Canadian federal scientists, backed by major public sector unions, are protesting in Ottawa and beyond on Tuesday against “the muzzling of Canada’s public scientists and partisan interference in the development of public science” under Stephen Harper’s administration.
The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC), along with several other organized labor groups and the science advocacy organization Evidence for Democracy, is pushing for language on “scientific integrity” to be included in the workers’ next contract—a response to slashed funding for science research, shuttering of labs, and alleged silencing of government researchers.
“This government has no respect whatsoever for Canada’s public scientists.”
—Debi Daviau, Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada
As the Globe and Mail reports, “The language is intended to ensure that researchers employed by the government can speak openly about their work, publish results without fear of censorship and collaborate with peers.”
“It’s really just about protecting the scientist’s rights to actually do science,” Evidence for Democracy executive director Katie Gibbs told CTV‘s “Canada AM.” She also wants those scientists to be allowed to share their work at scientific conferences and speak to the media more directly.
Since Harper’s conservative government took control in 2006, federal funding for scientific research has been cut, labs have been shut down, and barriers have gone up between scientists and the general public. According to organizers of Tuesday’s protests, some critical information has even ended up in Dumpsters. An independent 2014 analysis found that Canadian government agencies are considerably more restrictive and less transparent than their counterparts in the United States.
SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT
Comments are closed