INFORMATION COMMISSIONER INVESTIGATING MUZZLING OF SCIENTISTS BY FEDS

Today's Waterloo Region Record carrys this story "Watchdog to probe scientist "muzzling". The complaints to Commissioner Suzanne Legault were filed by Democracy Watch as well as by the Environmental Law Centre at the University of Victoria. The complaints allege information "...is impeded by government policies, practices or guidelines that restrict or prohibit government scientists from speaking with the media and the Canadian public.". The executive director of UVic's law centre said "...their research into suppressed science revealed both the wide scope of the practice and that it "represents a significant departure " in government practice over the last five to seven years.". Furthermore our federal Conservative government "...has been accused of silencing scientists on a number of subjects, particularily environmental science, since the Conservatives came to power in 2006.".

Our local M.P. from Cambridge Gary Goodyear who is the minister of state for science and technology provided an e-mail denying any such muzzling.