The tragedy that is our current government

As many of my readers are likely aware, the current Canadian Minister of Science, Gary Goodyear, recently horrified many by responding to a question of his belief in evolution (granted, a poorly worded question) with what is possibly the worst and most unsettling dodge possible:

I'm not going to answer that question. I am a Christian, and I don't think anybody asking a question about my religion is appropriate.

That response is highly troubling because the Minister of Science should not think a question about evolution is a question about religion. Apart from the troublesomely loaded word 'believe', the question had no religious content whatsoever, and it was Mr. Goodyear himself who invoked the religious aspect by conflating a 'belief' in evolution with questioning his Christianity. This has been well and thoroughly discussed, however, so I won't elaborate on this part of the story... what horrifies me is his attempt at a clarifying response:

We are evolving every year, every decade. That's a fact, whether it is to the intensity of the sun, whether it is to, as a chiropractor, walking on cement versus anything else, whether it is running shoes or high heels, of course we are evolving to our environment. But that's not relevant and that is why I refused to answer the question. The interview was about our science and tech strategy, which is strong.

His response continues to show only a shaky grasp at best of what evolution actually means. Reading further into this fellow's views, he also seems to think it is proper to solely undertake scientific research with a clear practical goal in place. This man is a terrible candidate for a Minister of Science.