Sludge Watch ==> Canada Supreme Court - Whistle Blower Veterinarians

[Maureen Reilly]

Sludgewatch Admin:

I have personally witnessed this Canadian government officials roll back 
their plans to protect Canadian pasture lands from BSE risk sludges in the 
face of pressure from the wastewater industry.
I have seen them focus on a program of 'spin' making it look like there is 
no BSE risk material in animal feed and fertilizer when you can give away 
animal feed and fertilizer that is BSE risk without being touched by the 
federal regs.

This isn't public health. This isn't public safety.  The recurring cases of 
mad cow disease demonstrate that Canadian regs are not doing the job that is 
needed.

Mind you, in the USA the failure to test honestly and adequately means we 
don't know how many BSE cases are out there!


....................................

""The federal government is spending tens of millions of dollars fighting 
this, basically to help out the multinational companies," he said. 
"Meanwhile, all those mad cow cases keep on occurring, hormones continue to 
be used, antibiotics are causing disease and death, so they're making 
money."



http://ottsun.canoe.ca/News/National/2007/05/08/pf-4162093.html
    May 8, 2007

Public interest vs. loyalty
Court to rule whether it will hear case of fired whistleblower
By KATHLEEN HARRIS, NATIONAL BUREAU

Canada's top court will decide this week if it will hear or toss the case of 
a high-profile whistleblowing bureaucrat who defied gag orders to protect 
public safety.

Shiv Chopra, a former microbiologist and drug evaluator in Health Canada's 
veterinary drugs bureau, was suspended without pay in 2002 after he 
criticized the government's plan to stockpile antibiotics for a bioterrorist 
attack. Two years later he was fired for "insubordination" after he said 
warnings related to mad cow disease were ignored by the feds.

The case he brought to the Supreme Court hinges on whether "duty of loyalty" 
to employer is outweighed by the public interest.

"This is a fundamental issue of Charter of Rights, freedom of expression on 
issues that are of national and international importance," Chopra told Sun 
Media.

He is disappointed that the Conservative government, which had preached 
accountability from the Opposition, continues to fight his case. He's 
writing a book, Corrupt to the Core -- Memoirs of a Whistleblower, expected 
to be published this fall.

"The federal government is spending tens of millions of dollars fighting 
this, basically to help out the multinational companies," he said. 
"Meanwhile, all those mad cow cases keep on occurring, hormones continue to 
be used, antibiotics are causing disease and death, so they're making 
money."

Chopra's lawyer, David Yazbeck, said the case is important because it hinges 
on fundamental principles around whether a public service employee can raise 
concerns in the public realm.

'ISSUES OF THE DAY'

"One of the issues that has to be resolved is the extent to which public 
service employees can participate in issues of the day, particularly where 
they have expertise," he said.

"Obviously that's being balanced against the government's assertion of a 
duty of loyalty and at the end of the day the question is whether our 
democracy is able to sustain this kind of discussion, or whether it's 
impeded in some way by it."

In 1998, Chopra and fellow Health Canada scientist Margaret Haydon accused 
the department of pressuring them to approve drugs without adequate safety 
assurances from manufacturers. They were reprimanded for going public but 
later vindicated by a federal court.

The Supreme Court will make a decision Thursday.