Eliminating National Science Advisor shows Harper's contempt for science

OTTAWA – Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s elimination of Canada’s National Science Advisor reflects his contempt for science, says the Green Party. The position, created in 2002, will cease to exist in March when current advisor Dr. Arthur Carty retires.

“The Mulroney government eliminated the Science Council of Canada and now the Harper government has eliminated the government’s lone science advisor,” said Green Party leader Elizabeth May. “Governing without a science base is like rolling the dice on the future.”

When Mr. Harper took office, he moved the National Science Advisor from the Privy Council Office, where he reported to the Prime Minister, to the Department of Industry, where he now reports only to the Minister of Industry.

The Science Advisor is the most recent top-level position to be axed by Mr. Harper, who has previously eliminated the positions of Ambassador for the Environment, Ambassador for Circumpolar Affairs and the Law Commissioner of Canada. Mr. Harper has also fired the President of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, the Ethics Commissioner and the President of the Canadian Wheat Board.

“The Green Party finds Mr. Harper’s disturbing pattern of terminating civil servants without cause and eliminating entire positions to be politically motivated and unacceptable,” said Ms. May. “As the Auditor General said earlier this month, sudden terminations like these have sent a chill through the civil service. How can we expect officers of Parliament and top-level, independent civil servants to continue fulfilling their mandates when they know that Mr. Harper will not hesitate to fire them should he disagree?”