Representation matters! Our latest webinar dives deep into gender bias in science and how we can continue to advocate for women in STEM.

This webinar asks the question: What are the gendered barriers to science today, and how might we overcome them? 

The webinar includes a panel discussion with our speakers, Dr. Emily Choy and researcher Jasmeen Sidhu, followed by a presentation on the Women in Public Sector Science (WIPSS) Network and a participant question period. 

In 2020 the Women in Science (WiS) team conducted a survey to learn about real-world experiences of parental and family leave in the federal public sector. The team surveyed members from the Applied Science and Patent Examination (SP) Group, the Audit, Commerce and Purchasing (AV) Group, the Architecture, Engineering and Land Survey (NR) Group, the Health Services (SH) Group, and the Research (RE) Group.

What they found is a broken system – one that runs on ad hoc managerial decisions, forces employees into making impossible decisions, and disproportionately penalizes women and gender diverse people. 

The findings underscore the need, and the work ahead, to build a culture that values care: a culture that fosters inclusive and friendly workplaces for all people with care work responsibilities. They also reinforce the strength of our position and continued advocacy for better, clearer, and more accessible sick leave, parental leave, and Code 699 leave guidelines.

We know that many of the issues that the survey surfaced aren’t exclusive to the public service, or the groups that participated. We encourage everyone – all of our members, as well as employers, other unions, and decision-makers at every level – to read the full report. 

Here’s a snapshot of the results:

"I have chosen not to have children as I don’t feel that I would be able to meet my position requirements if I had a child."

• 48% of the respondents expressed concern over the impact of family care responsibilities on their career
• 34% have considered delaying having a child because they believe it will negatively impact their career

“I acted in a manager role for 4 years. I declined to take the position permanently because of the lack of flexibility to balance family responsibilities with work during COVID-19.”

• 41% said they believe that maternity and parental leave can negatively affect career trajectory
• 22% of the researchers we surveyed said that their funding was impacted by their maternity or parental leave

“I feel like there is no one to call to ask for help. I am not sure where to start, besides talking to my manager. I have received very little information from my employer.”

• Only 2% of the respondents who needed support said they had childcare provisions at work
• Only 45% believe that the parental leave entitlements in their group’s collective agreement provide adequate support for families and new parents

Next steps

Care leave is a top priority for PIPSC members, which is why we’re building a multi-pronged campaign to address the issues highlighted in the survey, and to advance the recommendations made in the final report. We’re starting with education and awareness. Webinars will continue to be offered to members on leave options, how to access them, and what to do if denied. 

We’re also building evidence for collective bargaining. Beginning with the work from the WiS team, PIPSC will expand its research to the whole membership, and then work with negotiators and bargaining teams to build the evidence-based proposals we need to effectively support and advocate for these issues at the bargaining table. 

READ THE FULL REPORT

We invite you to apply to participate in the WiS Learning Lab if you are woman (cis and trans), Two-Spirit, or non-binary person in a science-based group or classification. We welcome your interest and participation in the Lab! All answers are kept strictly confidential. Please submit your application by June 14, 2021.

Due to the nature of the Learning Lab format and objectives, space is limited. The WiS Virtual Learning Lab Working Group and Planning Committee will select participants based on:

• Interest and passion for supporting and advancing equity in public sector science
• Quality of application (for example, you have a specific micro-project or issue you would like to workshop, develop or address during the Lab)
• Representational goals (for example, region, department, classification, diversity of experiences and identities) 

The Women in Public Sector Science Toolkit is a living library of resources, tools and best practices – all with the aim of advancing equity, diversity and inclusion in public sector science.

The objective of this toolkit is to equip women, non-binary members and allies to advance and support equity, diversity and inclusion in public sector science. “A challenged world is an alert world – and from challenges comes change. As the theme for International Women’s Day 2021 encourages us, let’s all #ChooseToChallenge,” stated PIPSC VP Norma Domey. 

The Women in Science Task Force and the Lab participants’ wealth of experience and expertise have made this toolkit. Their voices are reflected in this toolkit. Together, we present this guide for those in public sector science who see themselves encountering barriers in their workplaces.

This toolkit is also for people in more privileged groups. We call on our allies to support our work to advance equity, diversity and inclusion in public sector science workplaces and to share the load so it is not only our burden to carry.

"A huge thank you to all our Women in Science member-led teams across Canada and PIPSC staff for producing an extensive toolkit towards addressing these systemic challenges,” said PIPSC VP Norma Domey. 

The Women in Science Initiative is inclusive of racialized women, Indigenous women, nonbinary people, transgender women, women with disabilities, LGBTQI2S+ people and women experiencing any other system or form of oppression. When we say women, we mean all women.

Each section of our toolkit covers a barrier, experience or reality for women in science. You will find tools, resources and best practices to inform and inspire action.

Explore the toolkit

The Women in Science team sees this toolkit as a living library of resources. It is a dynamic and community-led resource. We will continue to add to and expand this toolkit to meet new equity challenges in public sector science workplaces. We see this toolkit as a starting point, rather than a finish line.

If you have content that you would like to see in the toolkit, please send it to bettertogether@pipsc.ca to be included in a regular update.

On February 11, 2020, the National Research Council (NRC) held a symposium in Ottawa to mark the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. The symposium celebrated women working in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) fields across the federal government.

PIPSC Vice-President Norma Domey represented PIPSC at this milestone event as per her portfolios. The highlight of the celebration was a scientific poster session, with an opportunity to view and discuss results from over 100 projects led by women in research-based departments and agencies across the Government of Canada. 
 

