<p>More than 24,000 federal public servants have received notices that their jobs could be at risk. That is on top of the 9800 public service employees who were already let go last year. Host Sam Konnert takes us inside the government, specifically, inside a single lab within Environment and Climate Change Canada. A lab tasked with making sure our water is clean and our food is plastic-free. A lab that could go from nine PhD-level scientists, down to one.&nbsp;</p><br><p>What happens to the country when these workers get cut, and entire labs are decimated? Who pays the price?</p><br><p>Host: Sam Konnert</p><p>Credits: Aviva Lessard (Senior Producer), Sam Konnert (Host/Producer), Noor Azrieh (Host/Producer), Mia Johnson (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), Max Collins (Director of Audio) Jesse Brown (Editor), Tony Wang (Artwork)</p><br><p>Guests: <a href="https://www.cinuk.org/people/shirley-tagalik-2/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Shirley Tagalik</a>, <a href="https://profils-profiles.science.gc.ca/en/profile/christine-bishop" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Christine Bishop&nbsp;</a></p><br><p>Background reading:</p><ul><li><a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/ottawa/article/24000-public-servants-warned-their-jobs-could-be-at-risk-here-is-the-latest-on-federal-job-cuts/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">25,000 public servants warned their jobs could be at risk. Here is the latest on federal job cuts</a> – CTV News</li><li><a href="https://ottawacitizen.com/public-service/five-charts-public-service-job-cuts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Five charts to help visualize public service job cuts</a> – Ottawa Citizen</li><li><a href="https://www.nationalobserver.com/2026/01/23/news/feds-target-hundreds-environment-climate-change-canada-workers-putting-public" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Feds target hundreds of Environment and Climate Change Canada workers putting 'public safety and the environment at risk'</a> – Canada’s National Observer</li><li><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/radio/whatonearth/environment-canada-cuts-9.7073623" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Carney’s government is cutting hundreds of environment and science jobs. Here’s what that means for Canadians</a> – CBC News</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Sponsors:&nbsp;</p><p><a href="https://www.douglas.ca/canadaland/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Douglas</a> is giving our listeners a FREE Sleep Bundle with each mattress purchase. Get the sheets, pillows, mattress and pillow protectors FREE with your Douglas purchase today at <a href="http://douglas.ca/canadaland" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">douglas.ca/canadaland</a></p><br><p>Visit <a href="https://fizz.ca" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">fizz.ca</a> to learn more about Fizz mobile and its long list of added-value features, and activate a first plan using the referral code CAN25 to get 25$ off and 10GB of free data.</p><br><p>Your emotional well-being matters. Find yours and feel lighter. Sign up and get 10% off at <a href="https://betterhelp.com/Canadaland" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">BetterHelp.com/Canadaland</a>&nbsp;</p><br><p>Did you know we have a monthly supporter-exclusive show? We just recorded an episode about rabbit holes, deep dives and obsessions. What’s a rabbit hole you fell (or almost fell) into?</p><br><p>If you want to hear that (or if you want to catch up on all the great episodes of <em>Off The Record</em> you’ve missed!), you can listen to these amazing, support-exclusive episodes for cheap RIGHT NOW by going to <a href="http://canadaland.com/join" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">canadaland.com/join</a>. You’ll get 70% off your membership for a limited time.</p><br><p>If you value this podcast, <a href="https://canadalandnetwork.supercast.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Support us</a>! You’ll get premium access to all our shows ad free, including early releases and bonus content. You’ll also get our exclusive newsletter, discounts on merch, tickets to our live and virtual events, and more than anything, you’ll be a part of the solution to Canada’s journalism crisis, you’ll be keeping our work free and accessible to everybody.&nbsp;</p><br><p>Can't get enough Canadaland? Follow @Canadaland_Podcasts on Instagram for clips, announcements, explainers and more.</p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>