Canada, Not Content To Gag Its Own Scientists, Urges US To Do Same

Some U.S. scientists are refusing to sign nondisclosure agreements called for by the Canadian government on an Arctic science project.

The story was reported by Margaret Munro for Postmedia News.

"'I’m not signing it,' said Andreas Muenchow, of the University of Delaware, who has taken issue with the wording that Canada’s Fisheries and Oceans department has proposed for the Canada-U.S. project. It’s an affront to academic freedom and a 'potential muzzle,' said Muenchow, who has been collaborating with Fisheries and Oceans scientists on the project in the Eastern Arctic since 2003.

Fisheries and Oceans’s proposed confidentiality provisions say all technology and 'other information' related to the Arctic project 'shall be deemed to be confidential and neither party may release any such information to others in any way whatsoever without the prior written authorization of the other party.'"

• "Feds New Confidentiality Rules on Arctic Project Called ‘Chilling’," Postmedia News, February 13, 2013, by Margaret Munro.
• "Scientific Freedom in Canada: Keep It to Yourselves," Economist, March 7, 2013, by M.D. 
• Previous Stories: SEJ WatchDogs of February 22, 2012, February 27, 2008, and February 13, 2008. See also SEJ Publications search results for keyword 'Canada'.

This is one of the stories in the March 13, 2013 issue of SEJ's biweekly WatchDog. Find the rest of the stories and past issues here.