Link of the Day: PublicScience.ca

The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada, which is a union representing federal scientists, has launched a new site to combat what it calls the government’s “worrying trend away from evidence-based policy-making.” The site intends to highlight science conducted for the public good – much of which is funded by taxpayers and carried out by government scientists – and to encourage scientists and the public alike to pressure politicians to support it.

One example of this “worrying trend” cited by the union, according to this story from the CBC, is the government’s recent decision to make the long-form census voluntary despite vocal opposition from statisticians and the public. “Restrictive rules are curtailing media and public access to scientists,” the union said in a recent press release, “while cutbacks to research and monitoring limit Canada’s ability to deal with serious threats and potential opportunities.”

The union is currently developing a platform of proposals to support science in Canada. If you want to get involved, you can stay tuned to the site’s action page to sign up for updates as soon as they become available.

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