Editorial - 24-5

The Quebec government's decision to kill its key S&T advice council and collapse its three research granting councils into one undefined new organization is both ill-advised and uninformed. Such a slash-and-burn approach to valuable S&T assets in the name of fiscal discipline could come back to haunt the province as it struggles to control its deficit and strengthen its knowledge-based sectors.

The Council of Science and Technology has been a fixture in Quebec S&T since the 1970s. By taking its function inside government, provincial policy will no longer be guided by arm's length advice. Opinion appears split on the wisdom of combining the province's research granting councils given the diverse nature of the communities they serve. But there's consensus that such a move will have little impact on cost savings, ostensibly the reason for taking such action.

Some clues for the rationale behind these decisions may emerge when the province updates its 2006 research and innovation policy. But that process has yet to begin, leaving many in the S&T community mystified and perplexed.

The March 30th Budget included several positive measures of note. New collaborative R&D funding for the aerospace and pulp and paper industries is welcome and consistent with the province's targeted approach to industrial R&D. Support for Quebec's vaunted college system is also money well spent.

Taken as a whole, however, the Budget is underwhelming and reflects a devaluation of S&T policy at a time when it should be leading the charge. A reassessment is in order.