Vice-President Domey was pleased to also network with PIPSC women involved in our Science Learning Lab which focuses on systemic solutions to remove barriers experienced by women in science across Canada.

PIPSC is proud to represent the many thousands of women working in STEM across the federal public sector and salutes their invaluable contributions to science and technology in Canada.
 

On November 8, 2019 PIPSC Vice-President Norma Domey led a two-hour “standing room only” seminar on "Leading with Emotional Intelligence" at the Institute’s 100^th Annual General Meeting in Gatineau, Québec.  

Over 50 PIPSC members attended the event, which featured ways to use Emotional Intelligence (EQ) for self-improvement, creating high performing teams, and developing truly visionary leadership.  Its goals were:

• To understand emotional Intelligence, and learn how to increase your current EQ.
• To practice easy to use tools to increase your emotional intelligence and leadership skills.
• To better perceive, use, understand and manage emotions.

The seminar concluded with a debrief of new Women in Science projects being initiated in a number of PIPSC workplaces and a debrief on the Women’s Learning Lab held earlier this Fall in Ottawa.  For more information about the Lab, click here.

The Lab is part of the Institute’s broader effort to influence change for women in science by: 

• Conducting advocacy and activism campaigns aimed at new or better workplace legislation;
• Collective bargaining for new and better workplace rights;
• Supporting consultation presidents at union-management consultation for new and improved human resources policies; and
• Developing and conducting awareness and education campaigns for our members.

PIPSC will continue to press for progress on these issues, which are of critical importance for thousands of current and future federal scientists.

The first ever PIPSC Women in Science Learning Lab brought together women and non-binary people in federal Public Sector science. Participants from across regions and groups met to take on the challenges they face in the workplace.

This three-day collaboration of 30 scientists created a new toolkit and some strategic micro projects.

The event opened with leadership stories from:

• Ms. Rumina Velshi, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission 
• Nancy Hamzawi, Assistant Deputy Minister for Environment and Climate Change Canada
• Norma Domey, National Vice President, Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada 

Participants focused on systemic solutions to remove barriers experienced by women in science to create micro-projects in their own workplaces. These projects focus on:

• modernizing parenthood policies in the public service

• reviewing gender bias in internal research funding

• creating a tool to set up a women in science network in your own workplace
• developing regional learning labs
• changing culture in scientific integrity using an equity, diversity and inclusion lens
• advocating for gende-inclusive bathrooms in public workplaces
• Implementing a Women in Science mentorship program

Learning Lab participants also developed the Women in Science toolkit which will provide resources, tools to develop workplace allies and links to existing mentorship programs. This toolkit responds to the barriers identified in the 2018 PIPSC Report, Women in Public Sector Science: From Analysis to Action.

Stay tuned for updates as the Women in Science micro-projects roll out over the next few months!

Ottawa, September 26, 2019 – Ninety-four percent of federal scientists say climate change is a crisis in need of immediate action. Only 20% of them think Canada is doing enough to fight and mitigate the climate crisis.

The results are from a survey conducted by the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada, the union representing 60,000 professionals including Canada’s public scientists. 

“We’re facing a global climate crisis – with fires, floods and extreme weather threatening us all,” said PIPSC President Debi Daviau. “Canada’s public service has some of the world’s best climate scientists and they can give us the solutions to climate change that we need.” 

Daviau argued that Canada’s climate scientists need the necessary resources to do their jobs, but billions of dollars in public funds are being lost every year because of tax loopholes that let corporate cheats duck paying their fair share.

We now have the number of scientists restored, after the previous government’s deep cuts, but we can’t risk leaving them unresourced in the face of climate crisis.

“Nine out of 10 Canada Revenue Agency tax professionals say it is easier for corporations and wealthy individuals to evade or avoid tax responsibilities than it is for average Canadians,” said Daviau. “Do the math. If we close the tax loopholes, we can fund climate action. In this election, we’re calling on voters to elect MPs that are committed to tax fairness and climate action.” 

The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada represents 60,000 public service professionals across Canada. Follow us on Facebook and on Twitter.

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For further information: 

Johanne Fillion, 613-228-6310, ext 4953 or 613-883-4900 (cell), jfillion@pipsc.ca

PIPSC welcomes the new Departmental Science Advisor (DSA) at Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), Dr. Shawn J. Marshall. This appointment acknowledges the important work performed by our dedicated public scientists working at ECCC and across the Government of Canada. A Science Advisor at the departmental level provides excellent opportunities for the development of significant scientific relationships and connections. PIPSC looks forward to a strong collaborative relationship with Dr. Marshall.

We believe that the appointment of a DSA at ECCC signals what Canadians already know – that climate change requires immediate action. Canada needs more, not less, public science. The work of public federal scientists is key to tackling the environmental challenges our country faces.

PIPSC has long championed the need for Science Advisors and called for the creation of the role in the years leading up to the appointment of government-wide Chief Science Advisor, Dr. Mona Nemer. The Institute worked closely with Dr. Nemer and her staff on developing the model and departmental scientific integrity policies and procedures, and continues to collaborate with her towards the ongoing protection and promotion of scientific integrity in the federal government.

We are also pleased that other Departmental Science Advisors have been appointed, including at the National Research Council and the Canadian Space Agency. We look forward to further announcements of new Science Advisors at other Departments and Agencies.