More than a year after the Trudeau administration officially ‘unmuzzled’ thousands of federal scientists, collaborative agreements between union leaders and the government have put some teeth into the motion.
The documents, negotiated by the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC), protect the right of federal scientists to speak freely about their work and research, after years of jumping through bureaucratic hoops created by the Harper government. The deal guarantees that taxpayers will have better access to the science their money is funding, according to PIPSC president Debi Daviau, and makes major headway in the “de-politicization” of Canadian science.
But despite these agreements — and the departmental policies that will complement them — she said barriers to federal science may still exist for journalists in the form of communications departments.
Elizabeth McSheffrey – National Observer – December 19, 2016.