Information Cleansing, Canadian Style

[rodeodance]

http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=34363
Information Cleansing, Canadian Style
Bill Berkowitz*

OAKLAND, California, Aug 16 (IPS) - If you're a teacher, student, journalist or just a plain concerned citizen interested in finding well-researched documentation about climate change, you can no longer depend on the Canadian government to supply that information.

According to Canada's Liberal Party, since early July, the country's government -- under conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper -- has been systematically scrubbing its websites of information regarding global warming and the Kyoto Protocol treaty to curb greenhouse gas emissions.

(As of Wednesday, Aug. 16, when you visit the government of Canada's Climate Change website, http://www.climatechange.gc.ca/, you find the following message: "The Government of Canada Climate Change site is currently unavailable.")

Despite its relatively short time in office, the Harper government has been repeatedly accused of following the lead of the George W. Bush administration in the United States.

Now, it appears it has taken up the Bush administration's habit of mixing science and politics by purposefully expunging information from federal websites dealing with climate change and its ramifications. In addition, in designing its new "Made in Canada" plan to deal with the environment and global warming -- a plan due to be unveiled in October -- government officials are working in secrecy and without significant participation from environmental organisations. .........

[Lisa]

1. I also noticed that one of their links on the health impacts

... of global warming, leads to a decade-old pro-business US think tank's report which claimed that there didn't seem to be cause for concern for increased mortality, etc. -- this was written a couple of years after hundreds died in that Chicago heat wave.

A couple of my friends, who worked for the Canadian feds on climate change research, have been laid off.

[Monk06]

2. No worries, Harper is toast. The only reason the Cons in Canada

are at the helm is that the Liberals are without
a leader. Ignatiev when he becomes the leader of
the Grits will kick Harper's lungs out of his
chest.

Historically the Tories have never been a national
party. His (Harper's)anti gay agenda will not play in
Quebec, where 86% are on the record as in favor of
gay equal rights.

When the Liberals elect a new leader Gilles Duceppe
will quickly fall behind.

Harper is not a national leader. He is a Western
Torie in the mold of the 'harrumphing' Diefenbaker
and Clark.

His days are numbered. The countdown begins.