Stewart says the NDP now has both the human and financial resources necessary to draft a more comprehensive response to Canada's S&T challenges, beyond the party's traditional priority areas of social justice and the environment.

"With a hundred MPs you have an opportunity to really explore new areas … I want science to have a prevalent place within the NDP," said Stewart, an associate professor of public policy on leave from Simon Fraser Univ.

policy in early stages

The discussion paper, which Stewart said is still at a "very early stage", provides an overview of some of Canada's research and innovation challenges, such as declining public and private investments in R&D, the closure of major research facilities, the restructuring of the National Research Council (NRC) and "diminishing scientific independence" within government.

"The current trend away from science-directed research, as represented in part by the elimination or restructuring of policy tools to support the basic sciences, is of particular concern," the paper states. "As the impacts of recent funding cuts begin to be fully realized — including the closure of major research facilities, the inability to replace components for and repair expensive scientific equipment needed to conduct experiments, and the reduction of training opportunities for graduate and post-graduate students — the long-term damage to the ecosystem and research capacity in Canada will continue to amplify."

The NDP is asking stakeholders to identify what they view as the major problem facing science in Canada, its causes and what can be done to fix it. Their responses will be included as policy options in an NDP National Science Policy "Orange" Paper that will be distributed for further feedback.

While it's premature to predict what those options may be, Stewart hinted at a few priorities he may champion. One is stable and longer term funding for agencies like Genome Canada, and a closer review of the recent cuts and major restructuring of the NRC which the document says have "been taking place largely outside the purview of Parliament".

If Stewart has his way, the NDP may also follow the lead of US president Barack Obama who in 2009 committed to spending 3% of GDP on R&D. Stewart said he would be "pitching (his) party for a number" that would encompass both government support for R&D and leveraged private and public funding. A copy of the discussion paper can be found on Stewart's website.

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