Check out these articles for some highlights of our work!
E4D in the News
Student scientists demand action on federal scholarships
The Globe and Mail - Ivan Semeniuk - 08/11/2022
Canadian graduate students in the sciences took to Parliament Hill on Thursday, pressing their case that the funding system which supports them at levels unchanged in nearly two decades is woefully inadequate.
How to make bureaucrats think like scientists
The Logic - David Reevely - 04/21/2022
In February 2020, as Canada’s count of COVID-19 cases crept into the double digits, Mona Nemer realized she had a problem. For just over three years, she had been the federal government’s chief science advisor. But as the country scrambled to respond to an emergency growing more urgent by the day, she realized there was no official channel for her to advise those leading the response on the science of what they were dealing with.
Scorecard: Does Budget 2022 offer communities the support they want and need? Social impact leaders weigh in
Future of Good - Christine Pickering & Brennan Doherty - 04/11/2022
15 leaders give the budget a score from one to 10, based on how well it supports Canadian communities. With a slew of issues facing Canadians, ranging from the economic impacts of the pandemic to systemic racism, the social impact world waits for the release of the budget with bated breath to see how it purports to address these issues.
Taking stock of the Naylor report, 5 years on
University Affairs - Brian Owens - 03/02/2022
Some say there’s been too little progress toward supporting Canadian research in fundamental science.
Canada has a transparency problem when it comes to policy-making
640|Toronto - John Oakley - 02/22/2022
Host John Oakley speaks with Farah Qaiser, Director Of Research And Policy At Evidence For Democracy.
Follow the Money
Inside the Breakthrough - Dan Riskin - 1/18/2022
The relationship between researchers and funders is complicated.
Some people think that researchers should be left to their own direction and that all financial support should be ‘no-strings attached.’ But is that possible? Is it desirable?
Canada’s researchers call for a return to stated science ambitions
Nature - Brian Owens - 11/17/2021
The buzz created by a 2017 national science review has faded, prompting calls for a renewed focus on innovation.
Canadian science suffered from COVID. After the election, how do we bring it back better?
CBC Quirks & Quarks - Bob McDonald - 9/17/21
Our pre-election science policy panel discusses what we learned from the pandemic.
'We should be concerned': some voters say science funding should be top election issue
CBC - Peggy Lam - 9/13/21
They say it's been missing from platforms; ability to solve issues like climate change depends on it.
Evidence-Based Decision Making for Government Policy
The Future Economy - 06/25/2021
Canada needs to hire more scientists at all levels of government. Transparency frameworks should also be built so that citizens can be well-informed of the policies that guide their lives. With more awareness and strong scientific backing, Canadian society can be more confident of government policies.
Feds risk falling behind on science investment, say policy experts, Naylor, as U.S., U.K., Germany forging ahead
The Hill Times - Mike Lapointe - 05/17/2021
With government expenditures approaching a half trillion dollars over the course of the pandemic, spending allocated to forward-looking research and innovation is comparatively small, with a number of science and policy experts saying Canada needs to ramp up to keep up with some of our international allies.
Q&A: Evidence for Democracy’s Rachael Maxwell on Budget 2021 and listening to the science
Research Money - Sebastian Leck - 4/28/21
Rachael Maxwell, the new executive director of Evidence for Democracy (E4D), recently released an analysis of the federal budget, which noted promising investments in sectors like quantum tech and genomics but argued that the country needs a national science strategy. Maxwell spoke to Research Money this week about the federal budget, why relationships are most important in developing evidence-based policies, and how she views her organization’s role in the science ecosystem.
Canada's new science budget gets lukewarm reception from researchers
Science - Brian Owens - 04/21/2021
The relatively modest research investments outlined in Canada's new federal budget could make it difficult for the nation to recruit and retain scientific talent, Canadian science advocates fear.
Trudeau asked to enshrine top scientist's position in law
National Observer - Carl Meyer - 9/15/2020
Canada's scientific community is calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government to enshrine its federal science adviser in law, saying it is crucial that the country has the right tools at hand to cope with the uncertain future it faces from COVID-19 and the climate crisis.
In the age of misinformation, advocates call for Canadians to vote for science
The Narwhal - Jimmy Thomson - 8/8/2019
As U.S. President Donald Trump attempts to slash science budgets south of the border, a coalition of Canadian organizations is campaigning for Canadians to put science on the agenda of this fall’s federal election
Coalition launches 'Vote Science' Election Campaign
The National Observer - Alastair Sharp - 8/8/2019
A coalition of science groups is pushing for candidates in the upcoming federal election to back evidence-informed policy, more transparent communication of that decision-making and more funding for scientific research.
Ottawa must increase funding for climate science or risk falling behind, scientists say
CBC - Ryan Patrick Jones - 6/27/2019
Inadequate government funding for climate research in Canada is causing highly-qualified climate scientists to leave the country, says a new report released Wednesday.
