Do your candidates support science? Ask them.

Dear Canadians,

There is one easy thing you can do this election to make sure your local candidates are talking about science and smart decision-making – ask questions.

We’ve put together some easy questions that you can ask your candidates at the doorstep or at local debates.

These questions can have a huge impact. Not only do they give you important information on where your candidates stand on science but they also show these potential MPs that Canadians care about science and that it’s an issue they can’t ignore.

1) “Will you and your party restore open and transparent communication between government scientists and the public?”

If so, will you commit to developing and implementing a new federal science communication policy that allows this open communication?

2) “Will you and your party re-establish the mandatory long-form census?”

If so, what additional action will you take to improve Statistics Canada's ability to collect and publish high quality social, health, economic, and environmental data?

3) “Will you and your party appoint a Science Adviser who reports directly to Parliament?”

If so, what role do you foresee the Science Adviser playing in your government and where should that position best be placed to ensure its independence?

Thanks to your efforts, science and smart decision-making are continuing to get the attention they deserve. Just last week, CBC’s The National (see video below) ran an entire segment on how researchers are pushing to make science an election issue!

Let’s keep the momentum for this national conversation going by continuing it on our doorsteps!

Thanks!

Katie Gibbs
Executive Director

-----------------------------

Evidence for Democracy is the leading fact-driven, non-partisan, not-for-profit organization promoting the transparent use of evidence in government decision-making in Canada. Engage with us on Twitter and Facebook