Scientific credibility relies not only on the quality of research, but on the strength of the systems that safeguard it.

As public trust declines and political pressures mount, the integrity of science has become a critical concern – with implications not just for researchers, but for our democracies. When facts are distorted or unevenly distributed, the conditions for informed decision-making break down –resulting in real-world consequences for citizens.

Scientific integrity keeps public decisions grounded in evidence rather than ideology. When it is strong, science serves the public good. When it is weak, trust in institutions – and in facts themselves – begins to erode. This report compares the state of scientific integrity in Canada and the United States, as of July 2025. We assessed six key dimensions: Transparency, Accountability, Monitoring, Training, Commitment, and Public Trust. Each dimension was scored using our scientific integrity rubric, found in the Appendices, and letter grades were assigned using a standardized scale.

Our findings reveal that while the average scores in both countries are similar, the source of their weaknesses differs significantly.

The United States is experiencing significant erosion of its existing infrastructure, driven by political interference that compromises both transparency and accountability, while Canada struggles with training and public trust, strongly impacted by enforcement challenges, ongoing interference, and departmental decentralization.

Note: : The scores and evaluations in this report reflect national trends in federal scientific governance. While some agencies continue to uphold scientific integrity, these efforts are not sufficient to offset broader structural regression.