Canadians risk growing ignorant about climate crisis, say scientists
National Observer - Carl Meyer - 6/26/2019
Canadians risk growing ignorant about the global climate emergency because the federal government has failed to maintain predictable and long-term reseach funding, scientists say in a newly released survey.
Canada budget overlooks basic research
Nature - Brian Owens - 3/20/2019
Canada's 2019 budget, released on 19 March, includes modest increases for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government priorities, including neuroscience and genomics research - nothing like the historic five-year, Can$4-billion (US$3-billion) boost for basic science and research unveiled in 2018.
Feds tout 'big investment' in science as concerns linger
The Canadian Press - Mia Rabson - 11/13/2018
Science Minister Kirsty Duncan says she expects universities to nominate young scientists for the vast majority of Canada's new federally-funded research jobs.
Ottawa unveils integrity rules to shield scientists from interference
The Globe and Mail - Ivan Semeniuk - 7/30/2018
Releasing scientific information to the public in a timely manner, encouraging discussion around different interpretations of research results, and protecting government labs from political interference – all are bedrock principles of scientific integrity that have now been enshrined in a new set of guidelines for federal departments.
Concern over future of science in Ontario
Chemistry World - Brian Owens - 7/4/2018
Scientists in Ontario, Canada’s most populated province, are concerned about the future of government science in the province following the election of Doug Ford as premier.
This year may be Science Minister Kirsty Duncan's most challenging
The Globe and Mail - Ivan Semeniuk - 6/25/2018
The theory is complicated, the equipment is expensive, the location is offshore and the payoff – if there is one – could be a decade away. But as federal Science Minister Kirsty Duncan prepared to announce $10-million in funding to help retool the Large Hadron Collider near Geneva, Switzerland, she was happy to justify the commitment.
B.C.'s big opportunity to fix under-regulated industry is here (and you've probably never heard of it)
The Narwhal - Jimmy Thomson - 06/23/2018
For the last decade B.C.’s professional reliance system has outsourced the responsibility for environmental monitoring to industry, creating a regulatory environment rife with controversy, protest and lawsuits.
Ottawa March for Science promotes and opens up evidence-based dialogue to the public
Apt 613 - Andrew Monro - 5/1/2018
Dozens of people gathered on the cold morning of April 14 on Parliament Hill for the March for Science. First started in 2017 in Washington D.C., this is a global event of more than 200 rallies and marches, calling on a worldwide need for non-partisan support toward scientific research and policymaking.
Trudeau government has more to do to combat Harper-era muzzling of scientists: report
Global News - Jessica Vomiero - 3/18/2018
While the Trudeau government has removed restrictions that prevented federal scientists from speaking to the media during the Harper-era, a new report suggests the impact of the government’s amendments is still being realized.
Basic science makes historic gains in research-friendly budget
The Globe and Mail - Ivan Semeniuk - 2/28/2018
Going into this year's budget process Finance Minister Bill Morneau said he was already convinced of the need to boost support for Canadian scientists but that he had to think about "how we can have the buggest impact."
Federal investment in science the result of grassroots movement: Naylor
iPolitics - Sarah Turnbull - 2/28/2018
Dr. David Naylor, the man that spearheaded last year’s report that looked into Canada’s declining commitment to scientific research, said it was the efforts on the ground over the past several months that resulted in a favourable budget outcome.
Survey reveals federal departments still blocking access to scientists
The Globe and Mail - Ivan Semeniuk - 2/21/2018
More than half of the federal scientists who responded to an online survey conducted last year say they still do not feel they can speak freely to the public and media about their work despite Trudeau government policies aimed at unmuzzling researchers.
Canadian climate science faces crisis that may be felt globally, scientists warn
The Guardian - Ashifa Kassam - 1/22/2018
Canadian climate science is facing a looming crisis whose repercussions could be felt far beyond the country’s borders, hundreds of scientists have warned, after the Canadian government failed to renew the country’s only dedicated funding program for climate and atmospheric research.
There's a 'crisis looming' for Canadian climate research, scientists warn
National Observer - Carl Meyer - 1/22/2018
Canada can’t become a world leader in climate change research without putting its cards on the table, say hundreds of scientists in a new open letter.
Arctic climate research lab granted federal funding in late reprieve
The Globe and Mail - Ivan Semeniuk - 11/8/2017
Ottawa has extended a lifeline to Canada's premier Arctic climate laboratory after earlier failing to renew its funding in this year's federal budget.
Grumblings become cheers as Trudeau names Mona Nemer as chief scientist
National Observer - Carl Meyer - 9/26/2017
Recent grumblings about the Trudeau government's commitment to evidence-based decisions turned into cheers on Tuesday after the long-awaited introduction of Canada's new chief scientist.
Liberals struggling to reverse Harper's cuts to climate science
National Observer - Carl Meyer - 9/5/2017
Five years ago, climate change scientists said they were in the midst of a severe funding crisis.