CALEB NICKERSON
OTTAWA Dec. 12, 2019
On Dec. 12, Pontiac MP Will Amos was named the Parliamentary Secretary for the . . .
Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, Navdeep Bains. A press release issued the same day stated that he would be responsible specifically for the science component.
Amos said he was grateful for the appointment from the Prime Minister and noted that it would be a big responsibility.
“I am very pleased with the confidence shown by the Prime Minister in appointing me as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry,” Amos is quoted as saying in the release. “This is an important department with a significant impact in the riding of Pontiac, as many of our constituents work either in the public service or in organizations related to science.”
Between 2015 and 2019, there was also a stand-alone Minister of Science, but the role was folded into this portfolio in the last cabinet shuffle. The role Minister Bains had previously was known as Innovation, Science and Economic Development.
Parliamentary Secretaries act as assistants to cabinet ministers and are responsible for speaking on their behalf in question period if they are absent. Amos said that the scope of the role is enormous, and he was planning to hit the ground running. He added that his background in academia and science-related issues was definitely an asset.
“On matters related to the federal government and science, Minister Bains is going to be delegating a lot of authority to me. It’s a great opportunity,” he said.
“I’ve been exposed to many of the issues that I’ll be responsible for,” he continued. “It’s going to be standard procedures that I’m going to be meeting with presidents of Canadian universities or the CEOs of major research institutions. They expect … the parliamentary secretary responsible for science and science research to be able to go deep on some of these issues, these aren’t superficial conversations.”
