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Published online 30 January 2008 | Nature 451, 505 (2008) | doi:10.1038/451505a
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Canada abolishes its national science adviser
After just four years, government axes post.
The Canadian government is closing its Office of the National Science Advisor at the end of March, after just four years of service. The top-level science and technology adviser post will also be abolished in the move; it was already sidelined in 2006 when the new conservative government reassigned the adviser's responsibilities from reporting to the prime minister to reporting to the industry minister.
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This is dismaying but really not surprising. In the last few decades Canada has not had the political will to seek to be leaders in Science -- we just follow the lead of our friends to the south. I once had a grant, submitted to a Canadian agency, criticised for "proposing to do what the Americans were probably already doing."
This is part of a disturbing trend. The Canadian Newspaper, "The National Post", reported on January 30th that the Conservative Government's Environment Minister, John Baird, ordered Environment Canada scientists to refer all media queries to Ottawa where communications officers will help them respond with "approved" lines. I'm afraid that the sacking of Carty is just another way Canada's Conservative government is trying to "muzzle" its scientists.