CAP Leader Connie Fogal Remarks On Whistle-Blower Firings

This fanatical support by the government of growth hormones, steroids and antibiotics is competely illogical, approaching the criminal and very bad business practice. There's no need for any of these and without their use Canadian beef would be accepted anywhere on Earth.

The use of antibiotics has been questioned by medical experts for 30 or more years, claiming that they cause immunity in humans. Not to mention the epidemic of obesity in children, stuffed full of growth hormones in their hamburgers. Yet, they keep pumping it into cattle, mainly on the demands of agribiz operations where thousands of cattle are jammed into small feedlots, poisoning wide areas, including watersheds and people. Cattle can be grown very well without any of these criminal activities, but not by agribiz monster corporations on their way to control the food supply. Ed Deak, Big Lake, BC.

I agree Ed, and I think that those who have been fired for trying to protect the Canadian public, ought to be commended, compensated and a full investigation into this matter is required asap. The people who chose to fire them, are the ones who should be punished, and the public needs to know exactly what is behind the firings, and the reports which led up to the firings. You would think the Liberals would have learned to stop acting in secrecy! Full disclosure, full accountability to the Canadian public, that is what is needed.

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If I stand for my country today...will my country be here to stand for me tomorrow?

I agree with what Catherine and Ed said and I think these scientists should be given the "order of canada" medals for their steadfast refusal to knuckle under to the souled out politocrats and corporate lackeys. I think Mulroney should be cast out of the order first though.<br />
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<a href="http://www.freedomofchoiceinhealthcare.ca/Articles/HealthCanada/14healthcanada.html">http://www.freedomofchoiceinhealthcare.ca/Articles/HealthCanada/14healthcanada.html</a><br />
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GRAND-PRE, N.S. -- Health Canada's firing of three high-profile whistleblowers for "insubordination" has nothing to do with the scientists' history of criticizing government policies, says Prime Minister Paul Martin. <br />
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"First of all, Health Canada made it very clear at the time that that happened that this had nothing to do with whistleblowing, that their reasons for taking their actions had nothing to do with calling attention to any problem and I certainly accept Health Canada's word on that," said the prime minister, in his first comment on the matter since the three scientists received dismissal letters July 14. <br />
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The Windsor Star, Aug 13, 2004<br />
By Paul Weinberg<br />
[Fair Use]<br />
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The recent decision to fire three Health Canada veterinary scientists working in the government office that tests new drugs used on animals raised for food was made at the highest levels of the Canadian bureaucracy with the co-operation of the food and pharmaceutical industries.That blunt statement comes from Michael McBane, co-ordinator of the Ottawa-based Canadian Health Coalition, which represents groups of seniors, farmers, women, labour unions and healthcare professionals."The animal drug industry basically worked really hard with senior management in Health Canada and with the Privy Council office (which advises senior government leaders and helps set departments' policies), to have the scientists removed," McBane said in an interview.<br />
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Steve Hindle, the president of the labour union that represents the scientists, says Health Canada "just reached the end of its rope" after years of reprimanding and suspending the scientists for their public opposition to the approval of specific veterinary drugs.<br />
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For example, resistance from Chopra, Haydon and Lambert towards a bovine growth hormone developed by agri-business giant Monsanto ultimately led to a Senate inquiry in the 1990s and a decision to not approve the drug in Canada.<br />
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Also, before the May 2003 discovery of mad cow disease in a cattle herd in western Alberta, which led the United States and Japan to ban Canadian beef,Chopra and Haydon had warned that too little was being done by the food industry and its regulators in the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to prevent remains of dead cattle being used as feed for other cows.<br />
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"The pharmaceutical companies openly for years kept on going to the Privy Council (and saying) that there are problems within veterinary drugs at Health Canada; they have backlogs of drugs that are not being passed. When we ask (the drug companies) for data, they don't produce any," Chopra adds. <br />
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But Jean Szkotnicki, president of the Canadian Animal Health Institute, the veterinary drugs industry association, denies her organization played a role in the firings. In fact, her industry benefits from a "robust" review of animal drugs, she said. At the same time, added Szkotnicki, Canada is losing potential research and development investment dollars from food and pharmaceutical companies because of the slow pace of testing of veterinary drugs at Health Canada. The same drugs have been endorsed by officials in other countries after going through "a similar type risk assessment and risk management program,"she added."We are often one of the last countries in the world to approve a product,"according to Szkotnicki. <br />
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Chopra counters that the animal drug industry has not produced any newproducts for many years, beyond "spreading and maintaining" the same types of hormones and antibiotics "of questionable safety" in the Canadian meat industry.<br />
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Adding to the controversy was the timing of the firings of Shiv Chopra,Margaret Haydon and Gerard Lambert - July 14, just two weeks after thefederal election and before a new group of ministers overseeing alldepartments, including Health Canada, were sworn in.<br />
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Chopra says he expects the Senate to investigate the firings. In 1998 the standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry promised Health Canada scientists that in exchange for testimony on the safety of Canada's food, their jobs would not be jeopardized. "They told us, 'anytime, if anything happens to you, come to us'," recalls Chopra.<br />
