Canadian whistleblowers win review

Court orders integrity office to reconsider report on four fired Health Canada scientists

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Three Health Canada scientists who say they were fired for raising questions about the way that the agency approves veterinary drugs have won another round in their years-long battle in their campaign for reinstatement.

The Federal Court quietly released a decision on April 29 ordering the public service integrity officer to reconsider complaints from Shiv Chopra, Margaret Haydon, and Gerard Lambert that they, and the late Cris Bassude, had been pressured—and then sacked—for speaking out about the dangers of mad cow disease and about the use of hormones and antibiotics in the food supply, particularly the use of bovine growth hormones. The court decision relates to a report by the Public Service Integrity Officer dated March 21, 2003, that the allegations submitted by the applicants were unfounded.

The Public Service Integrity Office (PSIO) was created in 2001 to provide "public service employees with an independent and neutral external review of ...

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