Cuts and Muzzlings During the Harper Years

By John Dupuis | 2013-07-01 12:00:00

Apr 2006. One Tonne Challenge funding stopped

Jan 2008. Office of National Science Adviser phased out

Jan 2008. Nuclear safety watchdog head fired for ‘lack of leadership’

Oct 2009. Document delivery outsourced at The Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information (national science library)

Feb 2010. Layoffs at The Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information

Mar 2010. Information restrictions brought in by government have severely restricted the media’s access to government researchers

Jun 2010. Statistics Canada discontinues the mandatory long form census

Mar 2011. NRC Press privatized to Canadian Science Publishing, removing Open Access to many articles

Mar 2011. NSERC reduces funding for basic research

Mar 2011. Tri-Council reallocates funds from discovery to industry research

Jul 2011. Budget cuts to Climate Change and Clean Air, Substance and Waste Management, Weather and Environmental Services, Water Resources and Internal Services, Action Plan on Clean Water, the Federal Contaminated Sites Action Plan, Chemicals Management Plan, the Clean Air Agenda, the Air Quality Health Index, Species at Risk Program

Jul 2011. NSERC Discovery Grants reduced

Oct 2011. Canadian Environmental Network closes

Dec 2011. Withdraw from the Kyoto Accord

Jan 2012. Natural Resources Minister accuses foreign radical environmentalists of hijacking the system

Feb 2012. Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory (PEARL) loses funding (later partial reprieve)

Feb 2012. Closure of Kitsilano Coast Guard station

Mar 2012. Canadian Foundation for Climate and Atmospheric Sciences closes

Mar 2012. Gutting the Fisheries Act

Apr 2012. Cereal Research Centre cut

Apr 2012. Muzzling of scientists at international conferences

Apr 2012. Repeal of Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, download to provinces

Apr 2012. Sustainable Water Management Division cut

Apr 2012. Transport Canada Aircraft Services cut

Apr 2012. The Centre for Plant Health relocated (later reprieve)

Apr 2012. Scientists monitored at polar conference

May 2012. 1000 jobs cut at Department of Fisheries and Oceans (details follow)

May 2012. Ocean Contaminants & Marine Toxicology Program axed.

May 2012. Centre for Offshore Oil & Gas Energy Research cut

May 2012. Freshwater Institute cut

May 2012. Centre for Off-shore Oil, Gas, and Energy Research cut

May 2012. Maurice-Lamontagne Institute cut

May 2012. Smokestacks Emissions Monitoring Team cut

May 2012. Cuts to NSERC Discovery, Major Resources Support and Research Tools and Instruments programs

May 2012. Mersey Biodiversity Centre slated for closure

Jun 2012. Eliminate Experimental Lakes Area program

Jul 2012. Arctic Institute of North America’s Kluane Research Station cut

Sep 2012. Revamp Species-at-Risk act

Oct 2012. DFO Habitat Management Program cut

Oct 2012. Declining grant success rate for Post Doctoral Fellows

Nov 2012. Bill C-45 weakens environmental laws and democracy, such as Navigable Waters Protection Act

Nov 2012. Salmon research lab run by Frederick Kibenge at the Atlantic Veterinary College-University of Prince Edward Island targeted

Nov 2012. Navigable Waters Protection Act altered to give developers more freedom to build around most Canadian rivers and lakes without obtaining permission from the federal government

Dec 2012. Eliminating the Hazardous Materials Information Review Commission

Jan 2013. Very long list of scientist muzzlings from Democracy Watch

Feb 2013. Restrict how researchers can share data

Feb 2013. Department of Fisheries & Oceans muzzles its scientists

Feb 2013. Information commissioner investigates ‘Muzzling’ of federal scientists, called a threat to democracy

Feb 2013. Prairies Regional Office: Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency closes

Mar 2013. Muzzling of scientists

Mar 2013. Experimental Lakes Area environmental research project loses funding

Mar 2013. The government votes against public science, basic research and the free and open exchange of scientific information are essential to evidence-based policy-making

Mar 2013. $100 million cut from Department of Fisheries & Oceans over three years

Mar 2013. National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy closes

Mar 2013. Centralizing, Slashing Federal Web Info

Mar 2013. Quit UN anti-drought convention

Mar 2013. Unnecessarily sabotaging ongoing research at the Experimental Lakes Area and deliberately robbing international and domestic scientist of the 2013 field season

Apr 2013. Create barrier to public participation in pipeline hearings

Apr 2013. Environment Canada name removed from it’s weather website, replaced with government promotional links

Apr 2013.Closure of Department of Fisheries & Oceans libraries

Apr 2013. Prime Minister & cabinet take over power to dictate collective bargaining and terms for other salaries and working conditions at the CBC and three other cultural or scientific Crown corporations

Apr 2013. Scientist at National Water Research Institute in Saskatoon muzzled

Apr 2013. Minister blames David Suzuki, Environmental Groups To Blame For Pipeline Opposition

May 2013. Minister of the Environment Peter Kent refuses to correct Conservative MP’s crackpot views on polar bears

May 2013. Minister of Natural Resources insults oil sands critics

May 2013. National Research Council overhauled to do business-friendly research rather than basic science

May 2013. Hundreds of jobs cut at Agriculture Canada

May 2013. Agriculture Canada cuts including Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration, Semi-Arid Prairie Agricultural Research Centre and various centres for beef and dairy research

May 2013. Free-speech report takes aim at Harper government’s ‘culture of secrecy’

List courtesy of John Dupuis