Federal Science Under Strain as Report Flags Risks Ahead of Proposed Cuts

OTTAWA, ON, Oct. 20, 2025 /CNW/ - A new report released today by the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC), the union representing the scientists, researchers and engineers working for the federal government, highlights significant warning signs in Canada's federal public science system – and urges renewed investment to ensure long-term resilience, not more cuts.

A Science Roadmap for Canada's Future: Lessons from a Decade of Federal Scientists' Voices , draws on 12 years of data from thousands of federal scientists and reveals a sector losing funding, capacity, and confidence – just when Canadians need it most.

"Federal science plays a quiet but essential role in everything from food safety to water quality to environmental monitoring to public health," said PIPSC President Sean O'Reilly. "This report is a clear warning: our federal scientific capacity is fragile, already under pressure, and can't take another hit." 

Among the report's findings:

• Just 6.5% believe their department has adequate research funding
• Confidence in evidence-based policy has declined to 44%
• 36% of federal laboratories and science facilities are in poor or critical condition
• Interference (requests to alter or omit findings for non-scientific reasons) is on the rise

PIPSC warns that early gains in science integrity and transparency made in the aftermath of a decade of muzzling and mismanagement, are now stalling or reversing. At the same time, the government is floating plans for sweeping public service cuts, threatening what little resilience remains in Canada's scientific infrastructure. PIPSC is urging the government to reflect carefully.

"Cuts mean consequences that won't just be felt in labs – they'll be felt in communities," continued O'Reilly. "Defunding federal science means slower responses to wildfires, fewer food inspections, weaker disease monitoring, and delayed action on environmental threats. These cuts hit the systems Canadians rely on every day, often without even realizing it."

The report outlines a 10-point plan focused on strengthening scientific integrity, rebuilding capacity, and ensuring transparency and accountability in how scientific evidence is used in policymaking.

"Fixing inefficiencies means tackling what's really holding public science back -- unstable funding, political interference, inconsistent priorities, costly outsourcing, and outdated infrastructure," said O'Reilly. "Public science takes decades to build and seconds to cut. In a time of global instability, we should be strengthening the institutions that make Canada strong, safe, and independent -- not weakening them."

PIPSC is calling on the federal government to reverse course on public service cuts and commit to long-term, sustainable funding for federal science.

PIPSC represents over 85,000 public-sector professionals across the country, most of them employed by the federal government. Follow us on Facebook, on X (formerly known as Twitter) and on Instagram.

SOURCE Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC)

For more information: Johanne Fillion, 613-883-4900 (mobile)