Conservative MP Vincent Ho slammed the Liberal government Tuesday for spending nearly $400,000 annually on Canada’s Chief Science Advisor — a position that oversees no agencies, makes no regulations, conducts no audits, and, Ho says, has produced no measurable taxpayer benefit beyond “giving advice.”
During a House committee meeting, Dr. Mona Nemer defended the role, telling Ho: “What the Canadian public is paying for is an independent advisor that’s functioning in a transparent and trustworthy manner, that’s providing unbiased advice to government and putting them actually on the public domain.”
Nemer, reappointed in September 2024 for a fourth term, earns $394,500 with a staff of 24 and a budget under $4 million. She continued: “They’re actually funding an office that provides a challenge function for government, and let me tell you that we need more and not less of that. And it’s also supporting Canada’s international engagement, making sure our government has the latest information to make a decision.”
Ho remained unconvinced, saying the only recent outcome Nemer could cite was advice given “last week.” The exchange came as the government faces scrutiny over a $78-billion deficit.
Nemer is a molecular-cardiology and molecular genetics researcher. Before her appointment, she served as Professor and Vice-President of Research at the University of Ottawa, and previously held roles at the Université de Montréal and the Montréal Clinical Research Institute.
Her scientific work focuses on the development and function of the heart at the molecular/genetic level. She has contributed to diagnostic tests for heart failure and congenital cardiac defects and has authored hundreds of scientific papers.
