By Mark Taliano
For years now, the federal government has been muzzling, de-funding, and laying off scientists, librarians, archivists, statisticians, and researchers in its efforts to vacate government involvement in core research, and to shift its focus to industry’s-specific needs.
There are three granting councils that allocate federal funding for research in Canada: the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council (NSERC), and the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR). In constant dollars, from 2007through 2013, base funding for SSHR has decreased by 10.1 per cent; funding for NSERC has decreased by 6.4 per cent; and funding for CIHR has decreased by 7.5 per cent. Meanwhile, NSERC funding aimed at “company-specific” problems has increased (between 2001 and 2012) by 1,178 per cent, while success rates for CIHR grants has dropped by 61 per cent.
The government rationale for the de-funding and transfer of funding is that tax payer-funded research should serve the needs of industry. However, the shift in focus corrupts core research by creating research parameters that compromise thorough examinations of any given hypothesis or premise.
While these restrictions serve the government’s agenda to create an unimpeded/streamlined environment for both industry and government ideology, they endanger the public. Core research that interferes with the government/corporate agenda (but sometimes negatively impacts public health and safety) is discarded or suppressed, while narrowly focused research that doesn’t contradict corporate government messaging is rewarded.
Public dangers inherent in this strategy of information suppression and distortion are not always tangible, but they are toxic nonetheless.
Consider first the federal government’s de-funding of the internationally acclaimed Experimental Lakes Area in Kenora, ON, (constituency of Canada’s recently appointed Minister of State for Science and Technology, Mr. Greg Rickford.) The only plausible explanation for such a closure would be that its findings would likely serve as an impediment to reckless resource extraction.
Instead of addressing challenges such as the effect of crude spills on water, or the impact of air pollutants on an ecosystem, the government chooses to deny that the problems exist, or to minimize their impacts. Both strategies of evasion (deny or minimize) are enabled in the absence of core scientific data, but the problems remain and the impacts on the environment, including humans, are perpetuated.
The track-record of the pharmaceutical industry also serves to highlight the dangers of industry-specific scientific research.
The tragedy of Vioxx is a case in point.
In its rush to secure a new patent for a new product, the international pharmaceutical company Merck rejected studies on the cardio-vascular risk of its new arthritis and pain drug, Vioxx (rofecoxib), and introduced it prematurely to the general public, in 1999. The drug contributed to an estimated 88,000-140,000 excess cases of serious heart disease, of which close to half would have resulted in fatalities, before it was withdrawn from the market on September 30, 2004
In Canada, the drug caused from 4,000-7,000 deaths.
Corporate corruption of science is not a new phenomenon. For decades, scientists employed by Big Tobacco successfully created unreasonable doubt about the safety of their products. Their distorted findings, as we now know, were to the detriment of the public.
The same dynamics are at play with global warming.
Industry-funded global warming “scientists”, unqualified to make pronouncements on global warming, and unimpeded by the rigors of submitting their work for peer-review, have created unreasonable doubt about man-made global warming. Consequently, they have impeded efforts to responsibly address what is likely the largest threat to humanity.
The Harper government’s decision to cancel the Long Form Census (LFC) is another example of the suppression of core evidence. A thorough census such as the (LFC) produces a detailed and accurate picture of Canada’s demographics. Normally, such data is crucial for creating evidence-based policy; however, the comprehensiveness of the data reveals unwanted information. For example, currently there are about 4.2 million people living in poverty in Canada. Once poverty issues are no longer statistically verifiable, they will no longer need to be thoroughly addressed. Not surprisingly, Canada does not have a national anti-poverty strategy.
Core historical/social science -oriented research — another area targeted for cuts –is vital for a nation’s self-awareness. Without such awareness, a government can create alternate narratives at will, that may be to the detriment of the public.
For example, we are currently being assaulted with what Naomi Klein calls an “extractivist” mind-set, where core Canadian values are being treated as “overburden” (the derogatory term used by extractors to describe the trees, earth, and ecosystems that are excavated and destroyed before the tar or minerals are exposed).
Additionally, our Republican-inspired governance rejects — through Omnibus legislation — constitutionally guaranteed rights of First Nations to prior consultation, consent, and accommodation for development projects that impact treaties and unceded territories.
As author Anthony James Hall explains in “Flanagan’s Last Stand?” , the government has a duty to recognize and affirm aboriginal and treaty rights, but instead it denies and negates these rights as stated in Section 35 of the Canadian Constitution Act, 1982.
Furthermore, explains Hall, the Harper government’s “USAcentric” view of North American history ignores the Canadian reality of the Royal Proclamation of 1763 which guarantees the Crown’s protection of the Aboriginal and treaty rights of Britain’s First Nations allies who, along with the British, successfully repelled American efforts to annex Canada during the War of 1812.
Core understandings of Canada’s history and its juridical commitments are foundational elements upon which we can rely to combat falsified government narratives whose barely-hidden agenda is the termination of First Nation reserves and cultural protections in favour of corporate extractivism.
The censuring, muzzling, de-funding of Canada’s knowledge base works as a cancer that undermines public safety, health and welfare, as well as our societal pluralism, self-determination, and sovereignty.
Out first step in combating this assault is continued awareness.
Mark Taliano is a Niagara, Ontario resident and regular contributor of news and analysis to Niagara At Large.
