Glyphosate and Freedom of SpeechThe natural sciences are a key part of the modern productive forces of society and play a huge role in its operations. As such, it is vital for the public interest that scientists are able to speak out in their own names about issues regarding the natural and social worlds. Too often, however, they are punished for doing so by large corporations and governments in their service. For example, the herbicide glyphosate, originally developed by the Monsanto Corporation as Roundup, is widely used in agriculture, forestry and other sectors. Yet there is a longstanding and growing concern among scientists, along with foresters, environmentalists, Indigenous peoples and local communities that this weedkiller is not safe for human and animal health nor for the environment as a whole. Literally tens of thousands of lawsuits have been launched in the U.S., Canada and elsewhere, several of which have resulted in multi-million and even billion dollar settlements awarded to people who have contracted cancer believed to be from exposure to glyphosate.
One glaring example of scientists being punished for speaking out occurred in New Brunswick. In 2015, Dr. Eilish Cleary, chief medical officer for the province, was fired from her post by the Liberal government after agreeing with the International Agency for Research on Cancer that glyphosate was probably carcinogenic and pledging, in the interests of public health, to work on a study of the effects of the weedkiller which is sprayed on forests and crop land in the province. According to Dr. Cleary, the provincial government informed her that she was fired because her "particular skill set" did not meet the needs of the employer. This was despite the fact that she had already held the chief medical officer position for eight years and had never been informed about "any personnel issue involving her conduct." Earlier, in 2012, Dr. Cleary wrote a report about the social and community health risks of shale gas development in the province. At that time, the Liberal government was in opposition, and it accused the previous Conservative government of trying to "muzzle" Dr. Cleary on this topic. In the subsequent election campaign, the Liberals expressed their "high regard for the chief medical officer" and pledged to make their decisions in consultation with her. However, as a former Tory health minister pointed out later, the Liberals, once in power, threw out Dr. Cleary "like yesterday's newspaper" over the issue of glyphosate spraying. A more recent example took place in June 2020 when Rod Cumberland, a well-known wildlife biologist, was fired from his teaching position at the government and industry supported Maritime College of Forest Technology in Fredericton. He had been working for the provincial Department of Natural Resources and the college for 29 years. According to Gerald Redmond, a former executive director of the college, Cumberland was probably fired because of his outspokenness about the dangers of glyphosate. Redmond noted that previously, when he was executive director, he felt pressure from the board of governors to sanction Cumberland because government and forest industry officials didn't like what he said on the issue. In its dismissal letter, the college claimed that Cumberland's firing had nothing to do with his views on glyphosate, but rather that the instructor had "undermined the content of a vegetation management seminar approved by the college," had "prevented students from attending class because they were late" and had "insisted that they remove their hats in class." According to a news report, contrary to the college's assessment of Cumberland, other posts said that he was "a teacher who promoted a good work ethic, discipline and punctuality and that he was an ethical, thoughtful and caring instructor." Cumberland stated that he always asked students to look at all of the science on issues, and even encouraged them to critique him. "Look at what I'm saying, see if its true or not. I think that's a wise thing to do [for] anything in life. Get all the facts before you make a decision." In what appears to be a pattern, just the day after former executive director Gerald Redmond spoke out in defence of Rod Cumberland, he, too, was fired by the college on the grounds that "he released confidential information that breached his on-going commitment to the school." Despite these attacks on freedom of speech, New Brunswickers continue to speak out against glyphosate spraying, as well as to organize protests, rallies and petitions. The same holds true in British Columbia and other parts of the country. Already some jurisdictions have banned glyphosate, such as Quebec which has prohibited its use on Crown lands. Internationally, a number of countries have eliminated or restricted glyphosate use. But powerful mega-corporations are continuing to push for complete monopolization of the agricultural and food industries of the world using the Monsanto model of pairing glyphosate with crops that have been genetically modified to be resistant to the weedkiller. The genomes of these crops, and even microbes associated with them, are being patented thus reducing farmers to the status of locked-in clients in a privatized natural world. In that respect, freedom of speech for scientists and for all people becomes ever more important in defending the public interest. (With files from CBC News and CTV News)
This article was published in Article Link:   Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca |
In response, the
Monsanto Corporation (now incorporated into
Bayer), along with other corporate interests in
agriculture and forestry and certain regulatory
authorities have engaged in a campaign of
disinformation and denial about glyphosate and
its toxic effects. Recent court cases have
revealed that Monsanto even went so far as to
ghostwrite supposed scientific reports that gave
glyphosate a clean bill of health, as well as to
finance behind the scenes "independent" academic
front groups to promote glyphosate and discredit
scientists who speak out about the dangers of
the weedkiller.