Prime Minister Stephen Harper wasn't kidding when he said Canada would be unrecognizable when he was done with it.
Since its beginnings in 2006, the Harper administration has not only systematically transformed the legal framework of the country to benefit industrial interests, but has also undermined Canada's public reputation for excellence and openness in science around the world. Its actions have made international headlines.
The prestigious scientific journal, Nature, has criticized the government for its media communications protocol, describing it as a "cumbersome approval process that stalls or prevents meaningful contact with Canada's publicly funded scientists."
The international community has also taken notice of the country's withdrawal from the Kyoto Protocol, designed to fight global warming at the international level, as well as Canada's obstructionist role in international climate talks in Rio, Cancun, and most recently Durban.
This turn of the tide has environmental leader David Suzuki wondering if Canada is entering a new Dark Age. Internationally acclaimed climate scientist Andrew Weaver told the BBC that Canada's scientific information is "so tightly controlled that the public is left in the dark."
When DeSmog asked Weaver what he thought of the steady erosion of Canada's environmental standing, he replied: "I would not use the word erosion...I would use the word elimination. Erosion implies slow and steady. This is fast. We're cutting down institutions that have been around for decades. And we're eliminating them overnight."
Here is a partial list of recent funding cuts to Canadian scientific institutions and research programs:
