NSA moving from PCO to Industry Canada

The Office of the National Science Advisor (NSA) is being transferred to Industry Canada from the Privy Council Office (PCO) as part of a reorganization that will see several PCO-based secretariats moved to other departments. The transfer was announced in an internal email sent May 11 by PCO clerk Kevin Lynch. In the letter, Lynch stated that the decision to move the NSA and other secretariats is being executed as a return to basics for the PCO, resulting in a smaller organization. To better align our activities more directly with the Prime Ministers core responsibilities, the number of secretariats is being reduced, and their responsibilities and resources will be transferred to Departments whose mandate they would better support, stated the letter. Rumours of the NSAs move to Industry Canada began circulating more than a month ago. The NSA and the appointment of Dr Arthur Carty were announced in late 2003 and since that time, relations between the NSA and PCO has been less than ideal (R$, October 24/05). With limited resources and no formal mechanism to bring forward advice and proposals to Cabinet, Carty is already working through the Industry ministry, making the transfer of the office to Industry Canada a logical one. The other secretariats being moved out of PCO and their recipient departments are: Policy Research Initiative (Department of Human Resources and Social Development); Smart Borders Task Force (Public Safety); Regulatory Affairs and Smart Regulations Strategy (Treasury Board Secretariat); and, Regional Communications (Treasury Board Secretariat)....