The ruling Conservative party of Canada under the leadership of Prime Minister Stephen Harper are well known for silencing scientists, cutting funding for environmental research, and gutting environmental oversight. However, their latest attempt to suppress government research on the rapid loss of sea ice in the Arctic has plunged them to a new low.
Conservative ministers are now prohibiting Canadian Ice Services (CIS) from disclosing their research findings. CIS scientists have been denied the right to hold a “strictly factual” press briefing on the catastrophic loss of northern ice. Under the Harper governments new rules CIS and other government researchers must secure nine levels of government approval. The latest attempt to share information paid for by the Canadian taxpayer has been vetoed at the sixth ministerial level.
The Ice loss in the Arctic has implications for global weather patterns. Most recently it has been linked to the drought in California.
The fact that a national government prevents its own scientists from reporting information that has grave global consequences is cynical politically motivated climate denial. The Conservative’s goal is to withhold information that can impede their efforts to recklessly extract climate change causing fossil fuels, particularly the tar sands.
As the temperature keeps climbing around and in the Arctic in particular the Harper government’s actions are represent a danger to Canadians, and the whole of human civilization.
© 2014, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.
Related Articles
Canada’s Provincial and Territorial Governments Draft Principles for a Clean Energy Strategy
Historic Canadian Supreme Court Ruling Dis-Empowers Fossil Fuel Industry
A Not So Happy Canada Day for the Environment
Good News for the Environment on Canada Day
Canadian Conservatives Undermine Democracy and Environmental Protections
Canada’s Conservatives Downgrade Humpback Protection to Move Forward with the Northern Gateway Pipeline
The Merits of Carbon Pricing in B.C.
Top Canadian Environmental Defense Issues in 2013
Harper Government’s Tragic Environmental Record is Cause for National Shame
The Tar Sands Have Higher Emissions Profiles than Previously Thought
Increases in Tar Sands Production Will Guarantee the Worst Impacts of Climate Change
The Tar Sands and IEA’s Three Climate Change Scenarios
Conservative Convention Ignores the Environmental Abuses of Harper and His Government
Scientists and Activists Hold US Press Conference on Conservatives’ Tar Sands Agenda
Canada’s Ruling Conservatives at War with Science
Canadian Conservatives Cut Research Funding but Spend on Fossil Fuel Pipeline
Taxpayers Money to Promote Fossil Fuels Brought to you by Canada’s Ruling Federal Conservatives
Canadian Government Uses Security Agencies to Target Environmental Opposition
Canadian Energy Espionage in Support of the Tar Sands
Video – The Tar Sands Give Canada the Worst Climate Record in the Western World
Canadian Implications of Obama’s National Climate Strategy
Leading Canadian Economist to Tell Europeans about the Climate Impacts of the Tar Sands
Climate Scientists’ Urge Canadian Minister to Back-off Expanded Fossil Fuel Production
Canada to Fight EU Proposal Labeling Tar Sands as Dirty
Canada’s Ruling Conservatives Take Another Swipe at Environmental Protections
Canada is Banking on Carbon Capture to Offset Tar Sands
Enbridge withdraws from Canada’s Carbon Capture Farce
Canada at Odds with US and China on Climate Change
Canada’s Leader of the Official Opposition on the Keystone XL Pipeline
Canada’s Hopes for an Environmentally Friendly Federal Leadership Now Rest with Justin Trudeau
Report Urges Canada’s Federal Conservatives to Regulate Oil and Gas Sector to Meet GHG Targets
Canadian Conservative Minister Attacks Climate Scientist
Canada Withdraws from UN Efforts to Combat Desertification
Canada Pulls out of Kyoto
Canada is an Environmental Pariah at Rio+20
Canada’s Ruling Conservatives are Trying to Silence American Scientists
Canada’s Ruling Conservatives Muzzle Scientists
Canadian Conservatives Silence Opposition to the Northern Gateway Oil Pipeline
Canadian Conservatives Admit to Killing Environmental Dissent
Conservative Budget Guts the Environment
Canadian Government Spending on Dirty Projects
Canada is a Dirty Energy Superpower
Canada has the Dirtiest Oil on Earth (Video)
Report: Canadian Government is Not Helping Business Prepare for Climate Change
Report: Canadian Businesses are Unprepared for Climate Change
Merkel and Harper: Two Opposing Energy Visions
Canada’s GHG Ranking
Canada’s Green Provincial Report Card
Action to Defend Canada’s West Coast from Big Oil
