Enviro Law Clinic asks for investigation of government muzzling of scientists

Waterkeeper has reported on government rollbacks many times. Lack of good science in decision making is of major concern. Here's an article by Crawford Kilian about the Environmental Law Clinic at the University of Victoria's investigation into muzzling of federal scientists on issues of environmental concern.

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The Environmental Law Clinic at the University of Victoria has published its request to the Information Commissioner of Canada, asking for an investigation of the muzzling of federal scientists, including a report detailing numerous cases in which either researchers were silenced or their findings were kept from the media.

In its letter of transmittal to Information Commissioner Suzanne Legault, the ELC wrote:

We request that you initiate an investigation under s. 30(1)(f) of the Access to Information Act into the systematic efforts by the Government of Canada to obstruct the right of the media – and through them, the Canadian public -- to timely access to government scientists. We ask you to take this step because of the deeply troubling findings in the attached report, Muzzling Civil Servants: A Threat to Democracy.The letter summarizes a number of cases involving scientists in Fisheries and Oceans, Natural Resources, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, the Department of National Defence, and Environment Canada who were kept from speaking with media, or whose findings had to be filtered through media-relations officials before being released to reporters -- often long after their deadlines had passed.

Enviro Law Clinic asks for investigation of government muzzling of scientists | The Hook.