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The Canadian Government's War On Science
FuzzNugget writes "A contributor at ScienceBlogs.com has compiled and published a shockingly long list of systematic attacks on scientific research committed by the Canadian government since the conservatives came to power in 2006. This anti-scientific scourge includes muzzling scientists, shutting down research centers, industry deregulation and re-purposing the National Research Council to align with business interests instead of doing real science. It will be another two years before Canadians have the chance to go to the polls, but how much more damage will be done in the meantime?"
What are you doing? You were my escape plan all during the Bush years - where am I going to go when the right finally tanks the US?
If there is one thing that conservatives all agree on, it's that you should change the facts to match your agenda, not the other way around.
Great warrior...hrmph! Wars not make one great.
A large portion of that list doesn't look anti-science. Business deregulation? Firing regulatory officials for "lack of leadership"? Discontinuing a mandatory census? Rolling back environmental regulations? Withdraw from Kyoto Accord? Changes to fisheries regulations? Procedural changes for public hearings on pipeline work? And so on... These are not "anti-science" changes. They are anti-liberal, anti-environmentalist, and pro-business political moves. Think there might be some political bias by the author of this list?
I am a geek attorney, but not your geek attorney unless you've already retained me. This is not legal advice.
Closing a Downtown Vancouver coast guard station? Really?
Where do you think the data to do the science comes from? Fisheries and Oceans has closes dozens of data collection sites just in the Maritimes region alone. It's awfully hard to argue that industry is over fishing or that salmon farms are contaminating wild fish stocks when there's not data to back it up and scientist are under muzzle orders.
Balancing the budget? LOL! This government has blown the hole in the budget that Canada had never seen in its entire history. The federal debt has skyrocketed under this regime while the funds to provinces were cut. The 'tax and spend' Liberals maintained balanced budgets for years and years until these clowns grabbed a hold of the steering wheel. Their first stupid move was cutting the GST by two percentage points just before the debt crisis hit. As for their approach to science they had a creationist as a minister of science; enough said.
Your pizza just the way you ought to have it.
The conservatives in power at the federal level in Canada have been figuratively rounding up all the intellectuals, scientists, educators, and scholars who do not toe the line. It is disgraceful and eerily familiar to historians, who BTW are about to undergo a government investigation of how Canadian history is to be taught since the conservatives do not much recognize anything but their own mythology.
I deny that I have not avoided attaining the opposite of that which I do not want.
It was down town rescue station. Largely redundant with Vancouver Police and Fire rescue. There was no science done there.
It wasn't part of fishery management or fishing regulation. The 12 people were re-assigned to other coast guard stations, some of which actually do get involved in fishing enforcement.
Sig Battery depleted. Reverting to safe mode.
This statement assumes that canadians will not re elect the conservatives again. Unfortunately, most of my fellow countrymen only care about one thing - the economy. Witness the recent election in BC where the BCliberals (really conservatives, just liberal by name) were super corrupt (head of party resigned in shame) and most people agree are doing a bad job, were re-elected. Why? They ran on the platform of creating more industry jobs, ignoring the effects of climate change, and selling off resources to china which they say will make us and our children rich.
Unless the housing market collapses, and takes the broader economy with it, before the next election, the conservatives will most likely win again. There are many theories as to why this is, but the fact is people have been led to believe that the government having closer ties to business equals a better economy. Thanks in no small part to the shit ton of propaganda (economic action plan = propping up construction sector) that reinforces this belief and glosses over reality. Science is facts, and the conservatives hate fact based policy. They base policy on ideology and authoritarianism. Its stupid and backwards, but thats been the state of canada since 2006.
As a potential lottery winner, I totally support tax cuts for the wealthy
While I'm no great fan of Harper, that might have something to do with being in a global depression where every government is trying to borrow and spend their way out. Take a look at how much the national debt has exploded in other Western nations.
in favor of their own clear and true vision of paisley pink skies and money trees in the gardens of "job creators."
facts frequently are at odds with their vision/religion.
I use the terms "fact" and :"science" here in the dictionary sense, that which has been proven through rigorous and repetitive testing and discovery.
falling off your barstool after a night of swilling "Old Reaganomics" and getting an epiphany, or something, when your butt hits the tiles is not a fact.
if this is supposed to be a new economy, how come they still want my old fashioned money?
Bingo. Eisenhower warned about the Military-Industrial Complex, but everyone seems to forget his other warning in the same speech about the government-science complex.
At least 90% of the results I see from government-funded 'science' look to be a total waste of my tax dollars.
The other 10% form the foundation of our economy. Most of them were unintentional. Which is why anyone who responds with the above just looks like an uninformed fool.
a handful of selfish greedy people are no match for millions of selfish, greedy people -u4ya
Yeah, let private industry do their own wild life and fish surveys and use the data to self regulate. What could go wrong?
