Access denied: Party leaders respond to CSWA letter

Earlier this week, the CSWA posted an open letter to the federal party leaders. We documented cases where journalists had been denied interviews with government scientists to speak about their research. CBC picked up the story and received a response from Marc Garneau, Liberal candidate for Westmount-Ville-Marie and the Liberal critic for industry.

[T]hings would change under a Liberal government for the majority of topics that don’t pose privacy or security risks.

“We would remove the gag order that’s been put on our scientists,” he said. “We believe that a healthy civil service should allows its scientists to speak as long as they don’t get into policy.”

We’ll add the responses from the other party leaders below as they come in.

Media Release, April 27, 2011

Elizabeth May pledges to take the muzzle off government scientists
Responding to an open letter from the Canadian Science Writers’ Association (CSWA), Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party, pledged her support for ending the undemocratic practices that have muzzled Canadian government scientists under the Conservative government.

“This is an issue dear to my heart. The foundation of sound policy, especially on critical issues like climate change, must be rooted in publicly-funded science,” said Ms. May. “Canadian federal scientists and researchers are doing stellar work in the public’s interest, and people deserve to know about it. As an elected MP, I pledge to make scientific information free again.”

In an open letter to federal party leaders, the CSWA details specific cases where government scientists have been prevented from discussing results of research they are conducting, and journalists have been blocked from interviewing government scientists. Time and tax dollars are being wasted on byzantine approval and screening processes as communications officers in Ottawa must draft “media lines” for every request.

“Canadians pay for this research with their tax dollars, and they benefit from the results. They have a right to know without the information being filtered through layers of censors and spin doctors,” said Ms. May. “Our federal researchers are dealing with critical issues involving our health, our food supply, and the environment we live in. Hiding that work behind a veil of Nixonian secrecy is both undemocratic and harmful to the public good.”

Today prominent Canadian scientists including Nobel-winners Dr. Andrew Weaver and Dr. M.J. Apps endorsed the candidacy of Elizabeth May in Saanich-Gulf Islands.
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