The Death of Evidence

The Death of Evidence

July 10, 2012, scientists held a protest against the death of evidence under the Harper government. They cite a three-fold problem.

1) The reduction in the capacity of federal institutions to collect and provide evidence to government and Canadians

2) The reduction of the ability of scientific institutions to bring evidence forward in public debate and in the legislative process

3) The reduction of the role of scientific evidence in legislation decisions

Examples of funding cuts that could have a very deleterious effect on Canada and the world include

funding cuts for the polar environmental atmospheric research station and the closure of the experimental lakes area in Ontario that monitored acid rain, pollution and other environmental factors and was the premier facility in world in this field.

Government programs and policies are meant to achieve goals and the likelihood of effectiveness in achieving these goals depends on the amount and quality of evidence available to make decisions. All Canadians should think of the collection of evidence as insurance that tax dollars will not be wasted on wrong programs and policies. We are now seeing reductions in areas where the evidence being collected is not consistent with political agenda. If the facts do not conform to the theory, then change (or suppress) the facts. Basically, if there is no evidence to show that a policy is a bad one, the government doesn't have to deal with it. There seems to be enough money to buy fighter jets. There is enough money to audit charities who are critical of government policy. That money would buy a lot of good science, but our government has chosen to reject science in favour of ideology. And now we have no insurance that the decisions they make have any rational underpinning.

The Harper Government spend $400,000,000 less on scientific research last year, and that is before the current round of cuts.