Science minister in hot water

The Canadian science minister, Gary Goodyear, does not practice what he preaches according to the Globe and Mail. His stance on evolution has been a contentious issue in the science community and many believe he may not have the moral authority to hold the position he now occupies in the government.

When asked whether he believed in evolution, he avoided a direct answer saying the question is irrelevant. I will argue this is a valid answer. A person should not have to agree with every aspect of his or her job. Would it be fair to judge a lawyer based on his defense of men who will later be found guilty of criminal acts?

Learning to defend views you do not personally embrace is promoted through the teaching of critical thinking and ethics. It is perfectly natural and exists in every field.

Now, I find there are problems that warrant us to question Goodyear as science minister. The scientific community doesn't have much faith in him for protecting their interests. He is held partly responsible for the cuts in science funding programs. This could be unjustified, but I can see why others may be skeptical of his goodwill given his background and his party's philosophy toward science.

Finally, he proposes to focus on the commercialization of science rather than fundamental research. If you know me, you know I advocate for strong fundamental research programs for the country. While commercialization is the end or the process, science cannot progress if there’s no money going into fundamental research. Curiosity and risk need to be rewarded if we want to keep on making new discoveries. Funding safe research simply won’t produce satisfying results.