Canadian Government Executive - Volume 22

/ Canadian Government Executive

// April 2016

Design

the UK’s sophisticated science advisory

system will automatically deliver a well-

functioning knowledge-based society. By

most measures, the UK has been dropping

in its overall spending and performance

for R&D and innovation and is now on par

with Canada. There are other concerns

about the UK advisory system. First, it is

complex and difficult to manage. In addi-

tion, with the exception of the Chief Sci-

entific Adviser, most of the departmental

advisors are part-time, limiting their abil-

ity to be effectively embedded within the

policy apparatus.

In slight contrast to the UK model, the

New Zealand Prime Minister’s Chief Sci-

ence Advisor (PMCSA) is an independent

individual who reports directly to the

PM. This mechanism allows the role to be

filled by the secondment of a practicing ac-

ademic. The PMCSA has a separate Office,

which is physically within the appointee’s

home institution, but has direct liaison

into the Department of Prime Minister

and Cabinet. The PMCSA, established in

2009, has the following responsibilities:

•To enhance the use of science in policy

making;

•To promote public understanding of sci-

ence;

•To promote STEM education;

•To promote NZ’s interests through sci-

ence diplomacy;

•To provide scientific advice to the PM

•To act as sounding board on policy for sci-

ence;

•To commission deliberative advice on se-

lected topics,

•To serve on specific governmental boards;

•To chair the network of Science Advisors

Much like the UK model, NZ Departmen-

tal Science Advisors have been appointed

in major ministries and report to their

Chief Executive with an indirect reporting

structure to the PMCSA.

The current New Zealand Chief Scien-

tist is Sir Peter David Gluckman, a paedia-

trician who does not shy from presenting

the pluses and minuses of the role of a

chief scientist wherever he goes. He is also

careful to argue that science advice comes

with baggage and its own value-laden pre-

dilections. He believes strongly in the hon-

est-broker role of a science adviser and

has launched an international network of

science advisers designed to collect good

practices in this area.

sHis May 2015 speech on the need to pay

attention to traditional Western science

and indigenous knowledge is worthy of

careful perusal in the Canadian context.

“Science, over the centuries has been re-

fined to recognize and mitigate the influ-

ence of values in producing knowledge,”

he said. “Other ways of knowing may po-

sition values and tradition at their very

heart. Our challenge is to come to a meet-

ing place on the reliability and accept-

ability of variously derived knowledge

and what elements from each knowledge

pathway will inform the whole and create

a better society.” He has recently launched

the third in a series of extensive consulta-

tions for further recommendations to the

Prime Minister on the principles and prac-

tices for the production and treatment of

science-based evidence for public policy

decision-making and on the interface with

academia.

The position of Chief Scientist for Aus-

tralia was created by the Labour Govern-

ment in 1989. Dr. Alan Finkel, an engineer,

is Australia’s current Chief Scientist (the

eight). His task is to provide high-level in-

dependent advice to the Prime Minister

and other Ministers on matters relating to

science, technology and innovation. The

CS also holds the position of Executive Of-

The new Chief

Scientist in Australia is

currently tackling two

key areas: to help lead

the development of

a 15-year plan for

investment in science,

research and innovation

and to map Australia’s

long-term research

infrastructure needs.