Photo by Caroline Lubbe-D’Arcy.
The Council of Canadians Fredericton chapter protested this morning to have Dr. Eilish Cleary reinstated as New Brunswick’s chief medical officer of health.
Global News reports, “Several dozen protesters stood outside HSBC Place on King Street Monday calling on the province to reinstate Dr. Eilish Cleary. …HSBC Place houses the Department of Health and the Chief Medical Officer of Health. In front of the building on King Street in Fredericton, about 50 people gathered to protest Cleary’s leave just before noon on Monday.”
The Canadian Press adds, “The demonstration organized by the Council of Canadians drew about 35 people to the Health Department in Fredericton where they demanded Cleary’s reinstatement. …[Fredericton chapter activist] Maggie Connell of Durham Bridge said the [provincial] Liberals pledged during last year’s election to ensure the independence of the medical officers of health. ‘[Dr. Cleary] needs to be reinstated and she needs to be free to be able to investigate and report exactly what she finds to the public’, Connell said.”
On Dec. 2, CBC reported, “New Brunswick’s chief medical officer of health was working on a study of the controversial herbicide glyphosate when she was put on leave, CBC News has learned. Dr. Eilish Cleary wrote to a Kent County resident in August that her office would be ‘developing a plan to further explore’ the herbicide, which is used in New Brunswick by forestry company J.D. Irving Ltd. and by NB Power.”
That Kent County resident is Council of Canadians Kent County chapter activist Ann Pohl.
In addition, it is likely that Dr. Cleary’s research included health effects from the malfunctioning vapour recovery unit at the Saint John Irving Oil refinery. This unit was installed to reduce air pollutants, including volatile organic compounds linked to increased risk of cancer, but has been offline 37 per cent of the time from December 2012 to March 2015.
And now late this afternoon CBC reports, “New Brunswick’s chief medical officer of health says she has been fired by the provincial government. Dr. Eilish Cleary told CBC News Monday afternoon that she was terminated.”
To take action on this issue, please sent a letter to Premier Brian Gallant through our Reinstate Dr. Cleary as New Brunswick’s Chief Medical Officer of Health action alert.
Further reading
New Brunswick chapter activists mobilize for Dr. Eilish Cleary (Dec. 2, 2015)
