Editorial - 21-2

Who can blame the scientists and managers of Canada's federal laboratories for feeling beleaguered these days? After absorbing seemingly endless waves of program review-related expenditure reductions, federal labs are facing not one but two studies to determine their future.

The first appears to be relatively benign. Treasury Board Secretariat is in the initial phase of its Federal Laboratories Infrastructure Program (FLIP) to assess the physical condition of the labs and their equipment. The intent is to determine the cost of replacing, repairing or clustering those facilities so that they can fulfill their respective mandates.

The second more recent initiative is explicitly linked to the current government's decision to "explore opportunities" for transferring non-regulatory labs to the academic sector (see lead story). Fair enough, but the decision closely follows controversial media coverage of a report saying that federal labs are impotent when it comes to enhancing labour productivity.

But should this come as any great surprise? Federal lab expenditures have been stuck at just over $2 billion for the past seven years — a period when costs have escalated. Policy makers have proposed a number of remedies (remember FINE?) but all have been rejected.

Lab employees are now facing the prospect of transfer to a university setting, with a host of unanswered questions about what that involves. By all means, explore new and creative ways for managing and operating labs, but a little consideration (and funding) to improve a deplorable situation is a no brainer.

Mark Henderson, Editor