UNMUZZLE
CANADA
Duct Tape Project
Canadian scientists, ambassadors, librarians, MPs, and many more people have been muzzled by the Federal government. Think of swatches of duct tape slapped over thousands upon thousands of Canadian mouths! These people are not allowed to talk about their work in public or even to express their own opinions. As a result, we, the public, are left in the dark about many things happening in our own country.
We want to see the duct tape taken off all those mouths, and used properly! The CORRECT use for duct tape is to FIX things. And we want Canada’s new government to use duct tape to FIX what’s been broken - transparency, informed decision-making, free sharing of information, and environmental security.
Sign our petition. Show you care by posing with duct tape and sharing photos of how it’s supposed to be used. Post selfies and photos to our Facebook page. And if you’re really keen, send rolls of duct tape to Ottawa – physical objects rolling in the door are hard to ignore!
Background
The work done by scientists in government-owned labs affects everyone. It touches our health, our safety, and our environmental security. Non-scientific Information from government is equally important and affects our everyday lives.
Many government employees are required to sign life-long "loyalty agreements" – in effect, non-disclosure agreements. This prohibits them from communicating with the public. Ever! This doesn’t just restrict the flow of information. It also stops government employees from alerting the public to health or environmental dangers, or from whistle-blowing if something goes wrong.
Why Duct Tape?
Duct tape is intended to be used to FIX things, not for breaking them. We want the new government to FIX the broken flow of information, and the problems it causes. That is why we are encouraging Canadians to make a statement about the proper use of duct tape – a very powerful symbol. Let's make this an election issue!
SEND DUCT TAPE TO FIX CANADA
LOSING KNOWLEDGE AND HISTORY
What’s broken: 16 federally owned libraries and archives were closed across the nation – a significant loss of history and data on a range of subjects. Some material went back 100 years! Literally tons of historical documents, reports, scientific studies, films and more have been destroyed (some burned!). Without being able to compare things to the past, we can’t know whether we’re improving things or not.
What’s broken: Substantial reductions in environmental regulations, regulatory enforcement and research mean less security for our future in terms of having an environment that is safe and liveable. Plus, the quiet closure of dozens of science and environmental research labs means there is less information about climate change, and about pollution in land, air and soil, which affects policies that protect human health.
What’s broken: Informed decision-making depends on facts. Without facts, decisions for programs and services are made by estimating, and there’s a good chance they won’t work. The long-form census was nixed, though it was critical to help guide decisions about what sorts of services are needed in which communities. These include social and health services; the needs of elderly, youth and disabled groups; identifying education gaps; economic policies; and much more.
INFORMED DECISION MAKING TOOLS
ENVIRONMENTAL SECURITY
Canadians show correct uses of duct tape!
