By Rupinder Kaur

Ottawa

This kind of censorship and bullying is worrisome to me and quite frankly, very unacceptable, especially in the field of science. As a Canadian taxpayer, my money is paying for research carried out by federal scientists and I want their findings to be public, accessible and debated – not hidden or buried if it conflicts with the Conservatives’ agenda or ideology.

I have noticed an increasing number of protests happening against the various actions of Stephen Harper’s Conservatives. They included various groups and communities like students and women. A few weeks ago, I saw hundreds of doctors and health-care practitioners arrive on Parliament Hill, demanding the Conservative government reverse its cuts to refugee health care because they felt it’s inhumane to take away basic health care services from vulnerable people fleeing violence from other countries as they seek refuge in Canada.

This week’s protest was organized by Canada’s scientific community, condemning the Conservatives’ attacks against science.

They called their protest the “Death of Evidence” rally and highlighted two major trends – the dramatic cuts to scientific institutions and the muzzling of researchers. It has come to light that since Conservatives came to power, independent scientists are often barred from even talking to the media or general public without obtaining consent from the Prime Minister’s office. I have also heard news reports about how scientists were assigned a staff member from the Prime Minister’s office to shadow and follow them during a conference so they wouldn’t speak to the media without their knowledge or approval.

This kind of censorship and bullying is worrisome to me and quite frankly, very unacceptable, especially in the field of science. As a Canadian taxpayer, my money is paying for research carried out by federal scientists and I want their findings to be public, accessible and debated – not hidden or buried if it conflicts with the Conservatives’ agenda or ideology.

Currently, there are reckless cuts being made to research programs that will impact the environment. Organizations that are being targeted by the Conservatives include Environment Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and National Research Council Canada. These are important groups, conducting important research – slashing their funding is dangerous when we need reliable science and data to combat climate change.

The “Death of Evidence” will force us to make irresponsible decisions without valuable research, examinations and studies. If Stephen Harper and his Conservatives continue to be short-sighted and put their ideologies before reason and logic, we’re in big trouble down the road.

 RupinderKaur is the press secretary of New Democratic Party of Canada.