Shiv Chopra
Shiv Darshan Lal Chopra[1] (1933 – 7 January 2018), commonly known as Shiv Chopra, was a Canadian microbiologist and human rights activist. Chopra stood for food safety and testified before the Senate of Canada in defending the public from hormones, antibiotics, genetically modified organisms, rendered animal proteins, and pesticides.
Chopra was involved in one of the first major whistleblowing incidents in the Public Service of Canada.[2] Chopra was also involved in the second systemic racial discrimination case in the Canadian public service, when it was found by a Canadian Human Rights Tribunal that his employer, Health Canada had discriminated against him on the basis of his race.[3]
Career
Born in
For 1965 the
In 1998 he became a member of the rBST gaps analysis team at Health Canada, investigating effects of
Shiv Chopra died on 7 January 2018.[6]
Racial discrimination
In 1992 and 1993, Chopra initiated two human rights complaints against Health Canada, citing discrimination on the basis of
This was one of two major cases of systemic racial discrimination in the Canadian public service. In 1992 and 1994, the
Whistleblowing incident
In 1998 and 1999, Chopra, along with two co-workers, Margaret Haydon and Gerard Lambert, testified to the
In June 2004, Chopra, Haydon and Lambert were fired from Health Canada.[15] Health Canada denied that the trio was fired for speaking publicly about the pressure employed by their supervisors to approve the usage of a number of animal drugs, but did not reveal the exact reason, mentioning that the reasons were confidential and included in the letters of termination the three scientists received.[18] Chopra's letter revealed that the stated reason for his dismissal was his "total lack of progress" in a current project.[18]
Three weeks later, Chopra received a congratulatory letter and a gold watch from Deputy Health Minister Ian Green, declaring that his "years of service have not gone unnoticed" and that he had "earned praise and respect."[18]
On April 29, 2005, the Federal Court of Canada quashed the previous finding of the PSIO, and found that the PSIO had inadequately handled Chopra, Haydon and Lambert's complaints.[17] The Federal Court's decision called into question the credibility of the PSIO, citing a failure in the organization in protecting whistleblowers acting in good faith.[16][17] [19] As of 2009 it appears that the PSIO or its successors has still not issued a new ruling on the case,[20] although Chopra's case is mentioned in a history of managing in ethics in public service issued by the human resources office of Canada's Treasury Secretariat (which oversees the PSIO).[21]
Human rights complaint
In September 2008,
Although the tribunal ruled in favour of Chopra on some points, it also chastised him for "asserting that every manager at Health Canada practises racial discrimination, and for alleging that every appointment in the past 20 years has been discriminatory" and that such sweeping assertions, made "without a proper evidentiary basis," undermine Chopra's credibility. Several other complaints by Chopra that he was passed over for promotions because of his race were also dismissed.[23] The tribunal also ruled that "there is no reason for the Tribunal to conclude that systemic discrimination still exists at Health Canada and to order it to take additional measures to address general or systemic issues of discrimination."[22]
Jonathan Kay of the National Post criticized the decision, alleging that Deschamps accepted Chopra's claim without any "substantive explanation."[24]
Autobiography
Shiv Chopra identified his life so completely with his whistleblowing at Health Canada that his autobiography is nearly all about his work protecting Canadians from unsafe products being pushed through approval.[5] In 1974 Chopra sat for an interview for a shift in position at the Bureau of Drugs. He was asked, "Suppose you are selected for this post, whom would you consider to be your client?" Chopra replied, "The public, of course." The interviewer replied, "No, it is the industry." Chopra insisted that the mandate of the position was Parliament's Food and Drugs Act (page 19). Such unabashed subservience of supervisors to corporate influence convinced Chopra that Health Canada was Corrupt to the Core - Memoirs of a Health Canada Whistleblower, the title of the autobiography. One aspect of his whistleblowing was flagging obstructions to advancement, which he grieved and sued. The major conflict was approval of unsafe products:
All these managers expected everyone to follow as government policy expecting the departments' own scientists to pass products of questionable safety. Among the products that they were expected to pass were growth hormones, antibiotics and drugs to be used in food-producing animals in order to obtain extra yields of meat and milk. The potential harm that these products could cause in consequence of passing them into the food supply included cancer, immune and reproductive disorders, antimicrobial resistance, and other effects in people.[25]
As a
Five Pillars of Food Safety
In an epilogue, Chopra recounts a trip to Powell River, British Columbia, where he met with organic farmers. He experienced an epiphany while speaking to them. He summarized his expression in this declaration:
It is our divine right as people of God and our constitutional right as people of Canada to eat and feed our families the food that the earth produces naturally. Therefore, we demand all contaminants in our food supply be banned by an act of Parliament. The five items in question include: Hormones, antibiotics, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), rendered animal proteins, and pesticides.
