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Canadian Government Muzzling Scientists
IllogicalStudent writes with this excerpt from The Vancouver Sun:
"The Harper government has tightened the muzzle on federal scientists, going so far as to control when and what they can say about floods at the end of the last ice age. Natural Resources Canada scientists were told this spring they need 'pre-approval' from Minister Christian Paradis' office to speak with journalists. Their 'media lines' also need ministerial approval, say documents obtained by Postmedia News through access-to-information legislation. The documents say the 'new' rules went into force in March and reveal how they apply not only to contentious issues, including the oilsands, but benign subjects such as floods that occurred 13,000 years ago. They also give a glimpse of how Canadians are being cut off from scientists whose work is financed by taxpayers, critics say, and is often of significant public interest — be it about fish stocks, genetically modified crops or mercury pollution in the Athabasca River."
How old are you? Because in my observation the real propaganda efforts only really started in the last few years. The other stuff you're talking about is commonly known as "national pride" or perhaps "jingoism," and if you're an American then it's pretty ironic if you're blasting another country for an excess of jingoism.
If libertarians are so opposed to effective government, why don't they all move to Somalia?
It seems pretty standard for New York.
It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
It sounds like that asshole is taking advice from the Americans!
Has Carl Rove moved north?!!!
Do daemons dream of electric sleep()?
'To the Conservatives, "science" means "whatever we say".' I think you're being a little harsh. To the Conservatives, science means whatever makes the best weapons and the most profits. There's no point wondering about history or fundamental physical laws: God did it. Let's just be practical here.
Environmental issues have become international politics; that's government territory. Tough on the scientists involved but this is very much a case of "be careful what you wish for", given that it's many of these same people who politicized it in the first place.
The guys with some innocuous finding to report get caught up in the net put in place to restrain loose cannons.
From the elected government's point of view, these guys are all part of the left-wing bureaucracy that spends much of its time looking for ways to embarrass Harper and the Conservative Party without worrying too much about the facts, ethics, or good science. It's perhaps a little harsh, but they've sandbagged Harper and his ministers a few times too many. Quite simply, as a group they can't be trusted.
I'm a Programmer. That's one level above Software Engineer and one level below Engineer.