June 21: Scientific Sovereignty — How Canadian scientists are coping with U.S. cuts and chaos
On this week's special episode of Quirks & Quarks, guest-hosted by Johanna Wagstaffe:
Canadian climate scientists brace for cuts to climate science infrastructure and data
U.S. President Donald Trump's attacks on climate science are putting our Earth-observing systems, both in the oceans and in orbit, at risk. Canadian scientists who rely on U.S. led climate data infrastructure worry about losing long-term data that would affect our ability to track our changing climate.
Featuring:
- Kate Moran, the president and CEO of Ocean Networks Canada and Emeritus Professor of Oceanography at the University of Victoria
- Debra Wunch, an associate professor of physics and environment at the University of Toronto
- Chris Fletcher, an associate professor and chair in the Department of Geography and Environmental Management at the University of Waterloo
U.S. cuts to Great Lakes science and monitoring threaten our shared freshwater resource
The U.S. budget and staffing cuts are jeopardizing the long-standing collaboration with our southern neighbour to maintain the health of the Great Lakes, our shared resource and the largest freshwater system in the world.
Featuring:
- Jérôme Marty, the executive director of the International Association for Great Lakes Research and part-time professor at the University of Ottawa
- Greg McClinchey, the policy and legislative director with the Great Lakes Fishery Commission
- Michael Wilkie, a professor of biology at Wilfred Laurier University
- Brittney Borowiec, a research associate in the Wilkie Lab at Wilfred Laurier University
- Aaron Fisk, a professor of ecology and Canada Research Chair at the University of Windsor
Unexpected ways the U.S. culture war policies are affecting Canadian scientists
One of the first things President Trump did after taking office was to sign an executive order eliminating all Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies in the federal government. This is having far-reaching consequences for Canadian scientists as they navigate the new reality of our historically-closest research partner's hostility against so-called "woke science."
Featuring:
- Dr. Sofia Ahmed, a kidney specialist, clinician scientist, and academic lead for the Women and Children's Health Research Institute at the University of Alberta
- Angela Kaida, a professor of health sciences and Canada Research Chair at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver
- Dawn Bowdish, a professor of immunology, the executive director of the Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health and Canada Research Chair at McMaster University
- Kevin Zhao, an MD/PhD student of immunology in the Bowdish Lab at McMaster University
- Jérôme Marty, the executive director of the International Association for Great Lakes Research
Canada has a 'responsibility' to step up and assert scientific sovereignty
To assert our own national scientific sovereignty, a 2023 report on how to strengthen our federal research support system could be our roadmap to get there. The chair of the advisory panel that made recommendations to the federal government for how we could reform our funding landscape to quickly respond to national research priorities and to make Canada a more enticing research partner in world science.
Featuring:
- Frédéric Bouchard, the dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and professor of philosophy of science at the Université de Montreal
