The Island of Doubt

There aren't too many cabinet positions in a modern parliamentary democracy that don't require a modicum of respect for the scientific method. But in an era of climate change, bioengineering and species depletion, the politicians charged with overseeing environmental policy should surely be at the top of the list. Such is not the case in Canada, where Environment Minister Rona Ambrose has just appointed a creationist as her new chief of staff.

Darrel Reid used to be director of policy and research for the Reform party, a previous, and slightly more regressive, incarnation of the governing Conservative Party, before he became president of Focus on the Family (Canada). He reportedly had a good working relationship with his U.S. overlord, one James Dobson. Now Reid is running the office of Canada's minister of the environment.

Some observers believe Ambrose lost her last chief of staff in a row over climate change policy. That may or may not be true, but since taking office Ambrose hasn't exactly won the hearts and minds of scientists. Earlier this year she had the federal government's main climate change website removed, with no explanation. Then, just a few months ago, another long-standing web page explaining the greenhouse effect was briefly lengthened by an extra paragraph that introduced the idea that "[t]here is a great deal of uncertainty associated with climate predictions and, although temperature changes during this century are consistent with global warming predictions, they remain within the range of natural variability."

The offending paragraph disappeared within a day of its discovery by bloggers, including the ever-vigilant deSmogBlog, but there are many other examples of Ambrose's distrust of her own department's scientists.

As if to rub her critics' collective noses in her disdain for science, she has now found someone with even less credibility to manage her political career. Darrel Reid is an apparently racist, homophobic, anti-evolution, anti-contraception crusader who unsuccessfully ran for the Conservative Party in the federal election in January. In a suburban British Columbia riding (district) dominated by ethnic politics, he drew 39 % of the vote to the victorious Liberal candidate's 43.

In 2005, Reid:

described parents of an evangelical perspective as being "in a war" when it comes to what children are taught in the public school system. He worries about children being bombarded with messages about permissive sex education, evolution, or a curriculum that encourages young people to understand Islam. (The Tyee, May 23)

He also reportedly called the liberalization of divorce laws "the biggest disaster to hit Canada, short of common-law marriage." And in 2002, wrote

I'm left asking myself if there is still room in Canada's public square for people of faith? True democracy cannot function without a vigorous debate about morality and first principles. But what we have seen is an increasingly nasty disregard for people of faith by those who view transcendence as an embarrassment - and maybe even dangerous. From the squelching of prayer and references to Jesus at our official gatherings to Canada's shameful, non-religious response to the Sept. 11 tragedy, Canadians of faith sense something essential is being drained from our national psyche.

And one more scary quote: "I think every Christian's under an obligation to change laws to reflect biblical values."

One can only wonder how bad things are going to get for Canadian government scientists, one of whom was fired after 35 years on the job for lampooning an order to make sure every reference reference to his employers that appeared in official correspondence from the Geological Survey of Canada included the phrase "new government of Canada." He was allowed to resume his office space after word of his dismissal got out. Well, at least, someone knows when they've made a mistake.