Huebert, Robert N.Wells, Talia Justine2020-06-182020-06-182020-06-16Wells, T. J. (2020). After the Ice Age: The effects and implications of federal media policy changes on Northern science communication and the Northern science-policy interface during the Harper era (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.http://hdl.handle.net/1880/112202A rise in global temperatures in tandem with polar amplification means that the Arctic is warming at a rate three times that the rest of the earth. This is occurring with major implications for the region and is accompanied by a need for adaptive governance and policy initiatives informed by robust science. From 2006 to 2015, the Canadian government, led by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, frequently asserted the importance of the Arctic, speaking to the environmental challenges facing the region. Consistent with this, the Government of Canada invested substantial resources in both Northern science and Northern research infrastructure as demonstrated by its support of polar projects such as the Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory, the Canada High Arctic Research Station and the 2007-2008 International Polar Year. In early 2008, changes to federal departmental communications and media policies, controlling how federal scientists were contacted and communicated with journalists, prompted the first article of what would become a decade long fixture in the Canadian news media: the muzzling of Canada’s federal scientists. From 2008 to 2015, the ‘muzzling’ of federal scientists was largely narrated by the media and discussed independently of the science communication literature. Notwithstanding the investigation and conclusions drawn by the Office of the Information Commissioner, no further insight into the federal management of science communication under the conservative government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper was offered. This study demonstrates that federal scientists experienced a significant reduction in capacity to communicate their science to the media as a result of the changes made to departmental communication and media policies. These changes created institutional barriers to the communication of federal science, withholding valuable taxpayer funded science from both the media and consequently, the Canadian public. The science-policy interface as it existed prior to the media policy changes was severely eroded due to a reduction in transparency, trust and the timely delivery of science.engUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.science communicationscience-policy interfaceCanadian ArcticNorthern CanadaCanadian policyStephen Harpermedia policycommunications policyscience journalisminformation controlPolitical Sciencemaster thesis10.11575/PRISM/37936