U.S. scientists ask Canadians for help: “I think we’re seeing a lot of fear and people not feeling like they can speak up”

Since Donald Trump’s triumphant return to the White House in January, it feels as though a sledge hammer – or should I say chainsaw – has been taken to many parts of government and beyond. One such area being slashed is that of science.

This isn’t necessarily a scenario anyone expected, even after what was said on the campaign trail and with the insertion of un-voted bureaucrat-hating Elon Musk into his role heading up the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) as a, well, un-voted bureaucrat. And while the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual get together is normally a celebration of research, collaboration, and discovery, this year there were fears about lost funding, disappearing data, and even travel bans abruptly keeping some federal employees at home.

Why are American scientists feeling silenced?

Science agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have faced sudden budget cuts, layoffs, and even direct threats to their independence. Data is disappearing from public sites, and researchers who once freely spoke to media now dodge cameras and microphones.

“We’re kind of still in a bit of a state of shock,” said Rémi Quirion, president of the International Network for Governmental Scientific Advice to CBC. “Now we have to recover from that and go into action mode.”

Gretchen Goldman, president of the Union of Concerned Scientists, made a stark claim too. “Science is under attack in the United States. I think we’re seeing a lot of fear and people not feeling they can speak up.”

Can Canada provide a lifeline to U.S. science?

Amid this turmoil, U.S. researchers are quietly looking across the border for help. Canadians have become unexpected allies in the struggle to preserve data and research freedom. Quirion, who advises Quebec’s government, says Canada can play a key role by recruiting scientists who originally left for better-funded positions in the U.S.

Doug Wallace, associate scientific director at the Marine Environmental Observation, Prediction and Response Network (MEOPAR) in Halifax, also speaking to CBC, worries that critical environmental data stored by NOAA could vanish overnight, disrupting vital weather forecasts and climate research across both nations.

“We’re offering assistance to our American colleagues to help preserve these datasets,” Wallace said. Losing this information would be “extremely disruptive,” affecting everything from daily weather updates to long-term climate studies on both sides of the border.

So, as the Trump-Musk show continues to hurt many, it seems that American scientists will keep looking to their northern neighbors – not just for moral support, but perhaps as a refuge for the science they fear might soon be lost at home. This could be a trend repeated across the nation as new allies are sought away from the government that is meant to care.

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