Dr. Laura Hug, lead Principal Investigator on the Mitigation of Methane Emission Hot-spots in Municipal Landfills project and Canada Research Chair in Environmental Microbiology, was selected to be one of 47 delegates to participate in this year’s Science Meets Parliament (SMP) program which took place in Ottawa on May 6-7, 2024.
The Science Meets Parliament program connects researchers with policy-makers and Parliamentarians to exchange ideas and promote mutual understanding between these two communities. SMP is run by the Canadian Science Policy Center and Canada’s Chief Science Advisor Dr. Mona Nemer, with support by Speaker of the House of Commons Hon. Greg Fergus and championed by Honourable Members of the Parliament including Mike Morrice, MP from Kitchener Centre. The program is supported by the Perimeter Institute, the Royal Military College, and the Stem Cell Network.
On May 6, Laura participated in a day of training sessions covering science communication, science in bureaucracy, and panels with decision-makers from the TriAgency granting agencies. On May 7, Laura had a full schedule on the Hill. She met with science policy-makers from the Library of Parliament, and connected with her local MP Mike Morrice from the Green Party together with Dr. Katie Mack from the Perimeter Institute. In the afternoon, Laura met with Senator Joan Kingston in a small group. All SMP participants then attended Question Period to watch Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other Party leaders debate key issues. Following Question Period, MP Morrice gave Laura and Katie Mack a “backstage tour” of the House of Commons.
Over the course of the program. Laura learned how best to integrate science results into developing policy, and made valuable connections with Parliamentarians and other policy makers as well as with other SMP participants.
Congratulations to Laura on being selected as a delegate for the 4th Edition of SMP and for participating in this once-in-a-lifetime experience!
Dr. Laura Hug (centre) with Dr. Katie Mack (left) and MP (Kitchener-Centre) Mike Morrice (right) at Science Meets Parliament.