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Scientists Keep Sending Stephen Harper Hate Mail

Yet another group of pissed off scientists is confronting Harper about his questionable scientific record.
A 2006 protest against Harper. Image: ItzAFineDay/Flickr

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is receiving more hate mail from a collective of scientists from around the world who have signed onto a letter openly criticizing his record of muzzling state scientists.

"As scientists outside of Canada committed to international cooperation in confronting threats to the planet and human health," said the letter from the Union of Concerned Scientists, "we urge you to remove excessive and burdensome restrictions and barriers to scientific communication and collaboration faced by Canadian government scientists."

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The organization, which counts scientific professionals from all over the US and abroad as members, is taking exception to the Harper government's policy of preventing journalists from contacting federal scientists eager to speak out against things like climate change.

Related: Canada Is Drastically Cutting Environmental Research

"Meeting today's complex environmental and public health challenges requires the full participation of scientists around the globe," said the open letter.

The foreign scientists also say the "rapid decline in freedoms and funding extended to Canadian government scientists" is making it nearly impossible to "continue research, communicate scientific information and expertise," and collaborate internationally with other scientists.

Besides increasing government funding of the sciences, the letter ends with the union urging Harper to restore Canada's global leadership in environmental research and other sciences, because that reputation "is in jeopardy."

we urge you to remove excessive and burdensome restrictions and barriers to scientific communication and collaboration

The letter is in collaboration with the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada that represents thousands of pissed off federal scientists: 91 per cent of whom PIPSC claims, think the rule of Harper has been detrimental to Canada's scientific record. It's also no coincidence the union rolled out this letter during the Government of Canada's Science and Technology week.

It's safe to say the letter is now part and parcel of a growing tradition of scientific hatred for the embattled Canadian Prime Minister. In May, Canadian scientists confronted Harper with a petition against the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline connecting Alberta's oil fields to the coast of British Columbia, citing the potential environmental disaster in the event of an oil spill.

Before that, back in 2013, Canadian scientists became so disillusioned with rampant cuts and governmental muzzling, they stormed Parliament Hill in Ottawa clad in white lab coats, protesting in the thousands.

In other words, just as the Alberta tar sands development grinds on and climate change heats the globe, Harper can also count on global and domestic criticism from the scientific community—muzzling or not.