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This is why we need government by referendum, you can't trust the politicians and bureaucrats not to collapse under pressure...Milton<br />
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[Fair Use]<br />
Chopra calls to stop federal bills<br />
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Laura Walz, Editor<br />
The Powell River Peak, 8 June 2005<br />
<a href="http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=14664275&BRD=1998&PAG=461&dept_id=221589&rfi=6">http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=14664275&BRD=1998&PAG=461&dept_id=221589&rfi=6</a><br />
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Microbiologist says accepting certification results from other countries risks Canada's food safety<br />
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[image caption: FOOD SAFETY: Dr. Shiv Chopra, a Health Canada whistle-blower, congratulated Powell River for becoming a genetically engineered crop free zone on a visit last weekend.]<br />
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People should make Canada's government take stronger measures to protect food safety, according to a former Health Canada scientist.<br />
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Dr. Shiv Chopra, who was a microbiologist and drug evaluator in the federal veterinary drugs bureau of the Health Protection Branch of Health Canada, stopped in Powell River last weekend during a tour of the west.<br />
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Chopra has a long history of calling the government to account over food protection issues. He became well known in the 1990s when he and fellow scientist Margaret Haydon publicly opposed the approval of recombinant [ie genetically engineered] bovine growth hormone. <br />
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In 2003, Chopra, Haydon and Gerard Lambert wrote an internal memo to the minister of health suggesting that bans on feeding animal-based products to cows be tightened to exclude all remaining products, such as those containing blood and gelatin, because of the risk of mad cow disease. Chopra was suspended for two weeks and fined three months' pay.<br />
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Chopra, Haydon and Gerard Lambert were fired in the summer of 2004. The three scientists had blown the whistle on conflicts of interest in Health Canada's drug approval process.<br />
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Chopra made two public appearances in Powell River June 5. Over 100 people came to the Open Air Market to hear him speak. He also spoke later in the afternoon at the Patricia Theatre.<br />
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Chopra told The Peak during an interview that while genetically modified food is "the latest beast on the block," there are other serious issues about food safety. <br />
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Those issues include hormones, antibiotics and rendered material going into animal feed. "They all have to be stopped," Chopra said. "They must all be taken out of food."<br />
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Hormones initiate and promote cancer in animals, Chopra said. "Even a single molecule of a cancer-causing chemical attached to a sensitive cell in the body can start cancer. Hormones also cause reproductive disorders in people and it's all happening through the food supply."<br />
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Widespread use of antibiotics in animals to prevent disease causes bacteria to become drug-resistant, he said. "People are dying because we have nothing left to treat them with. The bugs have become resistant." Antibiotics have been in the food supply system for more than 30 years, he said, but they are banned in Europe.<br />
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If these practices were banned in Canada, Chopra said, it would create a level playing field. "Food would automatically become organic," he said. "If we did this, it would generate jobs, create healthy food and a large export market."<br />
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Organic farmers shouldn't have to fight for the changes, Chopra added. "It's the public that should demand these things be taken out."<br />
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Chopra also raised an alarm about two pending federal bills, Bill C-27, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency Enforcement Act, and Bill C-28, An Act to Amend the Food and Drugs Act. Bill C-27 would allow the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to accept testing and certification results from other countries. It would harmonize food inspection, food safety and environmental laws to conform with American regulations. <br />
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The United States permits irradiation of meat, which is not allowed in Canada, and has failed to meet World Health Organization guidelines for preventing mad cow disease.<br />
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Bill C-28 would allow Health Canada to give temporary approvals to drugs without the data to back up the approvals. Chopra called that a "dangerous power."<br />
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Chopra said both bills "must be stopped. The public must apply pressure and these authorities should not be given."<br />
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Chopra said if Canada takes the lead, the United States will come "knocking on our door. They will want our healthy food." <br />
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It is obvious that Monsanto had to have a hand in this. I can hardly wait when political positions, like Parliamentary seats and governments, will be sold on the open market to fulfill the whole theory of neoclassical market economics.

Speaking from experience Dr. Chopra is perfectly correct. Our and thousands of our neighbours' cattle receive no, or almost no drugs. Our calves get a selenium and vitamin shot at birth and that's all, as long as they're here. The problem starts with agribiz operations and when the cattle are sold to feedlots, where they're pumped full of everything to fatten them extra weight and charge high prices. Now that Canadian ranchers are going broke in large numbers, this will only intensify, with corporations and greed taking over their lands and stocks. But then, this is the wonderful result of market economy we can all enjoy.
Ed Deak, Big Lake, BC