A common theme at the 2020 Canadian Science Policy Conference was the importance of a non-partisan approach to craft science policy. However, during the session “Polarization – what does it mean for science communication and decision making” Preston Manning noted that the term non-partisan is inherently flawed. This is because politics is inherently partisan, so politicians and policy makers do not fully engage with organizations trying to remain “non-partisan” while influencing political decisions. Instead, he suggested that we should consider science “cross-partisan”. This led us to reflect on our mission because one of our goals is to ensure that science is non-partisan.

Being non-partisan implies not being biased towards any particular political group. In the political arena this can suggest that a group does not hold values and should be apolitical. This is usually not the case – most non-partisan organizations have sets of values, particularly those engaging in political issues. On the other hand, being cross-partisan suggests that you are willing to actively engage with members across the political spectrum and provide space within an organization for members of various political parties.

In a world where polarization continues to increase, it is important to reach across the aisle and actively engage and advocate for your cause. Being cross-partisan indicates a willingness to be inclusive and cooperative to come up with the best solutions. Further, cross-partisanship is not a new phenomenon. This behaviour has been seen countless times throughout Canadian history, from confederation to the patriation of the Canadian constitution, cross-partisan behaviour is prerequisite for solving grand challenges.[1]

Science is collaborative, and all parties need to understand the science in order to make the best decisions to solve the challenges of our time. Given these considerations, we still believe and will seek to make certain that science is non-partisan. However, our approach to achieving this goal is cross-partisan: advocating for increasing the representation of STEM educated politicians across the political spectrum, and across Canada. This cross-partisan approach will ensure that science has meaning for all parties.

[1] Huges, James, “A Bipartisan Approach to Aboriginal Affairs.” Accessed November 18, 2020.