Federal cuts called a 'disaster' for Canadian science

Federal cuts called a 'disaster' for Canadian science: http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Federal+cuts+called+disaster+Canadian+science/6614321/story.html#ixzz1uyztzQx6
"NSERC officials would not discuss the cutbacks, but the council’s media office told Postmedia News by email that the major resources and instrument programs were “affected” by recent government cuts that reduced its budget by $15 million this year and $30 million in coming years. The council will honour existing funding commitments, but the media office says funds for “the major portion” of the research tools and instruments program “no longer exist.”
As for the major resources support program, the media office says “savings will be achieved by reducing the scope of the program” that now funds dozens of facilities across Canada.
It says there is now "insufficient funding to hold competitions and meet the needs of the research commuunity.” It goes on to say the major resources support program “will not be accepting applications for the foreseeable future."" ... "Anholt questioned whether the people making the cuts realize the value of the facilities being put at risk.
NSERC’s rules have long stipulated that the major resources support program can only fund facilities and programs of “unique national or international” importance, he says.
“Now all of a sudden they’re not of national importance,” Anholt says of facilities that will lose funding.
“It makes no sense,” says Pierre Francus at Quebec’s Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique."

Meanwhile the minister in charge of the Harper government's research policy says scientists exaggerating risks of cuts to federal research programs: http://www2.canada.com/calgaryherald/iphone/news/national/story.html?id=6626143 and insisting the government is spending more on science but has he missed the point, read: ""The loss of these programs is nothing short of a disaster for science in Canada," chemist David Bryce at the University of Ottawa said in a May 3 letter to the government signed by 47 senior scientists across the country.
Bryce has had no response from Goodyear or his colleagues in the Harper government who received copies on the letter.
And he said Goodyear's comments on Tuesday suggest the minister of state has missed the point.
"We are not complaining that there isn't enough money being spent on science," said Bryce, who agrees that the government has invested billions of dollars in science and technology.
The problem, he said, is that the NSERC has frozen two "very key" programs that affect thousands of scientists and help train young researchers and engineers.
"These two program don't cost a lot of money, but have a huge impact," Bryce said. "That's why we don't understand why they've been cut."
As he put in the May 3 letter: "These are programs so foundational to research in Canada that one would think that eliminating them was inconceivable."
NSERC officials will not discuss the cutbacks, but the council's media office told Postmedia News by email last week that the two programs were "affected" by recent government cuts. The council will honour existing funding commitments, but said funds for "the major portion" of the research tools and instruments program "no longer exist." It suggests that scientists can apply to alternative programs for money to buy equipment.
As for the major resources support program, NSERC's media office says there is now "insufficient funding to hold competitions and meet the needs of the research community." It goes on to say the major resources support program "will not be accepting applications for the foreseeable future.""