Thank you.
Thank you for sending us a letter on June 2 with regard to my question on whether or not your office had been consulted with regard to the closure of the agricultural research centres across this country.
In your written response on June 2, you talked about how “Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada did not consult me on the outcome of any of their research centres” and their closures.
You then said, “Had I been consulted, I would have recommended following best practices and scientific evidence to answer questions of scientific excellence and relevance.... This is usually best done through an arm’s-length expert group.”
You mentioned that your “office has the expertise and the convening power to provide...scientific assessments” and that you “have done it in the past on matters related to major scientific infrastructure in Canada”. You also mentioned this: “My team and I stand ready to provide advice on research and science, be it related to infrastructure or talent.”
Are you disappointed at all that the Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada did not seek your advice?