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'Death penalty' for science

Protesters march against Tory cuts

By: Mia Rabson

Posted: 07/11/2012 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

Fred Chartrand / the canadian press A protester wearing a Grim Reaper costume decries cuts to scientific funding during Tuesday�s rally on Parliament Hill. (CP)

OTTAWA -- Scientific evidence was laid to rest on Parliament Hill Tuesday in a mock-funeral protest against federal cuts to research.

Several hundred scientists -- many of them in the city for a convention -- marched to the steps of Centre Block in a 'funeral procession' complete with the Grim Reaper and a coffin carried by pallbearers.

"We are at a critical point in Canadian history," said organizer and PhD student Katie Gibbs. "If we don't stand up for science, nobody will."

The protesters are unhappy about myriad cuts to federal science programs, including the elimination of funding for the Experimental Lakes Area in northwestern Ontario, the closure of the National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy, the reduction of the number and scope of federal environmental reviews done by Environment Canada and Fisheries and Oceans and cuts to research budgets at the National Research Council for basic science research.

Several hundred scientists are losing their jobs because of the cuts.

"The scientific community is sad to report the death of evidence, which passed away June 18, 2012, after an over six year battle with Harper government policies," reads a website set up for the event.

The protesters argue the cuts are ideologically motivated to keep the Conservative government from having to listen to scientific evidence that refutes its policies.

Vance Trudeau, a biologist from the University of Ottawa, said when governments stop looking for research in certain areas and start focusing only on questions that support their existing point of view, it's propaganda, not evidence.

He said the government's budget cuts suggest it is either ill-advised or "part of an ideology that is anti-science."

Some estimates pegged the crowd at close to 1,000 people. Many wore lab coats or dressed in black. They hoisted placards reading "Canada has become a demockery," "Stop Harper's war on knowledge" and "Science speaks truth, Harper tells lies."

Diane Orihel, a PhD student from Winnipeg who is heading efforts to save the Experimental Lakes Area, delivered a eulogy to the ELA at the event. The area is a unique network of 58 lakes that for more than four decades has allowed scientists to conduct research on ecosystems. The ELA is the only research program of its kind in the world and has led to improved policies and regulations for everything from hydroelectric dams to air pollution and mercury use.

Its $2-million annual funding will be eliminated in April 2013. The government is trying to find another body to fund it but few think it will be possible. They expect the ELA will close next spring.

"The Experimental Lakes Area was found guilty of innovative, cost-effective scientific research," said Orihel, wearing a black head scarf and dress. "Its punishment? A death penalty from the Harper government."

Science and Technology Minister Gary Goodyear said Monday in an email statement the government is investing in scientific research, noting a $500-million increase to the budget for the Canada Foundation for Innovation.

A similar event took place outside the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Freshwater Institute in Winnipeg Tuesday.

-- with file from Alexandra Paul

mia.rabson@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition July 11, 2012 A3

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