Harper Index: National Reserach Council cuts contradict stimulus talk

[tuvor]

OTTAWA, April 15, 2009, HarperIndex.ca, with Youtube video : While Stephen Harper boasts about Canada's economic stimulus plans, his government is cutting jobs at the National Research Council (NRC), an organization producing science that underpins economic growth and technological innovation in Canada.

The federal government today announced the latest in a series of budget and staff reductions at NRC. The Council suffered $35 million in cuts, which included the loss of jobs for 30 scientists belonging to the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC), which represents 57,000 professionals and scientists across Canada’s public sector.

This latest announcement follows an earlier round of cuts in 2007, when over 100 jobs were lost at the NRC, and part of changes that are projected to impact up to 350 employees.

PIPSC Acting President Gary Corbett says the with the cuts, Canada's public science capacity is "diminished." He says the cuts are poorly time. "When you compare what's happening in the United States, or even China, and the current economic conditions, it's not helping to stimulate the economy and it's not helping to position Canada where it can be innovative and protect society."

...

http://www.harperindex.ca/ViewArticle.cfm?Ref=00207