BBC: Canada "muzzling" its scientists

This may not be news in Canada but good to see the news is spreading abroad.

Prof Thomas Pedersen, a senior scientist at the University of Victoria, said he believed there was a political motive in some cases. 

"The Prime Minister (Stephen Harper) is keen to keep control of the message, I think to ensure that the government won't be embarrassed by scientific findings of its scientists that run counter to sound environmental stewardship," he said. 

"I suspect the federal government would prefer that its scientists don't discuss research that points out just how serious the climate change challenge is." 

The Canadian government recently withdrew from the Kyoto protocol to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. 

The allegation of "muzzling" came up at a session of the AAAS meeting to discuss the impact of a media protocol introduced by the Conservative government shortly after it was elected in 2008.