Introduction

At the latest count, the Canadian Geoscience Council (CGC) represented 14 Constituent Societies with a combined membership of 14,700. This size makes the Council a powerful force within federal, provincial and municipal politics. In terms of a critical mass it should be able to affect geoscience policy in Canada at all levels of government. However, the Council is not organized to properly capitalize on this force. The result is that geoscientists in Canada are not effectively represented at the seat of power in the same way as other scientists.

When the CGC was formed 21 years ago, the world was quite different than it is today. The country had a small deficit, governments had money, the mineral and energy sectors were profitable and the geosciences had strong leadership within government. Today, the deficit is huge, governments are bankrupt, the mineral and energy sectors while healthy, remain in a relatively depressed state doing a growing percentage of their business off-shore, and the relevance of the geosciences is being questioned, both inside and outside of government.

In the past, a strong CGC was in the best interest of both the mineral and energy industries, and the federal and provincial geological surveys. The CGC was a vehicle whereby the mineral and energy sectors could affect geoscience policy through the Geological Survey of Canada, and the Survey in turn could use the CGC for leverage with their political masters. The CGC had relevance, and it attracted support within the geoscience community.

Today, governments at all levels are questioning all of the councils that they fund. Many have already become extinct, and more will follow. The mineral and energy sectors are far from being as strong as they once were, and the Geological Survey of Canada is questioning whether its mandate is to be the leader of the geosciences or just one of the players. Many of the Provincial Surveys are finding it difficult to sustain the support of their provincial treasuries.

Our Constituent Societies are also questioning their allegiance to the CGC. Many of them are demanding to know what the "payback" is for their support of the Council. What is the product and how will this product benefit them?

At this stage in the development of the CGC, it might be useful to look back at the original mandate and functions that the founders of the CGC hoped to achieve. These functions are contained in the "Blais Report"..Background Study for the Science Council of Canada, 1971, Special Study No. 13. There were 10 functions that the new Council would perform. I have listed these functions below, and followed each with my assessment of how the CGC has actually performed.

1. "Advise governments (federal, provincial, municipal) on matters of scientific problems or priorities involving the earth sciences and national economic and social goals". The CGC has, I think, performed this function through its various reports and audits of geological surveys and programs. It has not, however, been very successful in advising municipal governments and these governments are certainly a new client base in the future. There has not been a consistent interface with various governments on a regular basis.

2. "Advise governments, industry and universities on the development of the various disciplines and the fostering of research in the various fields of earth sciences". This function has been done sporadically over the years with the publishing of reports commissioned by the CGC, by the production of career booklets and the representation by the Council of Chairmen of Canadian Earth Science Departments, an Associate Member of CGC.

3. "Advise and co-operate with the Canadian International Development Agency on matters relating to Canadian earth science technical assistance to developing countries". This may have been done in the past, but during the recent past, such advice and co- operation has not taken place. International affiliations are maintained through our Foreign Secretary, but these are representations on international commissions, not geoscience aid to developing countries.

4. "Advise the public on the social and cultural as well as the economic value and implications of the earth sciences, especially in matters of pollution, natural hazards, recreation, and quality of the environment". The CGC has no formal and consistent communications format to the public, and hence this function has not been performed.

5. "Sponsor activities in earth science education, especially the development of earth science curricula and teaching aids in secondary schools, and the training of teachers". Here, the Council has succeeded, in the formation of EdGEO and the Education Board- certainly a success story for the CGC.

6. "Provide information services for the earth science profession, industry and governments, such as a register of scientific and technical personnel, information on manpower and salaries, career pamphlets, student counselling". This has not been well done except for the publication of a careers booklet for the Earth sciences and a geological engineering careers booklet.

7. "Provide services for the member societies, such as billing, membership list maintenance, addressing and mailing of ballots, assistance with publications, assistance with annual meetings". These services have not been provided recently, if at all, during the history of the Council, except for the actual billing of the Societies.

8. "Maintain communication among earth scientists in Canada through distribution of a monthly newsletter (modelled after Geotimes)". This was not done, and probably could not be done under the present financing and structure of the CGC.

9. "Maintain communication with the scientific, engineering and technological community in Canada through active participation in SCITEC.( The Association of the Scientific, Engineering and Technological Community of Canada)." CGC voted to sever affiliation with this group in either the late 1970's or the 1980's because there was little benefit being accrued for the fees spent.

10. "Maintain Liaison with the American Geological Institute and other international professional societies that conduct similar earth science functions in their respective countries." This function has been partially carried out by the activities sponsored under our Foreign Secretary, but only an informal liaison has been maintained with the American Geological Institute.

This review of our original mandate shows that the Council has been only partially successful in performing the functions that the original founders had in mind. The Council has performed other functions, such as the registration of geoscientists that were not specifically in its original mandate. The failures have, to a great extent, been the result of the lack of a permanent secretariat. Indeed, when you see how much has actually been accomplished on a strictly volunteer basis, it shows a credible interest and devotion of geoscientists in Canada to their profession.

But, alas, the times are changing, and the debates that the Council is entering on in Ottawa in January, 1994 will be crucial to the future of the Canadian Geoscience Council. If the Council is to restructure and resume a pro-active role in public policy we will have to clearly identify the products that we will deliver to our constituency. Otherwise, in today's economic climate, our constituency will not finance us, unless they can clearly see how their support is going to benefit them. That is our challenge and our job.

John F. Gartner