(Niagara At Large invites you to join in the conversation by sharing your views on the content of this post below. For reasons of transparency and promoting civil dialogue, NAL only posts comments from individuals who share their first and last name with their views.)
Niagara At Large 
I am forwarding this page to others who share our concern for the “corruption of science” which Taliano speaks to. Not just scientists, librarians, and archivists have lost their jobs, but chief government statisticians on whom we rely for accurate, unbiased data. The Harper government also collected 1921 census data from academic scientists across Canada, to provide taxpayers with accurate data through Library and Archives Canada.. We were to receive this last May 1st, as legislated, but Harper delayed it until August, when, surprise! they informed us they had sold the data to a private billionaire U.S. firm, Ancestry.com, and we peons could have free access to our taxpayer funded data for a limited time only. It just goes on and on, the corruption of data collection paid for by us all.
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I noticed this as well when I was doing some genealogy work on my family. Wondered why this was since we taxpayers had already paid for the data. Harper is decimating our country even though we often don’t realize it. His secretive bait and switch lying and conniving government needs to go. And fast.
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I’m sure there is a kernel of truth to the the “corruption of science” theory.
Some of the charges made are downright frightening if true.
However, there is a co-problem – the politicization of science.
It is unclear what drives the antipathy that certain “conservatives” appear to hold towards legitimate scientists. But I have witnessed the the same distrust of science in the University system, complete with punitive sanction, by the “left”, especially if to conflicts with their agenda.
Science by definition is questioning, sceptical, and lays out a theory for validation. Once PROVEN, it either is or is not, consensus not-with-standing. Science by definition must never be populist or consensus driven.
Perhaps the antipathy is towards “scienticians”, who use their legitimate standing in one discipline to pontificate, proselytize, indeed wax political, in areas outside of their expertise, clearly an abuse of their privileged status.
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As bad as Harper is, can you compare his (federal Conservative government) to the Ontario Liberals?
These people have STOLEN billions of dollars to either win an election or to give to their friends in the public sector unions who vote them in power.
Harper is a clown, no doubt, and he is no conservative. But his misdeeds pale in comparison to the destruction the Ontario Liberals have imposed upon the private sector in Ontario.
I’m waiting for an article on this site highlighting all the corruption, nepotism, bribery and outright criminal behavior that the Wynne-McGuinty liberals have engaged in. Who cares about a census when there is no private sector to count.
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Fred: I concede the provincial Liberals under McGuinty, in some ways, could be comparable. The article is about federal matters though. Further, if we agree that the Harper government is despicable, we should be able to agree that a Hudack government would follow the same patterns and if fact do provide a platform that is similar to Harper. The planet is caught in a bind no matter what party is in power. The real issue of our time is the continued rush to free trade agreements that cater to things (products and services) at the expense of human beings.
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Fred
It seems you are unjustly pointing your finger at Mr. Draper and each time you have a beef of some kind or other you are “WAITING” for this gentleman to fall in line and write up this greed and entitlement philosophy that seems to have taken over not only Ontario but it seems all the world.
If Doug were to consider writing up every misdeed, thievery, malfeasance and the list goes on and on that occurs in Canada and Yes! in Ontario as well…He would be crippled with writers cramps as 24 hours a day would certainly not be enough to cover all. The Liberals or should we just call them the “Ontario Special Interest Party” have fallen into the pit of colossal greed and entitlement and the Ontario people KNOW the malfeasance they have committed… Solution…. Fred, work to have them thrown out of Office so we can get another Mike Harris gang? No difference
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I got off subject above and I apologize
As Mark and others including this writer constantly reiterate, the tremendous damage imposed on the Canadian people and Yes the whole world by a Canadian Government seems satanic in it’s entirety and it will take “DECADES if not CENTURIES” to rectify, (that is if can be be rectified).
The dismantling, by this Harper Government, of our scientific community is just another nail in the coffin of Canada’s reputation and respect once held so highly by most if not all nations around this world.
I once watched a movie made in 1976 with stars like the fabulous Gregory Peck and others, a movie called the “Omen” and like the book of revelations it seems it is becoming a reality in our time.
If you have not seen the movie I suggest you take the time….
The entirety and significance of the dismantling of every social program your fathers and grand father have worked so hard to put in place for you…..is being torn down by elements in the country and abroad that have a mission based on Corruption, Greed and Entitlement but for them alone the rest of the people can go to…..h…
Vote? Yes! But be careful who you vote for as “SUGAR” and smooth talk is also corrosive.
Thank You Mark and Thank You Linda always informative and caring
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I am not commenting on what Mr Taliano wrote. I am surprised by some of the comments – people cannot figure out why Harper is not a big fan of pure science. There is a simple answer – the science stuff does not go along with his biblical view. Sure, he has played down his evangelical background, but the fact of the matter is that Harper and many of his key supporters have a strong evangelical background. In other words – dinosaurs did not exist.
Scientists, other than those directly working on Money-Making ideas, are to be cast aside.
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Joseph? My point is that Harper doesn’t control the provinces. And all politics is local. We need media to debate and hold the local and provincial politicians accountable. We can whine about census and scientists but unless we reign in your local and provincial government, we are finished as a country. It would be nice if we could get some hardball news around this region. I’m not holding my breath.
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