Opinion
Renewing the social contract for science and innovation
By Rob Annan, Rees Kassen, Jeff Kinder, and Rhonda Moore Nov. 11, 2019
A new social contract can reinvigorate the support for science and innovation, deliver more closely what Canadians want, and ensure science and innovation are at the heart of our efforts to confront climate change and other challenges while capitalizing on emerging opportunities.
Science and society are moving toward a clash of values, one that threatens to tear the fabric of the post-war social contract. Renewing—or renegotiating—that contract is essential if we are to rebuild trust in a way that ensures the world continues to benefit from science and innovation. Photograph courtesy of Pixabay
Federal elections are often about the economy, health care, or the environment. In the mostly content-free campaign Canadians just experienced, climate change was arguably the dominant issue. Flying below the radar, impacting each of these issues, are science and innovation. Yet they were largely absent from the national discussion.
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