[In Depth] Canadian scientists smile at Liberals' déjà vu budget
The first budget from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau brought smiles to the faces of Canadian scientists last week. The Liberal government's 2015–16 fiscal blueprint pumps up the country's three funding councils after years of static or declining budgets. It also resurrects several initiatives from the last budget of a Liberal government, presented in 2005, before the Conservatives took power under Stephen Harper and launched what many scientists regarded as a "war on science." The new budget includes a host of scientific goodies—and promised more to come—that are part of what Finance Minister Bill Morneau called "a new vision for Canada's economy as a center of global innovation, renowned for its science, technology, resourceful citizens, and globally competitive companies." Katie Gibbs, who leads Evidence for Democracy, a pro-science advocacy group based in Ottawa, says, "I think it shows strong support for science, and it marks a significant turning point for science...