Marching for science

By Mike Barry

Earth Day will be celebrated differently this year in downtown Ottawa — with a rally to support independent, publicly supported science.

Activist groups in Ottawa have mobilized to organize a “March for Science” on April 22 to protest the politicization of scientific evidence.

The march will coincide with the official event happening the same day in Washington, D.C.

Evidence for Democracy is spearheading the campaign. The group is a non-partisan, non-profit organization advocating for democratic institutions based on scientific fact, transparency, accountability and engagement.

Katie Gibbs, executive director of Evidence for Democracy, said although it’s early, involvement is rapidly increasing.

“The interest is incredible,” Gibbs said. “It wasn’t really our idea to organize a solidarity march, but we started hearing from so many people in the science community, both in Ottawa and the rest of Canada, all saying to us, ‘So when is the Ottawa march going to be?’ We heard this again and again, and we realized, all right, I guess we’re organizing an Ottawa march.”

The march adds to a growing list of resistance movements in Canada that have followed the election of U.S. President Donald Trump.

In solidarity, Ottawa residents have already demonstrated in the Women’s March and protested Trump’s executive order banning U.S. travel for citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries.

However, Canadians are more familiar with the issue of repression of science after nearly a decade of conflict between the former Conservative government of Stephen Harper and Canadian scientists.

“The politicization of science, which has given policymakers permission to reject overwhelming evidence, is a critical and urgent matter,” EfD said in a statement.  “It is time for people who support scientific research and evidence-based policies to take a public stand and be counted.”

Evidence for Democracy was established in 2012, after Canadians rallied in “Death of Evidence” demonstrations to protest the so-called “muzzling” of Canadian scientists by the federal government and indications of disregard for scientific fact in policymaking.

It was one of the largest pro-science protests in Canadian history, said Gibbs, who was involved in the movement.

The group runs various campaigns, such as the “Science Pledge,” a commitment to their cause on the website. The pledge states: “I believe that all Canadians benefit when governments solicit, collect and use the evidence and expertise needed to make smart policy decisions that safeguard the health, safety and prosperity of Canadians. I support actions that invest in public-interest science; ensure open, honest and timely communication of scientific information; and make public the evidence considered in government decisions.”

Other groups are joining Evidence for Democracy in support of the cause. “We’re making sure that scientists themselves are front and centre in the organizing of the event,” said Gibbs. “We’re in talks with a lot of different organizations, from science associations to unions that represent scientists, so we’re working with a large variety.”

People interested in getting involved are encouraged to sign up online, and additional details will be available on the official Twitter account, @ScienceMarchOTT. People in other cities are also being encouraged to lead their own satellite events to increase participation nationwide.

“We welcome everyone to attend,” said Gibbs, “from scientists to science enthusiasts.”