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Ed Holder leaves after being sworn in as Canada's new Minister of State for Science and Technology at Rideau Hall in Ottawa March 19, 2014.CHRIS WATTIE/Reuters

Canada's new science minister may not have ever worked in a lab, but he may be the only member of cabinet who can claim to have rescued a piece of Canadian science heritage.

Ed Holder, who has represented the riding of London West since 2008, was sworn in as federal Minister of State for Science and Technology last week. A newcomer to the Harper cabinet, he replaces Greg Rickford, who now moves to the natural resources portfolio after less than nine months in the job, and Gary Goodyear, who held the portfolio from 2008 to 2013.

A philosophy major whose professional background is in the insurance industry, Mr. Holder, like his immediate predecessors, is not a scientist. While science training is by no means a guarantor of political acumen or administrative ability, researchers have often longed for a minister with a first-hand understanding of the challenges scientists face in Canada.

But until such a minister shows up – not an easy ask with so few scientists in Canadian politics – those who are looking to get Mr. Holder's attention might want to consider appealing to his sense of history.

Ten years ago, Mr. Holder was still in the private sector when he heard a radio interview about Frederick Banting's Memorial Cross going up for auction. The Cross was awarded after the Nobel laureate and insulin co-discoverer perished in a plane crash during the Second World War.

The Banting House, a national historic site and museum in London that is operated by the Canadian Diabetes Association, was asking for support to help buy the Cross on behalf of the public.

According to curator Grant Maltman, Mr. Holder called within minutes of the interview, offering his help and asking who else was on the committee to acquire the Cross.

"Well sir, right now it's just you," Mr. Maltman replied.

Mr. Holder ultimately helped raise more than $80,000 for the auction and during a hardball bidding session was instrumental in taking the Cross home for the museum, the curator said.

"He wouldn't take no for an answer," Mr. Maltman said. Mr. Holder also persuaded the federal and Ontario governments to waive taxes on the purchase, a savings that allowed the museum to further bolster its collection.

While this is unlikely to translate into major changes in the federal government's science policies, researchers who had never heard of Mr. Holder until last week may feel somewhat heartened by his enthusiasm for preserving and promoting Banting's legacy.

It's an enthusiasm that has carried over into science education, said Bonnie Schmidt, the president of Let's Talk Science, a London-based national organization that promotes learning in STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).

"Right from the beginning he's been a very strong supporter," Dr. Schmidt told The Globe and Mail. "I think he really does understand the bigger connection of science and technology as key drivers to innovation, the economy and understanding how the world around us works."

Such a vote of affirmation should come as welcome news for those who hope to engage with the new minster on research-related issues.

Mr. Holder will have his his work cut out for him, though, overcoming perceptions that the Harper government has been antagonistic towards science – particularly environmental and climate science – and has made it difficult for the public and the media to access federal researchers.

He also steps into the job with a hefty to-do list, reflecting the fact that his appointment comes in the midst of a government effort to refresh its science and technology strategy. That project, now well under way, was Mr. Rickford's key assignment. It falls to Mr. Holder to carry it over the finish line.

Another item that will likely have more immediate impact on researchers is the task of fleshing out the details of the $1.5-billion Canada First Excellence Research Fund for postsecondary institutions. Unveiled in last month's federal budget, the first $50-million share of the fund should be awarded in 2015. That doesn't leave much time to work out the criteria by which various institutions and their scientists will access the fund. The $10-million College Social Innovation Fund which targets social sciences is similarly in need of definition.

Finally, Mr. Holder will also oversee the Indirect Costs Program which is intended to help institutions maintain the facilities and infrastructure that are crucial for research but generally not covered by grants to individual scientists.

By all accounts, Mr. Holder has wasted no time diving into his new role. In addition to meeting with ministerial staff, he has, as of Friday, been briefed by officials from the National Research Council as wells as the two granting councils he now oversees which together fund most of the non-medical academic research in Canada.

After a weekend of hitting the briefing books he'll spend his first full week on the job meeting with academic and business leaders, his office said.

"I hope he's going to be more open to discussion than his predecessors have been," said James Turk, president of the Canadian Association of University Teachers. The association, which takes a strong stand on what it sees as the Harper government's politicization of science and its emphasis on private sector-driven research, was tossed out of a meeting with Mr. Goodyear and never managed to get an audience with Mr. Rickford.

Part of the problem, Dr. Turk said, is that since Mr. Harper came to power science policy has effectively been set by the Prime Minister's Office. Mr. Holder is not expected to shift that dynamic or he would not have been awarded a cabinet post.

But backed by a budget that has been favourably received by the research community, the man who rescued Banting's medal may turn out to be the best choice for the job of rescuing the government's relationship with Canadian scientists.

Ivan Semeniuk is The Globe's science reporter.

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