Canadian Government Closes Office of National Science Advisor

[GliderGuider]

Harper appears determined to follow Bush down the rabbit-hole of ignorance and ideology. Maybe he will appoint Public Safety Minister Stockwell "dinosaurs and man co-existed" Day as the new Minister of Reality...

Canadian Government Sacks Science Advisor

The Canadian government is closing the Office of the National Science Advisor (ONSA) and sacking its principal, Dr. Arthur Carty, a move that has garnered virtually no attention from the mainstream press.

The Harper government's hostility to science seems to match that of the Bush administration, at least. Canada has been boldly out of step internationally on climate policy and Harper's Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn recently fired the head of Canada's Nuclear Safety Commission because she had refused to let political and commercial considerations trump safety concerns.

Now the Harper Conservatives have opted to shut the ONSA - perhaps thinking that, since they weren't listening to the advice anyway, they should save the money. The Harperites also suggest that they have replaced the ONSA with the Science, Technology and Innovation Council (STIC), a group that is veritably festooned with blue ribbons. But STIC's mandate is to promote Canada's international competitiveness, and to respond "on issues, referred to it by government."

The record shows, again, that Prime Minister Harper is not inclined to "refer" issues like climate change or nuclear safety. The government bias is toward using technology to make money - safety and environmental degradation be damned.

[ananda]

1. Poor Canada. Poor world.

I used to think Canadians had sense..
but electing Harper.. that stupid spore
must have migrated north.

[Bobbieo]

2. Turtle Island is slowly sinking in a wash of political corruption and and abuse.