Examining Science Suppression as Part of the Canadian Democratic Deficit

The tenure of Prime Minister Harper has wrought devastation on environmental protection in Canada over the past eight years. In that time, a great number of scientists across the country have been speaking out against the policy changes that have affected environmental protection. Many are conducting research that suggests the natural world is being negatively impacted by industry in Canada. Government scientists, however, have been silent on the topic. As reports of science suppression amongst federal government scientists become increasingly common, it appears that the muzzling of researchers and the cuts to science funding are impeding the flow of information to the public in Canada. Voters are left in the dark and do not know the results obtained from research paid for with taxpayer money. Media requests for interviews with researchers are denied, and scientists that present their already published findings through non-academic channels are reprimanded and threatened with dismissal. Unfortunately, many people see the lack of scientific autonomy as something that affects government scientists alone. The connection of how this issue relates to democracy and the day-to-day lives of people in Canada is not clear. This project seeks to remedy this disconnect through news media articles and a multimedia presentation for first year university students. The outputs of the project aim to influence readers to consider science suppression as a critical issue when casting their ballot at the election polls in October.