If you become a public servant you loose your ability to act as a citizen?
I discovered that if you are a public servant you cannot:
- submit responses to Senate or house of commons committees unless summoned,
- you cannot advocate on an issue to government particularly if your expertise is gained as part of your work as a public servant,
- you cannot share public information to the public unless it goes through communications whose job it is to ensure all fits with the minister’s agenda and directions.
- you cannot speak to the press as an expert on any issue without permission.
This is very problamatic when you have a very large number of key scientists, technocrats, specialits and experts who are muzzled as a result of their jobs. This means that if a scientific association’s members are predominantly public servants it is quite possible that that association - a civil sector organization pursuing objective science and accountability - will also not speak. I believe accountability and transparency are deeply at risk here.
In other words if a government wants complete control in certain areas of science, R&D, or technology, the best way is to hire all the scientists! We need no longer wonder why we do not have a public dialogue on really important public technology and science issues?
Do experts really have to give up doing citizenship because they are public servants?
See:
- Notes on the Responsibilities of Public Servants in Relation to Parliamentary Committees, Privy Council Office December 1990
- OATHS AND AFFIRMATIONS, O. Reg. 373/07
It’s been such a relief to be able to write to MPs and Senators, and make public statements, about Bill C-10 and copyright and Status of Women/Museum Assistance Program and anything else that relates to Canadian Heritage since leaving the public service.
Comment by Beijing York — April 27, 2008 @ 7:55 pm