Since people in any country might aspire to such protection, Chopra stated, "Canada is a key country in which to launch such an action." (page 295) Chopra acknowledged assistance from The Council of Canadians to spread the word for food safety.[26]
Awards and honors
On November 14, 2011, Chopra, Haydon and Lambert became the first recipients of the Canadian Journalists for Free Expression Integrity Award, in recognition of their role as "individuals who acted courageously in the public interest without thought of personal gain, and in doing so risked reprisals in the form of threats to their careers, livelihood, or personal freedom."[27]
Film appearances
- 2003: The Corporation [28]
- 2005: Frankensteer [29]
- 2008: Homo toxicus [30]
- 2008: The World According to Monsanto [31]
- 2009: The Idiot Cycle [32]
- 2012: Seeds of Death: Unveiling the Lies of GMOs [33]
See also
References
- ^ a b "Excherichia coli associated with enteritis of early weaned pigs", McGill Theses of 1964 from Érudit
- ^ Health Canada fires outspoken scientists. CTV.ca news staff. July 15, 2004. Available online at "CTV.ca | Health Canada fires outspoken scientists". Archived from the original on 2007-03-13. Retrieved 2009-04-23., accessed August 22, 2006
- ^ a b "Health Canada guilty of racial discrimination: tribunal". CBC News. August 14, 2001. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
- ^ a b Curriculum Vita at personal site
- ^ ISBN 978-0-9731945-7-9
- ^ Shiv Chopra at Peace
- ^ Chopra and Canadian Human Rights Commission v. Department of National Health and Welfare. Canadian Human Rights Tribunal decision, March 8, 1996. Available online at Canadian Human Rights Tribunal website [1]
- ^ Health Canada scientist again challenges employer. Paul Weinberg. Rabble News, May 28, 2003, available online at "Rabble news". Archived from the original on 2007-03-12. Retrieved 2006-08-22., accessed August 22, 2006
- ^ Chopra v. Department of National Health and Welfare. Canadian Human Rights Tribunal Decision. August 13, 2001. Available online at Canadian Human Rights Tribunal web site [2], accessed online on August 22, 2006
- ^ Grover v. NRC. Canadian Human Rights Tribunal decision, August 21, 1992. Available online on Canadian Human Rights Tribunal web site [3], accessed online on August 22, 2006,
- ^ Grover v. NRC. Canadian Human Rights Tribunal decision, March 18, 1994. Available online on Canadian Human Rights Tribunal web site [4], accessed online on August 22, 2006.
- ^ Minutes of the Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry, March 1999, Government of Canada, available online at Government of Canada web site [5] and accessed August 22, 2006
- ^ Minutes of the Standing Committee on Health, 38th Parliament, 1st session, May 19, 2005, Government of Canada, available online at the Government of Canada web site [6], accessed online on August 22, 2006
- ^ Scientists "pressured" to approve cattle drug. James Baxter. Ottawa Citizen, October 23, 1998, Page A1. Available online at [7], [8], accessed online on August 22, 2006
- ^ a b Whistleblower scientists to fight government firing. CBC.ca news. 15 Jul 2004 Available online at CBC.ca web site [9], accessed online on August 22, 2006
- ^ a b Health Canada whistle-blowers win round against public service integrity office Dennis Bueckert. Canadian Press. May 2, 2005. Available online at [10], accessed online on August 22, 2006.
- ^ a b c Chopra, Hayden, Basudde and Lambert vs. Attorney General of Canada and Public Service Integrity Officer. Ruling of the Federal Court of Canada, 29 April 2005, Docket: T-624-03, Citation: 2005 FC 595, available online at Federal Court of Canada website [11], accessed online August 22, 2006
- ^ a b c Scientist gets congratulatory letter from Health Canada after being fired. Dennis Bueckert, Canadian Press, August 4, 2004, available online at Canadian Press web site "Fired-Scientist-Honoured, 1st Writethru". Archived from the original on 2006-08-28. Retrieved 2006-08-22., accessed on August 22, 2006
- ^ Court blasts federal investigation into drug complaints Dennis Bueckert. May 03, 2005. Edmonton Journal page A10. Available online at [12], accessed online on August 22, 2006.
- ^ http://www.cjly.net/deconstructingdinner/123109transcript.htm [dead link]
- ^ "A special calling: Values, ethics and professional public service 7 / 11". Archived from the original on 2013-06-22. Retrieved 2012-08-06.
- ^ a b Decision: Shiv Chopra, Canadian Human Rights Commission and Health Canada, ruling by Pierre Deschamps, September 19, 2008.
- ^ a b Health Canada ordered to pay $4,000 for MD's 'hurt feelings' Archived 2008-09-21 at the Wayback Machine by Don Butler, The Ottawa Citizen, September 20, 2008.
- ^ Jonathan Kay: A bold new way to slam Whitey Archived 2013-01-29 at archive.today by Jonathan Kay, National Post, September 22, 2008.
- ^ Page 40
- ^ Shiv Chopra at The Council of Canadians
- ^ Dr. Shiv Chopra, Dr. Margaret Haydon, and Dr. Gérard Lambert: 2011 Integrity Award. Monday, November 14, 2011. Press release of Canadian Journalists for Free Expression. Available online at http://www.cjfe.org/resources/features/dr-shiv-chopra-dr-margaret-haydon-and-dr-g%C3%A9rard-lambert-2011-integrity-award [13], accessed December 5, 2011.
- ^ Oxdb The Corporation
- ^ mafab.hu Frankensteer
- ^ Fundació Roger Torné Homo Toxicus, one documentary on the relationship between our life style and children’s health
- ^ notre Cinéma Le Monde selon Monsanto ****
- ^ OV Guide Release Date: 2009 Duration: 93 min
- ^ Seattle Community Media Better Days Films - Day 19, Seeds of Death - Award Winning - Unveiling the Lies of GMOs - Part 1
External links
- Shiv Chopra at IMDb