In Canada, Bill S-5 could well prohibit access to scientific data on vaping and the sharing of comparisons between the health effects of smoking and electronic cigarettes.
MUTING THE SCIENTISTS: A VIOLATION OF THE RIGHT TO FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
If the former Prime Minister Stephen Harper had been accused of gagging scientists, a priori little had changed with the Liberal government's Justin Trudeau.
In the spring of 2015, the Harper government introduced " sricte procedures on how scientists were allowed to talk about their research to the media". Moreover these scientists had declared " live in a culture of fear Accusing the government of suppressing scientific information and silencing critics.
And today, the new federal government is seeking to limit public access to scientific data with its “anti-vaping” bill introduced in November 2016 which is known as Bill S-5.
To be clearer, Bill S-5 would prohibit manufacturers and sellers of e-cigarettes from broadcasting or sharing scientific information comparing the health effects of smoking to those of electronic cigarettes. This ban is so aggressive that raising awareness among Canadians about scientific information in the store could result in a fine of 500 000 Euros and a two-year prison term.
This utterly mind-boggling restriction should obviously attract constitutional scrutiny as a violation of the right to freedom of expression.
Source : Troymedia.com/
