New Democrats Press DFO Minister on Library Closures

The federal NDP has written a letter to Fisheries and Oceans Minister Gail Shea expressing concerns about the culling of seven world famous libraries and seeks clarification on what happened to their collections.

"Recent media reports have indicated that valuable and irreplaceable research was permanently destroyed, including being thrown into the dumpster," reads the letter by Kennedy Stewart (MP Burnaby-Douglas) and Robert Chisholm (Dartmouth-Cole Harbour), which can be viewed here.

Dismantling of DFO libraries a blow to democracy

The Harper government penchant for suppressing science and information has had a numbing effect over time. There’s just been too much. You may recall a few: abolition of the long-form census, making it hard to know what’s going on and thus formulate sensible policy. Or barring scientists from the Experimental Lakes Area so they couldn’t collect data to help preserve freshwater lakes. That one struck a chord, maybe due to all those beer ads set at the cottage. But the net was cast too wide: fisheries, crime, food safety, public health, the climate. For a depressing refresher, visit the Muzzling Science Timeline.

Some of it’s been overtly about shutting scientists up. A recent Environics survey found 24 per cent in the public service “had been directly asked to exclude or alter information for non-scientific reasons.” A half knew of cases where their department “suppressed information” with the effect of “misleading” the public.

Proposed Enbridge pipeline threatens humpback whales: DFO

OTTAWA — The proposed Northern Gateway Pipeline threatens critical habitat of humpback whales off the coast of British Columbia, says newly released internal federal documents from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

The warning was included in a summary of a draft recovery strategy for the species that was to be introduced in 2010.

Humpback whales were listed in 2005 as "threatened" under the federal Species At Risk Act, requiring the government to produce the recovery plan, but the species has been increasing in numbers and presence on the B.C. coast.

If built, the Northern Gateway pipeline would link the oilsands region of Alberta to a shipping terminal in Kitimat, on the northwest coast of B.C., opening the door for more Canadian oil exports to be sent across the Pacific Ocean to Asia.

Big Cuts Coming to DFO: Cleary

NDP MP Ryan Cleary is sounding the alarm about big funding cuts coming to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. Cleary told VOCM Nightline with Pete Soucy that federal budget estimates show at least $156-million dollars in cuts coming to DFO. He says that represents 8.6 per cent of the total budget.  He says $12-million will be cut to science and sustainable fisheries. Cleary expects the cuts will be even deeper than the estimates when the budget comes down March 29th.

Meantime, in a statement issued this morning a DFO official says the Main Estimates represent a snapshot in time of the government's spending estimates. They say the changes referenced by Cleary can be almost entirely explained by planned sun-setting programs that, should they be renewed, would be in the Budget, not in the Main Estimates.

The revelation of potential deep funding cuts to operating funds within DFO comes as no surprise to the President of the FFAW. Earle McCurdy says regardless, they know cuts are coming in the federal budget. He says it's clear potential cuts would impede the department of doing their core job of science, management and enforcement.

He's concerned cuts will spill over into the policy side, where changes could be made that may be detrimental to the industry, specifically the inshore area. McCurdy fears it will be used as a cover story to try and make the case that those cuts won't be serious, because it's a part of their so-called modernization of the fishery. He says the right place to focus on cuts is the DFO headquarters on Kent Street, not the region's where the real work is done in the department.

Original Article
Source: vocm
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