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Recap 2011


CAPS-ACSP 2011 Accomplishments

 

Réalisations 2011 ACSP-CAPS

1) Adopted governance documents: In May 2011, the adoption of the first governance document was an important step in getting CAPS-ACSP recognition as an official voice for postdocs in Canada.

 

1) Adoption des documents de gouvernance: En Mai 2011, l'adoption du premier document de gouvernance fut une étape importante de la reconnaissance de l’ACSP-CAPS comme voix officielle des stagiaires postdoctoraux au Canada.

2) Elected CAPS-ACSP Executive Council (2011-12): In June 2011, CAPS-ACSP elected its first CAPS-ACSP Executive Council:

Chair: Dr. Jeremy Mitchell (chair@caps-acsp.ca)
Vice-Chair Operations: Dr Angela M. Crawley (operations@caps-acsp.ca)
Vice-Chair External: Dr Daniel Preece (external@caps-acsp.ca)
Vice-Chair Communications: Dr Alexandra Merkx-Jacques (communications@caps-acsp.ca))
Vice-Chair Finances: Dr Lucie Low (finance@caps-acsp.ca)
Vice-Chair International: Dr David Kent (international@caps-acsp.ca)

 

2) Élection du comité exécutif de l'ACSP-CAPS (2011-12): En Juin 2011, l'ACSP-CAPS a élu son premier comité exécutif:

 

Président: Dr. Jeremy Mitchell (chair@caps-acsp.ca)
Vice-présidente aux opérations: Dre Angela M. Crawley (operations@caps-acsp.ca)
Vice-président aux affaires externes: Dr Daniel Preece (external@caps-acsp.ca)
Vice-présidente aux communications: Dre Alexandra Merkx-Jacques (communications@caps-acsp.ca))
Vice-présidente aux finances: Dre Lucie Low (finance@caps-acsp.ca)
Vice-président, affaires internationales: Dr David Kent (international@caps-acsp.ca)

3) An official domain and logo: In July 2011, we introduced our official domain (www.caps-acsp.ca) and email addresses to allow for better communication. Our new logo and name also officially recognize our francophone postdoctoral scholars. We are still working on improving our website as well as making it as bilingual as possible. If you are interested in helping out, please contact us (communications@caps-acsp.ca).

Remember to like us on Facebook and join our General Members Google Group to stay informed on CAPS-ACSP activities. 

 

3)Nom de domaine et logo officiels: En Juillet 2011, nous avons acquis notre domaine (www.caps-acsp.ca) et adresses électroniques officiels. Nous pourrons ainsi mieux communiquer avec les stagiaires postdoctoraux à travers le pays. De plus, notre nouveau logo et nom officiel bilingues incluent désormais les stagiaires postdoctoraux francophones. Bien que l’exécutif soit principalement anglophone, nous travaillons fort afin d’avoir un site web entièrement bilingue dans le but de communiquer adéquatement avec nos membres francophone. Si vous êtes intéressés à nous aider à assurer un contenu bilingue (français/anglais) de qualité, vous pouvez nous contacter à l’adresse suivante communications@caps-acsp.ca.

N'oubliez pas de nous suivre sur Facebook et joignez vous à notre Groupe Google pour les membres généraux (General Members Google Group) afin de demeurer informé sur les activités récentes de l’ACSP-CAPS.

4) Invited Presentations: CAPS-ACSP has been invited to present at several national conferences this year including.  

·   "Postdocs and University Education": presented at Re- Imagine Conference (October 2011) held at Wilfrid Laurier University by Dr. Angela Crawley, CAPS-ACSP Vice-Chair of Operations.

 

·   "Education and Training of Scientists": presented at Canadian Science Policy Conference (November 2011) in Ottawa, Ontario by Dr. Angela Crawley, CAPS-ACSP Vice-Chair of Operations.

 

·   “Postdoc Perspectives on Postdoc Policy”: presented at Canadian Postdoctoral Policy and Administration Meeting (November 2011) in London, Ontario by Drs. Jeremy Mitchell (CAPS-ACSP Chair) & Angela Crawley (CAPS-ACSP Vice-Chair of Operations).
 

 

4) Invitation à présenter l’association: Cette année l’ACSP-CAPS a été invitée à présenter lors de plusieurs conférences nationales, y compris :

·"Postdocs and University Education": allocution à Re- Imagine Conference (October 2011) à l’Université Wilfrid Laurier par Dre Angela Crawley, vice-présidente aux opérations de l’ACSP-CAPS.

 

·"Education and Training of Scientists": allocution à la Conférence sur le politiques scientifiques canadiennes (Novembre 2011) à Ottawa, Ontario par Dre Angela Crawley, vice-présidente aux opérations de l’ACSP-CAPS.
 

·“Postdoc Perspectives on Postdoc Policy”: allocution au Canadian Postdoctoral Policy and Administration Meeting (Novembre 2011) à London, Ontario par les Dr Jeremy Mitchell (président de l’ACSP-CAPS) et Dre Angela Crawley (vice-présidente aux opérations de l’ACSP-CAPS).
5) Advocating to the Tri-Council funding agencies: CAPS-ACSP has advocated on behalf of postdocs to the tri-council encouraging them to keep in mind several important key points while reviewing postdoctoral policies.  Our position paper on this matter is available on our website. CAPS-ACSP remains committed to advocate for equitable and fair remuneration of postdocs, and will continue to present perspectives that represent the best interests of postdocs.
 

 
5) Représentation à l’inter-conseils des trois organismes subventionnaires fédéraux (IRSC, CRSNG, CRSH): L’ACSP-CAPS a plaidé, au nom de post-doctorants, à l'inter-conseils en les encourageant à garder à l'esprit plusieurs points clés importants lors de leur examen des politiques postdoctorales. Vous pouvez consulter notre prise de position à ce sujet sur notre site web. L’ACSP-CAPS continue de militer pour une rémunération juste et équitable pour les post-doctorants, et à présenter des perspectives illustrant bien leurs intérêts.
 

CAPS-ACSP in the News

 

l'ACSP-CAPS dans les Nouvelles

·   “Is Canada producing too many PhDs? Yes, no and maybe” by Léo Charbonneau in University Affairs discusses some of the issues PhDs face after graduation.

 

·   "Oh, Canada..."by Dr. Lucie Low, CAPS-ACSP Vice-chair Finance, writes about how tax laws affects Canadian Postdocs (Nature Volume:474, Page:533 Year published:(2011) DOI:doi:10.1038/nj7352-533a ). 

·   “Fiscalisation des bourses postdoctorales: une menace pour la recherche” de Anabelle Nicoud de La Presse. A press conference was held in Montreal on April 2011, hosted by FEUQ (Fédération étudiante universitaire du Québec) and CAPS-ACSP, based on our mutual stance on the unfairness of retroactive taxation of postdocs for the 2006-2009 period, particularly for individuals with the appropriate paper work (CAPS-ACSP: press release (version française)). This event was also covered by Global News.

 

 § Is Canada producing too many PhDs? Yes, no and maybe." un article de Léo Charbonneau publié sur le site des affaires universitaires (University Affairs) examine certaines des questions que se posent les docteurs (PhD) suite à l'obtention de leur diplôme.


§ "Oh, Canada..." Dre. Lucie Low, vice-présidente aux finances de l’ACSP-CAPS, écrit sur la façon dont les lois fiscales du Canada affectent les stagiaires postdoctoraux (Nature 2011: 474, page 533 DOI:doi:10.1038/nj7352-533a).


·“Fiscalisation des bourses postdoctorales: une menace pour la recherche” article d’Anabelle Nicoud paru dans La Presse. La FEUQ (Fédération étudiante universitaire du Québec) et l’ACSP-CAPS ont organisé conjointement une conférence de presse à Montréal le 5 avril 2011 afin de dénoncer l'iniquité de l'imposition rétroactive des stagiaires postdoctoraux pour la période 2006-2009, en particulier pour les personnes ayant fourni les documents requis (communiqué de presse de l’ACSP-CAPS).  Cet événement a également été couvert par la chaine « Global News ».

 

 

 

Future Goals for CAPS-ACSP

 

Perspectives pour l’avenir


·   Getting our first budget

·   Working towards incorporation as a not-for-profit and non-governmental organization

·   Further participation in a national committee on postdoc policy

·   Encourage CAPS-ACSP reps to attend the National Postdoctoral Association Annual Meeting in San Francisco (March 16-18, 2012)

·   Further outreach to international postdocs training in Canada

·   Recruitment for new CAPS-ACSP Executive council (Annual general meeting in June 2012)- if interested, please contact CAPS-ACSP (chair@caps-acsp.ca) 


·    Établir notre premier budget

·    Œuvrer afin de devenir un organisme non-gouvernemental à but non-lucratif.

·      Participer de façon active au comité national sur les politiques postdoctorales.

·      Inciter les représentants de l’ACSP-CAPS à assister à la réunion annuelle de l’association nationale américaine des stagiaires postdoctoraux (National Postdoctoral Association) qui aura lieu à San Francisco du 16 au 18 mars 2012.

·      Poursuivre la sensibilisation des post-doctorants internationaux en formation au Canada.

·     Recruter un nouveau comité exécutif de l’ACSP-CAPS (assemblée générale annuelle en Juin 2012) - Si vous êtes intéressé, vous pouvez nous contactez à l’adresse suivante (chair@caps-acsp.ca).


Révision de la version française faite par Dr Sébastien A. Lévesque et Dre Isabelle Duval.
November 28, 2011 
CAPS-ACSP has presented the following talks in the last couple months
    1. On October 20, 2011, at the Re- Imagine Conference held at Wilfrid Laurier University, Dr. Angela Crawley, CAPS-ACSP Vice-Chair of Operations, presented the talk entitled "Postdocs and University Education.
    2. During the November 16-18, 2011 Canadian Science Policy Conference in Ottawa, Ontario, Dr. Angela Crawley, CAPS-ACSP Vice-Chair of Operations, presented the talk entitled: "Education and Training of Scientists".
    3. During the November 24-25, 2011 Canadian Postdoctoral Policy and Administration Meeting at the University of Western Ontario, Dr. Jeremy Mitchell, CAPS-ACSP Chair, and Dr. Angela Crawley, CAPS-ACSP Vice-Chair of Operations, presented the talk entitled: "Postdoc Perspectives on Postdoc Policy".
 
