Plug Canada’s brain drain

In the carrot and stick that is government funding, the federal Liberals have been talking nice about science and research, while proposed reforms have irked researchers and funding has dried up, leading to layoffs or closures in dozens of labs across the country.

At least some of those unemployed scientists won’t be finding jobs in Canada.

It’s a classic example of brain drain, that old Canadian bugbear. Maybe we aren’t quite at the existential national terror inspired in the 1990s by brain drain, but it’s a problem. For a resource-based economy— a fickle enough economic foundation — there’s value to research for its own sake, and as a driver of other areas of the economy. And besides, who wouldn’t want Canada to be a renowned destination for health research?

During the tenure of former prime minister Stephen Harper, the Conservatives bragged about a “brain gain,” an improvement over the Liberal years in power. If Canada is hunting for international researchers and bringing them in — a good thing, mind you — then it’s important these researchers be supported, whether that’s by the government, by universities or donations. At any rate, a review of how science is supported is due by the end of the year.

Too late for many. But given the ongoing importance of science and the innovation it fuels, the Liberals, and all other involved parties, should work hard to chart a clear path forward. Ottawa Citizen