Thank you for your question, Mr. Fergus.
As I understand the government's intention in appointing a chief science advisor, it is not to create a position comparable to the one in Israel. As I understand the government's intention in creating this position in Canada, it wants someone at Innovation Canada to oversee all the science carried out by the government itself. That is the science carried out by the government itself and by various federal departments and agencies.
The title of “chief scientist” in Israel is a misnomer in a sense. Moreover, the last chief scientist was not even a scientist. That is in part why they have changed the position title. In Israel, this position is nearly always held by someone with a great deal of experience in high tech and in industry. Nearly all of them acquired experience in the United States, Asia and Europe. These are individuals from the venture capital industry. They are typically not researchers or scientists as Canadians understand those terms.
I hope I have answered your question.