By Edmonton Journal, 23 September 2015

The firing of federal scientists who voice concerns about national parks has instilled a “deep fear” across departments in the civil service, more than 100 former Parks Canada employees warn in an open letter.

The unprecedented missive, released Wednesday and signed by 118 former Parks Canada managers and employees, adds fuel to the controversy about the muzzling of federal scientists by the Harper government.

By The Huffington Post Canada, 18 September 2015

The president of CBC/Radio-Canada says public broadcasters are caught in a “vicious circle” of budget cuts and service reductions that threaten their continued existence.

He said public broadcasters have been too slow to react to changing technologies and a changing political environment.

The Conservative government slashed the CBC’s public subsidy starting with the 2012 budget, reducing the broadcaster’s $1-billion annual subsidy by $115 million.

By Canadian Journalists for Free Expression, 14 September 2015

The undersigned organizations have issued a joint letter to the major political parties in Canada calling on them to make concrete commitments to reform Canada’s access to information system.

A strong access to information system is vital to maintaining a healthy democracy. The public has the right to obtain the information it needs to participate meaningfully in the democratic process, while also holding Canada’s public officials and Members of Parliaments accountable. The current system is failing Canadians.

By Ottawa Citizen, 27 August 2015

Tony Turner, a scientist in habitat planning at Environment Canada, was recently sent home on leave with pay while the government investigates the making of Harperman, a music video posted on YouTube in early June that has attracted about 48,000 hits.

The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada, which represents federal scientists, said the union was representing Turner. It said he was put on leave pending the outcome of the probe into allegations that he violated the ethics code by writing and performing a political protest song.

By Lethbridge Herald, 25 August 2015

For more than a century, Lethbridge researchers have been spurring improvements for Canada’s farmers. Over that time, they’ve created a wealth of reports and studies while working at the city’s Agriculture and Agri-Food Research Centre.

But last week, much of that material was consigned to a dumpster under orders from Ottawa. The Lethbridge centre has become the 16th casualty of a Conservative government war against science, according to the federal scientists’ professional organization.

Since 2010, we have published more than 110 case studies that ‘connect the dots,’ showing a pattern of actions by the federal government to silence critics, stifle debate, diminish knowledge, and dodge accountability.

In Dismantling Democracy: Stifling debate and dissent in Canada, we document the abuse of parliamentary rules, the intimidation of public servants, and the defunding and intimidation of organizations that hold views at odds with the government.