Canadian Academies

Higher visibility and greater impact on policymaking are what scientists in Canada say the Canadian Academies of Science augurs. In October, Prime Minister Paul Martin said the new body will “operate at arm’s length from government,” will be “a source of expert advice on scientific aspects of important domestic and international issues, and will give our country a prestigious voice among the choir of international science groups.”

The Canadian Academies of Science will be an umbrella to three existing organizations: the Royal Society of Canada, the Canadian Academy of Engineering, and the Canadian Institute of Academic Medicine. In both structure and function, it is parallel to the US National Academies. The Canadian academies will receive Can$3.5 million (US$2.85 million) a year for 10 years from the government.

The announcement of the academies is the second bit of recent good news for Canadian science: Earlier this year, the government created the position of science adviser (see Physics Today, March 2004, page 32 ).