Canadian scientists protest federal government

[BelieveNothing]

Canadian scientists in white lab coats protest federal government muzzling, funding cuts




OTTAWA - Hundreds of frustrated scientists clad in their telltale white lab coats descended Monday on Parliament Hill to demand that the Harper government stop muzzling scientists and cutting research funding.

"What do we want? Evidence-based decision-making!" chanted the protesters as they gathered in the shadow of the Peace Tower, complaining about what they see as the government's efforts to commercialize research.

The very fact that such a typically apolitical group felt the need to make their voices heard speaks volumes, said Jeremy Kerr, a biology professor at the University of Ottawa.

"As a commentary on the state of affairs, when people like me start showing up wearing their lab coats having come from their laboratories, things are pretty bleak," Kerr told the crowd.

The fundamental message is "simplicity itself," Kerr said: "Sound policy needs sound science."

"The facts do not change just because the Harper government has chosen ignorance over evidence and ideology over honesty."

Continued:

http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/ ... story.html

[Captain Awesome]

Good thing they're wearing lab coats. Otherwise who'd know they're scientists.

[BelieveNothing]

http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?opt ... mival=8609

[BelieveNothing]

Muzzling Canadian scientists

University of Victoria law student Clayton Greenwood has just published a report on the federal government's policy of restricting scientists from talking to the media.

http://www.cbc.ca/player/Radio/Local+Sh ... 369049257/

[BelieveNothing]

Scientists reportedly muzzled by Ottawa

A former federal researcher with Environment Canada tells CBC the government is muzzling scientists like her.

http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/ID/237302 ... =8&sort=Mo

[logicalview]

I liked this part:

The group argues that evidence-based decision-making must inform governmental funding decisions on science. They say current funding has instead shifted towards commercialization of research.

"They want us to put aside what we're doing and shift our efforts towards industry and to force us to do that they shift their money towards earmarked projects," said Bela Joos, a University of Ottawa physics professor.

LOL! Translation - the government wants us to focus on projects that may have some relevance and hope of paying back the taxpayers money that we entitled boneheads just expect them to fork over to us whenever we want it, to do whatever we want. They are actually scrutinizing what we are doing and how we are spending the money instead of in the past, just giving us the money and letting us do whatever we wanted. That's just not fair!!! WAAAAAAAA!!! We're spoiled entitled babies!!!! WAAAAAAA!!!

[logicalview]

Muzzling Canadian scientists

University of Victoria law student Clayton Greenwood has just published a report on the federal government's policy of restricting scientists from talking to the media.

http://www.cbc.ca/player/Radio/Local+Sh ... 369049257/

why do these boneheads need to talk to the media? Who cares?

[BelieveNothing]

[SmokeOnTheWater]

But the Conservatives have slashed funding for climate research, closed climate-research facilities, cut research on climate adaptation, reduced or eliminated funding to maintain archives of climate data, restricted online access to federally funded climate studies, and stopped federal climate scientists from talking about their research without advance political approval.

http://desmog.ca/2013/08/22/are-oil-sands-distorting-canada-s-economy

[BelieveNothing]

why do these boneheads need to talk to the media? Who cares?

I care.

[BelieveNothing]

But the Conservatives have slashed funding for climate research, closed climate-research facilities, cut research on climate adaptation, reduced or eliminated funding to maintain archives of climate data, restricted online access to federally funded climate studies, and stopped federal climate scientists from talking about their research without advance political approval.

http://desmog.ca/2013/08/22/are-oil-sands-distorting-canada-s-economy

I can understand why the government would be cutting any funding for climate change research as they do not want research indicating that the government, among other corps. are the ones creating climate change.

It does not matter which party is in office, in the end the parties are all the same party, the different parties are only in existence to give the illusion of choice. We do not have any choice.

Liberals or conservatives, it matters not.

[fluffy]

I can understand why the government would be cutting any funding for climate change research as they do not want research indicating that the government, among other corps. are the ones creating climate change.

Let's keep this in perspective, the government and corporations are not creating climate change, they are facilitating the over-consumption that you and I help fuel every time we turn the key in our vehicle, flip the on switch on any number electronic conveniences, or load our shopping carts with cheap off-shore products on the way to the till.

[logicalview]

But the Conservatives have slashed funding for climate research, closed climate-research facilities, cut research on climate adaptation, reduced or eliminated funding to maintain archives of climate data, restricted online access to federally funded climate studies, and stopped federal climate scientists from talking about their research without advance political approval.

http://desmog.ca/2013/08/22/are-oil-sands-distorting-canada-s-economy

Even before you posted the above, I had a sneaking suspicion that this "protest" was about really only one thing, government funded scientists crying about how they want the rivers of government money pouring into the AGW fraud to be increased even more. Turns out I was probably right. I watched the CBC news story, and with their typical shoddy journalism when it comes to covering lunatic leftist protests, they did little background on what the real agenda of these shysters was. I would bet of the "hundreds of scientists" that the CBC reported being in attendance, there were few actual scientists, and many Church of Global Warming zealots and fund-raising enviro-shysters dressed in white coats masquerading as scientists. The CBC would never tell us this of course. This is why we need other media outlets in this country,to give us the real story, instead of the manufactured leftist version we always get from the CBC.

Kudos to the government for wanting to spend our tax dollars on actual commercialization of research. Every penny of our money thrown down the endless black hole of "man made climate change" is completely and utterly wasted.

[logicalview]

I care.

If it's nothing but crying about how they want even more cash for "research" on global warming then I really wish they would shut up, and research something that would actually benefit mankind, like curing cancer or diabetes. Those are real issues, while AGW is a fairy tale.

[c2c]

“why do these boneheads need to talk to the media? Who cares?”

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/22/opini ... .html?_r=0

EDITORIAL | NOTEBOOK
Silencing Scientists
By VERLYN KLINKENBORG
Published: September 21, 2013

Over the last few years, the government of Canada — led by Stephen Harper — has made it harder and harder for publicly financed scientists to communicate with the public and with other scientists.

It began badly enough in 2008 when scientists working for Environment Canada, the federal agency, were told to refer all queries to departmental communications officers. Now the government is doing all it can to monitor and restrict the flow of scientific information, especially concerning research into climate change, fisheries and anything to do with the Alberta tar sands — source of the diluted bitumen that would flow through the controversial Keystone XL pipeline. Journalists find themselves unable to reach government scientists; the scientists themselves have organized public protests.

There was trouble of this kind here in the George W. Bush years, when scientists were asked to toe the party line on climate policy and endangered species. But nothing came close to what is being done in Canada. Science is the gathering of hypotheses and the endless testing of them. It involves checking and double-checking, self-criticism and a willingness to overturn even fundamental assumptions if they prove to be wrong. But none of this can happen without open communication among scientists. This is more than an attack on academic freedom. It is an attempt to guarantee public ignorance.

It is also designed to make sure that nothing gets in the way of the northern resource rush — the feverish effort to mine the earth and the ocean with little regard for environmental consequences. The Harper policy seems designed to make sure that the tar sands project proceeds quietly, with no surprises, no bad news, no alarms from government scientists. To all the other kinds of pollution the tar sands will yield, we must now add another: the degradation of vital streams of research and information.