Canadian group protests the 'politicization of science'

TheStar.com - Canadian group protests the 'politicization of science':

"A group of scientists is urging Canada's campaigning political leaders to take action on what they call 'the mistreatment of science.'

An open letter to the five party leaders bears 85 signatures from a group calling itself Canadian Scientists Against the Politicization of Science.

'I think people are very concerned that we cannot have an educated, evidence-based discussion in the current environment,' Dr. Julio Montaner, director of the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV-AIDS and president of the International AIDS Society, said in an interview Thursday from Vancouver.

'Whenever you say something that it doesn't match the purely political biases of the landlord, you are in trouble.'

The scientists highlighted some of their concerns, including the closing of the office of the national science adviser, 'political appointments' to the board of Assisted Human Reproduction Canada and the firing of the head of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission.

In addition, the group said there has been misrepresentation of climate change science and muzzling of Environment Canada scientists."

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"Scientists of all disciplines have been faced with examples where the government has chosen ideology over scientific process," Weaver said in a statement.

"We can no longer stand idle while ideology trumps scientific proof," Hwang added.