tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35935973.post4724259417787496403..comments2023-07-25T02:39:44.615-07:00Comments on Bill Tieleman: BC Health Ministry Researcher Firings Deserve a Public InquiryBill Tielemanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03304971610140279157noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35935973.post-42931903537724136892015-06-25T23:34:01.927-07:002015-06-25T23:34:01.927-07:00http://www.cheknews.ca/health-researchers-fired-sc...http://www.cheknews.ca/health-researchers-fired-scandal-105915Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35935973.post-35781257445614314112015-06-25T13:06:10.229-07:002015-06-25T13:06:10.229-07:00An inquiry would cost money, but "a lot"...An inquiry would cost money, but "a lot"? or too much? Where's the cost/benefit analysis? Would preventing further suicides caused by a cavalier government---any cavalier government---not be worth it? And we shouldn't forget the pharmaceutical safety aspect: an inquiry into this particular case would indeed benefit society if pharmaceutical safety is enhanced as a result---and it appears that drug-safety is indeed relevant to this issue. Most citizens would approve of the deterrent value of an inquiry: we don't want this to ever happen again. Finally, justice needs to be seen to be done---if there is justice to be achieved here, it cannot be private, as in paying hush-money to these particular victims. Citizens want to know that they won't become victims too.<br /><br /> The cost aspect is a red-herring, and those who insist an inquiry would be too expensive are widely regarded as biased for some reason or other. It would be just as sensible to insist that it would be unfair not to favour this or any other bias.<br /><br />There's no such thing as "The Left"; the counter to the neo-right BC Liberals is ethical, not ideological government. That being said, it is suspiciously and speciously partisan to suggest the findings would not be accepted by any group in particular. The objective of an inquiry would be to find out if laws were broken---the same laws that govern "left" or "right" or anybody else---who broke the laws i--- whoever they are, and however they characterize themselves politically--- and to find out how such tragic events can be avoided in the future---everyone's future, not "The Left", not "The Right", but everybody's.<br /><br />Prob'ly the understatement of the month, but Anon's suggestion that an inquiry would be a waste of money sounds like it comes from a BC Liberal shill. I will agree that BC Liberals have lots to worry about this issue. It doesn't look like it will go away on its own, and only gets hotter the more they stonewall. Yeah, I can see why BC Liberals would take that position.scotty on denmannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35935973.post-31532896928569740202015-06-25T08:33:23.422-07:002015-06-25T08:33:23.422-07:00Thanks for this summary of this government debacle...Thanks for this summary of this government debacle. The fault line currently being explored (that the research being done would somehow bring the drug companies into disrepute) seems, to me, to be a little thin. Big pharma donations to the BC Libs has been reported to be (only!)in the range of $500,000 over 10 years.<br />I suspect that something bigger is at play here. Here are the c<br />'crumbs' of the story. CC promises that the government will supply and fund the drugs to help citizens quit smoking. This was during her campaign to get elected (as leader of the Libs?). Government then approves the drugs because the new Premier had promised it - therefore it was done. This was reported last week. After the government supports the supply of these stop-smoking medications, it is reported elsewhere in news reports that the use of these drugs in other jurisdictions has contributed to health/mental health problems, including suicidal ideation, if not actual suicides from the drug-induced depression. (I don't remember if there were actual deaths).<br />So...IF the drugs were improperly approved, just because the Premier said they should be, and IF the drugs turn out to have significant problems attached to them, and if the researchers 'connected the dots' about medication use and negative effects (and perhaps were going to blow the whistle on this) - that might have put them in jeopardy. A big question that is tied to the specific medications is - if the drugs are approved because they are a pet-project by Christy Clark,(not through proper evaluation)and IF there are threats of government $$$ liability or the Premier could be seen to be vulnerable on this (politically and via law suits) - would it not be 'wise' for senior government officials to bury the information trail and engage in a persistent cover-up? <br />My hunch is that the core of the issue is connected to the dysfunction of the medication and the dysfunction of the 'approval' process. That is a bigger political and personal 'bomb' than donations to a political party.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05160458018889825663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35935973.post-37100537419317911712015-06-24T15:24:39.355-07:002015-06-24T15:24:39.355-07:00Please start a petition for a full independent pub...Please start a petition for a full independent public inquiry. We can not let this slide. A good man took his life because of this. We owe it to him to get to the bottom of this. I have heard it was done to keep champex the stop smoking drug going for a big pharma liberal donator.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09636084068585850097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35935973.post-52704217081251341392015-06-23T12:29:46.556-07:002015-06-23T12:29:46.556-07:00Inquiry would cost a lot of money. The Left would ...Inquiry would cost a lot of money. The Left would never be satisfied with the outcome. <br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35935973.post-68993749143720269632015-06-23T08:12:08.952-07:002015-06-23T08:12:08.952-07:00A mistake is 'oops, I didn't mean to do th...A mistake is 'oops, I didn't mean to do that, sorry'. This was a deliberate coordinated abuse of power, not a mistake but e real bonehead misstep.ron wiltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15395990851263472440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35935973.post-65694973222940985142015-06-22T10:30:28.732-07:002015-06-22T10:30:28.732-07:00Governments makes mistakes and the Government,inst...Governments makes mistakes and the Government,instead to providing real information as to who screwed up,ruining ex employees lives, they try to hide the facts. Somebody blew it and they won't open the files to show who messed it up.They feel they are secure with their majority so it's deny, bury the facts. Since they won't even consider the careers they ruined, and the suicide of one, there needs to be an open inquiry to get the issues resolved. <br /><br />An employer,or government that mismanages things must be held accountable. Stand up and admit responsible for errors made. DPLnoreply@blogger.com