Mona Nemer, a cardiology researcher and vice president of research at the University of Ottawa, has been named Canada’s new chief science adviser by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. “Scientists need to have a voice,” Trudeau said, making the announcement in Ottawa today. Nemer’s office will have a CA$2 million budget, and she will report to […]
Science
Review of Canadian science calls for better oversight, coordination—and more money
To reinvigorate its science base, Canada needs to “reinvest” almost CAD$500 million in basic, investigator-led research over the next 4 years, according to a long-awaited review of the country’s science and innovation landscape released today. “A crucial shortcoming in the system is the level of support for independent investigator-initiated research,” David Naylor, a former president […]
Canada’s government scientists get anti-muzzling clause in contract
Scientists working for the Canadian government have successfully negotiated a clause in their new contract that guarantees their right to speak to the public and the media about science and their research, without needing approval from their managers. “Employees shall have the right to express themselves on science and their research, while respecting the Values […]
Israel’s botanical gardens face funding crisis
Israel’s 11 botanical gardens are scrambling to cope with deep cuts in funding from the government’s agricultural ministry. Government spending on the gardens, which host research and education programs and are often associated with universities, is down by more than 50% this year. That’s a reprieve from a 98% cut that the ministry announced last […]
Montreal institute going ‘open’ to accelerate science
Experiment aims to show whether forgoing patents and freeing up data can boost neuroscience research. Guy Rouleau, the director of McGill University’s Montreal Neuro logical Institute (MNI) and Hospital in Canada, is frustrated with how slowly neuroscience research translates into treatments. “We’re doing a really shitty job,” he says. “It’s not because we’re not trying; […]
Canada expected to reinstate mandatory census
The new Canadian government seems poised to fulfill a wish of social scientists by bringing back the country’s mandatory long-form census. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was sworn in this morning, and members of his Liberal party expect him to act promptly to meet one of his campaign promises. Such a move would also signal his […]
A scientist elected to Canada’s Parliament shares his hopes as Trudeau prepares to take power
One scientist will be among the new faces in the 338-member House of Commons: Richard Cannings, a bird biologist, author, and former curator of the vertebrate museum at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Cannings, a member of Canada’s left-of-center New Democratic Party (NDP), will represent British Columbia’s (BC’s) South Okanagan—West Kootenay riding, or […]
In Canada, election results cheer scientists
Many Canadian scientists are celebrating the result of yesterday’s federal election, which saw Stephen Harper’s Conservative government defeated after nearly 10 years in power. The center-left Liberal Party under Justin Trudeau won an unexpected majority government, taking 184 of the 338 seats in the House of Commons. The Conservatives will form the opposition with 99 […]
In Canada, science campaigns for attention from voters
Opponents of Prime Minister Stephen Harper try to make his record on research an issue in election. Science is making a rare appearance in Canada’s election. As candidates make their last push before Election Day on 19 October, the nation’s leading opposition parties have taken aim at Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s science policies, which have […]