A survivor’s guide to being a muzzled scientist

January 24, 2017 Muzzy Communication, Education and Outreach, Policy and Politics

I figured it would be a good idea to summarize some of the thoughts I have from having lived through this in the Canadian government to offer some ideas to colleagues in the US who are now entering what seems to be a similar (if not worse) era of limiting communication from government scientists and...

Facts, or lies. There is no “alternative”.

January 23, 2017 Muzzy Communication, Education and Outreach, Policy and Politics

I thought I was done with this blog, but a white house press secretary spewing lies that are so easily discredited being defended by Kelly Conway this past weekend just about made me throw up. You can watch the whole disaster of a train-wreck here, and you should, just to appreciate the scope of what...

How muzzled are government scientists now?

August 15, 2016 Muzzy Communication, Education and Outreach, Policy and Politics

A recent flurry of articles from Sun Media have appeared in the news over the past few days to question (a) whether muzzling has changed under the new Liberal government, (b) whether it was just made up in the first place by disgruntled scientists, or (c) it was all hype, or worse yet that the...

Open your mouth and say… Science.

November 8, 2015 Muzzy Communication, Education and Outreach, Policy and Politics

How refreshing. DFO scientist after being alterted of new communications policies on Friday. After much talk of “cautious optimism” from just about everyone regarding the new Liberal government in power in Canada, we are seeing some of that optimism being confirmed. I and many others have commented that the first and simplest step to restoring...

Reject (Gary Goodyear’s) Fear and Lies

October 14, 2015 Muzzy Communication, Education and Outreach, Policy and Politics

This pissed me off so much it made me come out of retirement on this blog. So I (as I hope most of you did) listened with keen interest to the Science Debate hosted by Quirks and Quarks last weekend. I caught it when it was posted on Friday, as I knew I wouldn’t be...

Steve Campana knows how to make an exit

May 21, 2015 Muzzy Communication, Education and Outreach, Policy and Politics

I haven’t written much here since leaving DFO, but I couldn’t let this one slide. Steve Campana, a scientist with DFO for more than 30 years, retired this week to take up an academic position in Iceland. His exit speech is an encouraging piece of confirmation that I was not alone, as a DFO scientist,...

Job satisfaction of Canadian government scientists tanking

February 26, 2015 Muzzy Communication, Education and Outreach, Policy and Politics

As I try to move on to a more positive mind set, and leave the bitterness of my government science days behind me, I’m less inclined to keep this blog going on a regular basis. But then I see a gem like this. http://www.speakingupforscience.ca/news/2015/2/26/nrc-employee-satisfaction-dives-since-2011 Go and give it a read. If you’re not a government...

Is the government letting the Visiting Fellow program lapse? UPDATE- no, but reviewing it?

January 14, 2015 Muzzy Communication, Education and Outreach, Policy and Politics

[Scroll down for update, 16 Jan 2014] I recently received a shocking and disturbing e-mail from someone who came across this site. The gist of the e-mail is that this person was going through the Visiting Fellowship application process with NSERC to work in a government lab, but was recently informed by NSERC that: “…the...

Negotiate this.

December 9, 2014 Muzzy Communication, Education and Outreach, Policy and Politics

Last week, the union that represents government scientists (PIPSC, my former union) tabled a bold negotiating position with Treasury Board (the branch of the government that you negotiate with when you’re a Union), as reported by the Ottawa Citizen. Rather than making it about salary increases, or sick days, as one might have expected, their...

Let my fellow scientists speak

November 6, 2014 Muzzy Communication, Education and Outreach, Policy and Politics

For those interested, I have an op-ed appearing in the Ottawa Citizen tomorrow. For those who can’t get to a newsstand in Ottawa, the link to it is here. Luckily, the folks at the Ottawa Citizen have a better knack for headlines than I do- this is a vast improvement over what I had suggested...

Author: Muzzy