This is not a public event from the Canadian Science Policy Centre (CSPC) but rather an update of a September 20, 2024 posting where applications were announced for two of their SMP programmes, one in British Columbia and the other in Ontario.

Here’s the latest about the delegates for the two provincial SMP programmes from a CSPC April 17, 2025 briefing (received via email),

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CSPC is pleased to introduce the delegates of the second iteration of Science Meets Parliament – BC and the delegates of the inaugural round of Science Meets Parliament – ON. Delegates are currently participating in training sessions. The Science Meets Parliament Program for BC has been set for April 28-29, 2025, and Ontario for May 13-14, 2025. For more information, click here for SMP-BC and click here for SMP-ON

.An influential initiative, Science Meets Parliament (SMP) connects Canada’s scientific community with policymakers, offering researchers a unique opportunity to engage with provincial parliamentarians, understand policymaking, and develop crucial science-policy communication skills.  

Expanding to Ontario in 2025 and continuing to succeed in BC, SMP programs rely solely on registration fees and sponsorship. By sponsoring an SMP program, you not only support early-career researchers and strengthen the bridge between science and policy, but also gain unique exposure among provincial decision-makers. 

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There are some charts on the CSPC’s SMP-BC 2025 Delegates Selected webpage but they didn’t mention a few things. For example, there were 25 academics from four universities (Simon Fraser University, the University of British Columbia [Okanagan and Vancouver campuses], University of Northern British Columbia, and the University of Victoria) who met BC legislators. I won’t go into details as to which scientist represented which area of science but there was a greater range of interests represented that I’d expected.

nursing

social justice and mental health

quantum computing

wildlife research

air pollution

solar energy

optoelectronics

imaging

psychology

chemistry

coastal systems engineering

physics (one of the researchers works on a project at the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland)

bacterial inflammation

etc.

If memory serves, this is the second time the SMP programme has been run in BC

By contrast, the Ontario universities are individually represented in a pie chart on the CSPC’s SMP-ON 2025 Delegates Selected webpage where 29 academics will be going to meet Ontario legislators on May 13-14, 2025. This is the the first time in Ontario. As for the areas of expertise represented,

teacher education for science educators

pediatric audiology

technology, law, ethics

psychology of well-being with a focus on e.g., sociopolitical unrest, income inequality, and terrorism

scientific study of science (meta science)

economics

game design

psychology (tobacco and alcohol use)

public health statistics

business behaviour

radiation induced material damage (corrosion from ionizing radiation)

systems software for world’s largest supercomputers and clouds

behaviour-centric cybersecurity

user experience design (UX) & social justice & community engagement

biomembrane research

computational research applied to forensic technology and sciences

learning sciences and emerging technologies

biophysics

applied psychology and developmental disabilities

criminology and justice

environmental pollution

climate change

advanced materials

energy

Congratulations to the successful applicants!