Coast Guard stations do not do fishery data collection. Especially down town rescue stations in a busy port.
So if any one is off their rocker it would be the person claiming the closure of this station was anti-science.
Sig Battery depleted. Reverting to safe mode.
What BS. Nobody has ever been jailed for failing to fill out the long-form census. It was mandatory and there were potential fines and jailtime in place, but if you go looking, basically nobody ever runs afoul of the laws. The census people just come and talk to you and help you fill out the form.
That participation is vital. As a result of not having it be mandatory this year, we now have big chunks of data that have to be completely thrown out. Something like 40% of municipalities in Saskatchewan have no relevant data this year. It's criminal. How do you make decisions in a country without data to base it on?
There's never been a freedom problem with the census. It's a red herring that the Conservatives used to tenuously justify a move so absurd, the head statistician of Statistics Canada felt it was his moral obligation to step down in protest.
An accurate census is fundamental to any government that's interested in actually governing. Without it, all your decisions are just shots in the dark. You can't set any metrics that determine success, because you don't even know what problems you're supposed to be solving anymore.
There are other reasons why the Conservative Party got that majority; it would be an exaggeration to say we elected them.
Bio questions? Ask me to start a Q&A journal. Computer analogies available for most topics!
They just might not get the funding taken forcefully taken from everyone's pocket book to fund their research.
Oh boy, you're one of those types that think taxes are equivalent to jackboot thugs raping your daughter. This is going to go all sorts of fun places.
But no, it IS a war on science. The Canadian government has a lot of ways they can decide what to do. They can get a public vote, they can go with their gut, or they can ask an expert. You know, like a scientist. If they decide to get rid of that portion of their organization it's like they're waging war on that fundamental. If they, somehow, worked towards ignoring everything the populace wanted them to do, we'd say they were waging a war on democracy.
It's like if a programming firm decided to axe their QA department, you could say they "waged a war on testing".
What about the mandatory long form census. Do you wonder where that data comes from? From threats and violence against citizens.
How can you sit there and hyperbole like this and claim it's not a war on science? Are you the chosen one who is solely allowed to exaggerate?
Listen, there's this form, you have to fill it out. Do your civic duty otherwise there is a fine. Yeah, yeah, paperwork is a pain in the ass, but it's not the end of the world. And it's not jackboot Nazi thugs breaking down your door.
Considering scientists have become advocates of specific policies and ideologies instead of simply doing research, I'm in favor of defunding them as well. If all scientists did was provide the data on things like the fishery or global warming, more power to them. The moment they come in support of carbon taxes or any kind of policy, they are not doing science any longer.
When the science is screaming that the boss is screwing over generation of fishers just to get a couple of tax dollars, and it's your job to go do that science, you'd become an advocate too.
The longer you live in old age, the greater healthcare costs.
Scientists don't like to point that out because they have souls. You're literally suggesting we should let people die from health complications when they're young. Because it's expensive to take care of them in old age. Whoa dude. Whoa.
This is actually kind of an issue. The "hard truths" have a hard time getting publication and circulation because people, well, don't want to be evil. But since we're talking about policy here, I'm actually ok with the darker facts of life not being implemented. I mean, the euthanasia/eugenics/forced-sterilization crowd don't need much encouragement before they go all crazy. They're kinda already there.
Scientists being on the government payroll and being involved in politics has ruined any notion of objective science.
As opposed to being on the corporate payroll?
Or do you have unyielding faith in the scientists of academia?
Good science ain't cheap, and someone has to pay. Or you can live in ignorance (which is often more expensive).
There is a war on science and we're going to fight you.
I support the right to bear arms, as well as the right for a woman to have an abortion. I support the Death Penalty (in some circumstances), and I also support assistance for those that need it. I support gay marriage, and I also support the Free Market. I support the freedom OF religion, as well as the freedom FROM religion.
Strange. I don't seem to fit into either category.
People are different - politicians or no, you're going to have liars and hypocrites along with those that actually try to make the world a better place. The problem is that the actual JOB of being a politician puts you in a position to be surrounded by a toxic environment the from before you actually get elected. That kind of toxicity is tough to wash off, and the deeper you get immersed into the political culture, the harder it is to reverse course. The path of least resistance involves letting other people make decisions for you, and those people have no scruples.
Sounds like you are a moderate democrat. If you see yourself as a moderate conservative, then sure, but your congressmen represent people far to the right of you. Most democrats ignore radical liberals. (e.g., those who believe everyone should be vegetarian.)
Like all pain, suffering is a signal that something isn't right
Or maybe the idea of labeling someone according to a very broad group of beliefs is flawed.
Nah...can't possibly be - we've been doing it for thousands of years and it seems to be working out really well for us.