----- forwarded message ----- Date: Fri, 23 Jul 2004 19:31:58 -0600 From: Teresa Binstock <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Canada Sacks Three Whistle-Blowing Scientists Who Criticized Safety of Bovine Growth Hormone
Canada Fires Government Scientists Who Criticized Safety of Bovine Growth Hormone http://www.organicconsumers.org/rbgh/whistleblower071904.cfm Reuters (July 15, 2004) Canada Sacks Three Whistle-Blowing Scientists WINNIPEG, Manitoba (Reuters) - The Canadian government fired three high-profile scientists to punish them for publicly challenging federal decisions on veterinary drugs, the scientists' union said on Thursday. But a spokesman for Health Canada said the dismissal of Margaret Haydon, Shiv Chopra and Gerard Lambert had nothing to do with their whistle-blowing activities. "There is absolutely no connection," said Ryan Baker, a spokesman for the department, where the scientists worked in a section that reviews and approves veterinary drugs. "This is not because of anything they may have said publicly," Baker said. The scientists have a lengthy history of disagreement with the department, which has reprimanded them in the past. Haydon and Chopra spoke out against a growth hormone for dairy cattle, called bovine somatotropin, that Monsanto Co. unsuccessfully applied to sell in Canada in the 1990s. They said the company did not submit enough information to prove the drug was safe for cows or humans, and complained they were pressured by the department to approve it. More recently, Chopra and Lambert complained the department approved a new method of use for the antibiotic tylosin, marketed by the Canadian animal health division of Eli Lilly and Co., despite their concerns that it could lead to antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Haydon also criticized livestock feed rules in the wake of Canada's first homegrown case of mad cow disease last year. The precise reasons for the firings were outlined in letters delivered to the scientists at their homes on Wednesday, Health Canada's Baker said, declining to elaborate for privacy reasons. "The individuals in question are able to share it with you if they choose to," Baker said. Chopra declined comment and referred questions to his lawyer, who in turn referred calls to the scientists' union, the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada. The union's president also declined to discuss the reasons given by Health Canada until a hearing is held, possibly in six months. "We will be addressing what Health Canada has put in the letters and we will be showing that, despite what they say, the real cause of the letters of termination is the public criticism of the department and the government of Canada," Steve Hindle said. "The fact that it's three (people fired) on the same day is unusual, and it also, I believe, lends credence to the argument we're putting forward that (the firings are) a result of them being whistle-blowers," Hindle said. The firings outraged activist groups who said whistle-blowers need better laws to protect them. "All these scientists were trying to do was protect the food supply, and they got fired for doing their job," said Bradford Duplisea of the Canadian Health Coalition. The federal government had introduced new measures to protect bureaucrats who report concerns about their departments, but the proposed legislation was not enacted before the June 28 federal election. * The material in this post is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html <http://oregon.uoregon.edu/%7Ecsundt/documents.htm> http://oregon.uoregon.edu/~csundt/documents.htm <http://oregon.uoregon.edu/%7Ecsundt/documents.htm> If you wish to use copyrighted material from this email for purposes that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
