On Tuesday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning federal workers in many scientific agencies from any external communication, even with congress (a gag order placed on the Department of Agriculture was reportedly rescinded after public outcry). And on Wednesday, his administration reportedly ordered that all "EPA scientific studies, data undergo review by political staff before public release." This censuring of scientists is not unprecedented, in fact, he's not even the first leader in North America to engage in this sort of behaviour.

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Stephen Harper, former Prime Minister of Canada, introduced strict new guidelines in 2006 preventing scientists from talking freely about their research with the press. Federally employed workers who did so on any issue risked their jobs. A leaked internal memo revealed an 80% drop in media engagement as a result of the new policies.

In 2014, 800 scientists from 32 countries outside of Canada signed an open letter to Harper calling for an end to "burdensome restrictions on scientific communication and collaboration faced by Canadian government scientists."

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When Justin Trudeau became Prime Minister in 2015 and reversed these restrictive policies, scientists across the country didn't bother hiding their relief. However, the damage would be felt for years to come. "Harper and his government were simply anti-science, anti-evidence and anti-informed policy and decision-making," veteran Canadian scientist Dr. Peter Wells said. "The cutbacks to scientific staff in the public service were draconian. More than 2,000 positions and people were lost, many in my field [of environmental science], resulting in a loss of a generation of skills, knowledge and capacity that were there to serve the public.”

As a resistance to Trump's executive orders grows, reflection on Canada's history may provide a window into what the future may hold.