Message from CMOS President: Advocating for Science

– By Wayne Richardson, P.Eng., CMOS President –

In my previous messages as CMOS President I have spent quite a lot of time promoting the strong advocacy role that CMOS can and should play in the development and implementation of public science and technology policy, as well as the development of new business ventures related to weather, oceans, atmosphere and climate.

I would like to give a shout out to our Vice President, Paul Kushner, for his advocacy effort with many colleagues and Evidence for Democracy (E4D), regarding federal climate science funding. A letter signed by 250 scientists around the world has generated awareness of the funding situation for climate science. Articles have appeared in Le Devoir, the Globe & Mail and internationally, in the Guardian. The Globe and Mail has also weighed in with a main page editorial.

I was fortunate to meet Dr. Mona Nemer, Canada’s new Chief Science Advisor, who spent an hour with the Partnership Group for Science and Engineering (PAGSE) in late January. I knew our last Chief Science Advisor, Dr. Arthur Carty, and worked with him and his staff during their short-lived tenure. I would like to take this opportunity on behalf of CMOS to congratulate Dr. Nemer on her appointment and to wish her great success as she provides advice to the PM and federal departments, and develops her “role” and “voice” for science and technology in Canada. As I have noted in past messages, there is a dearth of S&T capacity across the senior management cadre of the federal government, and little to no effort has been made by either the Government or the Privy Council Clerk to ensure S&T funding and expertise is nurtured and wisely managed. I believe that Dr. Nemer has a monumental task ahead.

I have had very positive feedback from many of you regarding our efforts with the all-electronic CMOS Bulletin. Thank you for your support. Keep up your excellent contributions and let’s keep promoting the great work of CMOS members.