Ed note: One of authors of this article, Heather Douglas, is speaking at next month’s Auckland conference.
The connection between science and public policy within the federal government is broken, and the consequences for Canada are becoming disastrous. Four ways the federal government can fix this problem include:
1. Begin rebuilding the government’s scientific capacity.
2. Introduce legislation mandating the publication of all government-funded research and all government science advice, where national-security concerns are not at issue.
3. Establish a statutory Science Adviser, reporting directly to the Prime Minister and enjoying the same independence and security of tenure as the Auditor-General.
4. Reform the existing Council of Canadian Academies so that it can undertake independent research and provide advice directly to the federal government on matters where science and policy intersect.
Read more: http://bit.ly/1qAPM6X