1 December 1999

Dr. Arthur J. Carty, President
National Research Council of Canada
1500 Montréal Road
Ottawa, ON K1A 0R6

Dear President Carty:

On behalf of the Board of the Canadian Astronomical Society, I wish to express our strong and unanimous support for the Long Range Plan, The Origins of Structure in the Universe: Canadian Astronomy and Astrophysics in the 21st Century, an initiative that was commissioned by NRC and NSERC.

This plan is unique in many respects. It marks the first time that the Canadian astronomical community has engaged in a detailed planning exercise of this nature and magnitude. Moreover, the LRP was achieved by extensive consultation within the community and is problem- rather than wavelength-oriented. Consequently, a realization of this Plan will permit Canadian astronomers to tackle efficiently the outstanding problems in contemporary astronomy --- such as the origin of planets, stars, galaxies and even the universe itself --- through participation in world-class, ground-based facilities supported by NRC, much-needed space-based facilities through the Canadian Space Agency, and through the support of research in the university environment via NSERC. It is truly an holistic and far-sighted Plan that has understandably earned strong support and respect from the entire community. To succeed, however, it requires a firm commitment from all the aforementioned agencies.

There can be no doubt that the excellent science that will emerge from the fulfillment of this Plan will significantly benefit Canadian society. It will have important ramifications for Canadian universities, for example, influencing positively astronomy faculty complements, as well as the number of high quality postdoctoral fellows, researchers and graduate students. Considerable tangible benefits, estimated at several times the investment in the LRP, will accrue to Canadian industry. And we must not overlook the profound impact on the media and public who have always demonstrated a keen interest in astronomy.

It is arguable that, of all the physical sciences, astronomy has by far the greatest potential as a vehicle for promoting science literacy, a responsibility we must also take seriously. As the LRP has accurately remarked, our collective efforts in this regard, to this point, have been inadequate. They must be dramatically improved --- an observation which applies to all relevant agencies and above all to CASCA itself.

Based on the recent LRP experience, I think that it is essential that the decadal-planning process becomes a mandatory component of a review of astronomy in Canada, and that it involve all agencies whose mandate includes astronomy; not only NRC and NSERC, but CSA and CASCA as well. The current LRP exercise provides abundant evidence that all participants benefit.

In summary, on behalf of the Canadian Astronomical Society, I am delighted to give our highest recommendation to the Long Range Plan and urge NRC to continue to support and promote it vigorously to the federal government, as well as to NSERC and CSA.

cc:	J. Lyrette, Vice President, NRC D. Morton, Director General, NRC/HIA R. Pudritz, Chair, LRP

Sincerely,

(Dr.) Michael De Robertis,
President, Canadian Astronomical Society