Liberals blast notion of election campaign during pandemic
Political interference can be a real challenge, Tej Heer and Kimberly Girling say.
Over the past months, COVID-19 has swept the globe, forcing governments to develop policy solutions quickly that protect and inform citizens and address complex questions. In the face of the pandemic, B.C. has done well. With strong public science leadership from Dr. Bonnie Henry, the province was among the first to flatten the curve, and now as we begin to reopen, B.C. is managing to keep infection rates low. But one thing is for certain: The critical role of science and evidence in informing these decisions is glaringly clear.
Scientists in the public service are fundamental to the COVID-19 response and will play a fundamental role in rebuilding our communities and the economy. But, to be effective, science must be well-supported, conducted without political interference, communicated effectively to decision-makers and the public, and implemented into policy transparently.
Recent data suggests that this scientific capacity and integrity may be at risk in B.C.
In a new report, Evidence for Democracy, with the Professional Employees Association, surveyed government scientific professionals about challenges to the B.C. public sector. In the survey, 48 per cent of scientific professionals identify that they lack sufficient resources to meet their ministry’s scientific mandate. They highlighted hiring delays, an overwhelming workload, pay rates below industry standard, and a lack of qualified personnel as primary contributing factors. Many also feel limited in opportunities to attend professional development and academic conferences, which lead to challenges to stay current in their field and complete cutting-edge research.
Alarmingly, many scientific professionals were concerned about political interference impacting effective evidence-based policy making. In fact, 43 per cent believed their respective ministries’ decision-making had been compromised by political interference, and 25 per cent had knowledge of information being suppressed or declined by their ministry. One indicated: “I have had recommendations and directions made based on scientific knowledge and best practices overturned because the MLA in the region did not like the repercussions (i.e. loss of votes).” Other surveyed professionals indicated that industry pressures can interfere with science-based policy. “Industry regularly applies pressure when engaging with government staff to soften the negative results of monitoring,” one indicated. “Government managers are often reluctant to publish data that shows poor performance by industry,” said another professional. Worryingly, 38 per cent of scientific professionals reported fearing retribution for speaking out publicly against policies that could be harmful to public interest.
B.C.’s government scientific professionals are at the forefront of protecting natural resources, public health, and the economy. Restricting the effective use of science done by these professionals puts the people of B.C. at risk. Adding to the concern, these results show that despite recent efforts to build science capacity in the B.C. public service, the province hasn’t come very far since a similar survey conducted in 2017. Fortunately, tangible solutions exist.
The creation of explicit scientific integrity and transparency policies, such as those seen at the federal level, would provide mechanisms to reduce political interference in policy development and allow scientists to speak out without retribution. In addition, updated hiring policies must be implemented to ensure ministries can meet their scientific mandates successfully and should include succession planning and measures to reduce hiring delays. Finally, strengthening investments in resources, such as competitive hiring practices and funding for conferences, would allow research to be conducted at the cutting edge. As British Columbia rebuilds and reopens in the wake of COVID-19, now is the time to ensure that science and evidence continue to guide decision-making as they have through this crisis.
Scientific professionals work hard to protect B.C.’s people, resources, and economy. We must protect this work by building a system that values their contributions and allows them to continue to enrich and protect the lives of British Columbians. Write to your MLA today to stress the critical role scientific professionals play.
Tej Heer is the senior research associate at Evidence For Democracy and is a PhD candidate at the University of Toronto Scarborough in physical and environmental sciences; Kimberly Girling is the interim executive director at Evidence for Democracy, holds a PhD in neuroscience, and is an alumnus of the Mitacs Canadian Science Policy Fellowship.