Canada’s new prime minister creates new science minister position

Nature : On 4 November, Justin Trudeau took office as the newly elected prime minister of Canada. One of his first acts was to create the post of minister of science and to appoint Kirsty Duncan to the position. Duncan, who is a medical geographer from the University of Toronto, is expected to oversee the country’s investment in pure science and basic research. In the previous administration, that function was handled by a division of Canada’s department of industry. Trudeau also appointed Navdeep Bains, a financial analyst, as minister of industry, science, and economic development. Although the administration has not yet made clear how the two positions will differ, Rees Kassen, the head of a coalition of science and engineering organizations, expects one will concentrate on government research and the other on research by private industry.