June 27, 2011
Introducing the CAPS Executive Council (2011-2012) following CAPS' first Executive Committee Election:
Chair: Dr. Jeremy Mitchell
Vice-chair operations: Dr. Angela M. Crawley
Vice-chair External: Dr. Daniel Preece
Vice-chair Communications: Dr. Alexandra Merkx-Jacques
Vice-chair Finance: Dr. Lucie Low
Vice-chair International: Dr. David Kent
As part of the "changing of reins", the following is the 2011 outgoing report by the Interim Chair, Dr. Angela M. Crawley.
As a reminder of past CAPS's accomplisments, please also read the 2010 outgoing report by CAPS' former chair and CAPS founder, Dr. Marianne Stanford.
 
 June 25, 2011
In February 2011, CIHR advised CAPS that it had initiated a review of its policies surrounding support of postdoctoral fellows, and requested a statement of our position regarding their programs and to state any relevant recommendations. In response, CAPS provided an analysis and recommendations in the position paper attached here.
From the interim chair:
As some of you may have heard, the Canadian Tri-Council funding agencies (CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC) have recently announced (version français) that agency-prescribed limitations on postdoctoral fellowship (PDF) amounts will no longer exist (i.e. deregulation of PDF stipends). This means that there will be no minimum or maximum amounts on operating grant-funded fellowships, placing the decision-making power in requesting funds to the principal investigators and any minimums/maximums of postdoctoral salaries will in turn be regulated by individual institutions.
 
We have recently been told by CIHR that the PDF fellowship award stipends will remain fixed at $40,000/yr (this amount has not changed since 2003), regardless for even the need to make adjustments for inflation. The Canadian Association of Postdocs (CAPS) is also seeking to determine whether the Tri-Councils plan to increase the base individual PDF fellowship awards.
 
As you may know, CAPS recently provided a statement on our perspectives of current CIHR PDF stipend programs and to provide recommendations for program improvements. Following consultation with both our Executive Committee, and our greater membership, we provided an official statement (see above). Despite these efforts, we are somewhat disappointed by this recent announcement.
 
CAPS is also in the process of making similar recommendations to both NSERC and SSHRC.
 
CAPS remains committed to advocate for equitable and fair remuneration of postdocs, and will continue to have present perspectives that represent the best interests of postdocs.
 
Regards,
Angela M. Crawley
(Interim chair, CAPS)
 
June 23, 2011

From the interim chair:

The following positions on the CAPS Executive Council (2011-2012) have been acclaimed, and will begin their term in July 2011. Please let your local CAPS representative know if you support the appointment of these candidates to these positions and they will then include thissupport in the voting process for the CAPS Executive Council.
CAPS Executive Council (2011-2012):
  • Chair: Dr. Jeremy Mitchell
  • Vice-chair Operations: Dr. Angela M. Crawley
  • Vice-chair Communications: Dr. Alexandra Merkx-Jacques
  • Vice-chair External: VOTING PROCEDURE IN PROGRESS (candidates: Dr. Daniel Preece and Dr. Jiazhen Minnie Dai)
  • Vice-chair Finance: Dr. Lucie Low
  • Vice-chair International: Dr. David Kent
If you have any questions, please contact us: canadianpostdoc@gmail.com
Thank you.
Angela M. Crawley
Interim chair, CAPS
 
May 19, 2011
 
From the Interim Chair:

CAPS passes 1st Governance document!

I am pleased to announce that CAPS has received overwhelmingly positive support (91%) for its final draft of the first CAPS Governance document. An online voting procedure was conducted, involving many postdocs who act as representatives for their local institutions on CAPS’s Executive Committee.

I would like to thank all those who worked very hard on this document over that past several months. Your efforts are greatly appreciated! In addition, I also thank members of the CAPS community for having provided valuable feedback during this drafting process. The document is publicly available on the CAPS website.

CAPS is now well positioned to move forward with its agenda to support postdocs, and we will be even further regarded by important stakeholders with this document in hand.

We will now move onto the next task, which is to begin the selection of the new CAPS Executive Council. An official call for nominations is forthcoming, with a potential election deadline of mid-June 2011.

April 6, 2011
 
CAPS Fighting Retroactive Taxation
A press conference was held in Montreal on April 4th, hosted by FEUQ (Fédération étudiante universitaire du Québec) and CAPS, based on the same press release (version française) we issued in the fall. This is with regards to our mutual stance on the unfairness of retroactive taxation of postdocs for the 2006-2009 period, particularly for individuals with the appropriate paper work.
CAPS was represented by the CAPS representative from the McGill University Postdoc Association, Dr. Lucie Low.
Here is some of the press coverage on the event