Conservatives attacking basic science because they just don’t get it

OTTAWA – The NDP is concerned that the Conservatives’ overhaul of the National Research Council (NRC) indicates an alarming lack of insight about how science works and will hurt Canada’s science and innovation capacity.

“By undermining scientific freedoms, systematically defunding basic research capacity and environmental research, and dismantling the NRC, the Conservatives are attacking the foundations of science in Canada,” said Science and Technology critic Kennedy Stewart (Burnaby–Douglas). “Their policies quite simply make no sense and show that they lack a basic understanding about how scientific advancements actually take place.”

Under the Conservatives, NRC scientists are already publishing significantly less research than before. From 2010 to 2012, NRC scientists saw the number of published articles go from 746 to less than 200. Scrapping basic research is seen as misguided even within the NRC. An internal poll on trust shared with Stewart’s office revealed that, 43 % of the employees among more than 700 employees who responded strongly disagreed that NRC leaders were making the right decisions for the organization’s success.

“I’ve heard from hundreds of scientists who are very concerned about the direction the Conservative government is taking regarding scientific freedoms,” added NDP Science and Technology deputy critic, Laurin Liu (Rivière-des-Milles-Îles). “Scientists are respected by Canadians because they provide an independent voice and put facts first—the same traits that Conservatives see as a threat. The Conservatives have closed the door on basic research in this country, and it is Canadians who will pay for their short-sightedness.”