Open Letter Asks Harper to Stop Restricting Science

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The Canadian prime minister is being criticized for cutting funding to scientific research.

The Union of Concerned Scientists is writing an open letter to Stephen Harper, urging him “to remove excessive and burdensome restrictions and barriers” for scientists in Canada. The Conservative government has cut funding to science departments and agencies dramatically, and scientists say that such declines in funding make it difficult for them to participate in the international community. For example, Environment Canada's planned spending for 2016-2017 is 69 per cent of the planned spending for 2014-2015.

According to a report by the Professional Institute of the Public Service in Canada, over 91 per cent of federal government scientists think that the cuts to science budgets are going to have a “detrimental impact on the federal government's ability to serve the public.” Meanwhile, Canada is hardly a leader on issues such as the environment, ranking 29th in the Global Green Economy Index. According to the Pembina Institute, “If Alberta were a country, its per capita greenhouse gas emission would be higher than any other country in the world.”

According to the letter, though the United States has had similar challenges recently, scientists' support has led to some reform within the U.S. government.

The letter asks Harper to restore government funding to encourage a free flow of information and allow Canadian scientists to contribute to international work on confronting threats to human health and the Earth.