Category: Advocacy

CAN January 2020 Report on advocacy

Posted on | by Julie

CAN-ACN Annual Advocacy report – January 2020

Presented to SfN’s Government and Public Affairs committee by Jaideep Bains, CAN past president and GPA member.

The Canadian Association for Neuroscience has developed an active and efficient advocacy program over the last years thanks to the important support provided by the Society for Neuroscience. CAN will continue to build on the advocacy experience we have built, and, thanks to a new Memorandum of Understanding with SfN which has taken effect in July 2019, will expand its efforts in the coming years.

Our main objective in the coming months is to engage directly with elected officials, senators and parliament hill staff through the organisation of the first Canadian Parliament Hill Day, which will take place March 31st, 2020. We have hired a Public Affairs, Temple Scott Associates, with experience in organizing such events, to help with the logistic and strategic organisation of our event.
Continue reading →

CAN Parliament Hill Day – March 31st, 2020 – Call for participants

Posted on | by Julie

The Canadian Association for Neuroscience is planning a day on Parliament Hill to advocate for increased federal funding for scientific research, through increased investments in the three main granting councils of Canada, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

The Canadian Association for Neuroscience wants to bring a diverse group of neuroscientists to Parliament Hill to share their stories with Members of Parliament, Senators and Parliament Hill staff members.  Continue reading →

Science was not an Election 2019 issue – but it should be a priority for the next Government

Posted on | by Julie

By Tarik Möröy and Katalin Tóth — published in National Newswatch — Oct 25 2019

During Election 2019, the issue of poorly funded scientific research in Canada was not addressed by the major Parties and their leaders. Now, scientists across the country are concerned that they will not have the needed Federal support to make groundbreaking discoveries that move Canada and the world forward.

Investing in scientific research isn’t just important for scientists, it impacts the daily lives of all Canadians. From innovative treatments to cure diseases that affect millions of Canadians, to new technologies that can help us address the global climate crisis, scientific research is essential to confronting the issues that we face today and that our children will meet in the future. These investments are not simply expenses; they contribute significantly to the prosperity of our country, which gains from the work of highly-trained scientists, and the knowledge they generate, to drive today’s innovation-based economy. Continue reading →

Science should be an election issue – read our Op-Ed in Le Devoir

Posted on | by Julie

Read an Op-Ed signed by the Presidents of CAN, Katalin Toth, and of the Canadian Society for Molecular Biosciences, Tarik Moroy, this morning in Le Devoir.  Scientific research is important for all Canadians – it is how Canada can face the issues and challenges we face today. Political leaders should commit to supporting science today.
Read our op-ed here (in French):
https://www.ledevoir.com/opinion/idees/564375/la-science-n-est-pas-un-enjeu-electoral-mais-elle-devrait-l-etre

The Liberal Party answers CAN’s questions about science support

Posted on | by Julie

We have received a response from the Liberal Party of Canada to our five questions about science support.

  1. Is your Party committed to fully implementing the report of the Fundamental Science Review (Naylor report) with additional financial investment into open competitions to maintain Canada as a forefront leader in research innovation and research discoveries?

Our Liberal government believes in evidence-based policy and in science and in the Canadians behind the next big ideas. After a decade of setbacks and cuts to science under the Harper Conservatives, our government is rebuilding Canadian research and supporting our country’s greatest minds.  We unmuzzled our scientists, brought back the long-form census, and re-instated the position of the Chief Science Advisor. Continue reading →

Green party responds to our questions for candidates in advance of the federal election

Posted on | by Julie

Last July, CAN sent five questions to the Liberal, Conservative, NPD and Green party in advance of the upcoming federal elections, which we have summarized below.  Read our full questions, with context, here. 

The Green Party of Canada responded first. The questions were submitted to Mrs. Amita Kuttner, Shadow Minister of Science and Innovation for the Green Party of Canada – her response is copied here: Continue reading →

Invitation to join the #VoteScience Campaign

Posted on | by Julie

CAN is proud to support the #VoteScience campaign, and invites all scientists to participate!

Vote science logo

#VoteScience

Advocating for Science in the Canadian Federal Election
Science doesn’t usually get a lot of attention during elections, and we think that needs to change. We need your help to send a message that Canadians care about science.

Learn how to get involved on the votescience.ca website

Advocacy Training: Be an effective advocate for science: Be involved & Tell your story

Posted on | by Julie

SfN and CAN join forces to bring you advocacy training that explains:

  • Why advocacy matters
  • How you can make an impact
  • How informing lawmakers can advance neuroscience priorities
  • How the Canadian budget process works
  • How SfN and CAN can be your resource
  • How to plan a #neuroadvocate activity

Speakers:

Michael Heintz, Director of Advocacy & Training at Society for Neuroscience

Melanie Woodin, Chair of the CAN advocacy committee

Julie Poupart, CAN Advocacy Officer

(you are free to use / reuse this content – please acknowledge the Society for Neuroscience and the Canadian Association for Neuroscience if you do).

Other CAN-ACN Resources

Meeting your MP

Getting ready for budget 2019

Why advocate?