A dramatic reduction in Canadian media coverage of climate change science issues is the result of the Harper government introducing new rules in 2007 to control interviews by Environment Canada scientists with journalists, says a newly released federal document.  "Scientists have noticed a major reduction in the number of requests, particularly from high profile media, who often have same-day deadlines," said the Environment Canada document. "Media coverage of climate change science, our most high-profile issue, has been reduced by over 80 per cent."

Ever wonder why the government of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper is such an international pariah on climate change? Maybe its because they don’t believe in science.

A former minister and current member of Harper’s government penned a letter this week lauding Canada for its inaction on reducing carbon emissions because he believes climate science is hooey.

Maxime Bernier, Canada’s former Minister of Foreign Affairs stated in the French language daily La Presse:

"Every week that goes by confirms the wisdom of our government's modest position…There is, in fact, no scientific consensus. What's certain is that it would be irresponsible to spend billions of dollars to impose unnecessarily stringent regulations to resolve a problem whose gravity we still are not certain about. The alarmism that often characterized this issue is no longer at stake. Canada is right to be cautious."

Bernier went on to opine that the sun might be responsible for temperature changes and that the Earth might actually be cooling.

Canwest Newspaper reported late last week that new documents have been uncovered showing a pro-industry bias in Government of Canada studies on the environmental and economic impact of Alberta's tar sands projects.

According to Canwest:

"Officials from Environment Canada who reviewed the original package, warned that it reflected the views of oil companies instead of the facts.

"The package should deliver neutral, balanced and factual information," said the analysis. "Currently, much of the language is too pro-industry, and would make the government to be perceived as bias and thus not credible or serving the public good."

Want the facts on the Alberta Oil Sands? Check our Top 10 Facts About the Alberta Oil Sands section.

A new poll commissioned by the Canadian Defence & Foreign Affairs Institute on "Threat Perceptions" [pdf] finds that climate change is perceived as the most "critical threat" to Canadians.

49% of Canadians rank climate change as a critical threat, while only 28% (down from 49% in 2004) say that international terrorism is a critical threat to the vital interests of their country.

All regions report high levels of concern with Quebec the highest at 62% and Alberta the least concerned at 28%.

The poll was conducted by the Innovative Research Group between December 22, 2009 and January 4, 2010. The weighted total sample included 1,229 responses eligible for inclusion in our analysis. There were over samples in BC, Alberta and Ontario which bring the total sample of 1,877.

An earlier poll by Innovative conducted after the Copenhagen climate conference found that half of Canadians disapproved [pdf] of the Canadian government's position at the international summit, but 44% said it would not make a difference on whether they were more or less likely to vote for the governing Conservative party.

Summit watchers will recall Canada's past domination of the Fossil of the Day competition - a race for the bottom in which the poorest performers in UNFCCC climate summits are singled out for their efforts to block, obstruct, degrade or otherwise louse up the climate talks.

Canada has appeared on the podium for the first three days of the conference - claiming the honour today for advocating a "base year" of 2006 instead of 1990, the year enshrined in the protocol and one still approved by 190 of the 192 signatories. (Croatia shared the prize today for being Canada's partner in distraction.)

The Deniers have rustled up their own TV station, an offshoot of the right-wingy Corbett Report called ClimateGate TV. The site has everything you could possibly want in terms of hyperventilating and belligerent commentary about the emails stolen from the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia. The only thing missing is even the tiniest hint about who's paying the the bills for the new "service."