Gates charity cuts funding to Canadian anti-smoking project

[ZeitgeistObserver]

Gates charity cuts funding to Canadian anti-smoking project in Africa


The huge charitable foundation run by software czar Bill Gates and his wife has yanked funding from an anti-smoking research project in Africa because of the tobacco industry links of a former Canadian cabinet minister.


-snip-


This is the second time in two months that the Gates foundation has cancelled a Canadian-led project. In February, the federal government and the foundation killed an $88-million AIDS vaccine plant planned for Canada, saying it was not needed and the bidders were not up to the job.


http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/gates-charity-cuts-funding-to-canadian-anti-smoking-project-in-africa/article1532173/


Gates didn't cut funding to the AIDS project, Harper did. And in this case Harper knew McDougall was unacceptable.

'The Canadian lobby group Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada said it wrote to Prime Minister Stephen Harper in March to complain about Ms. McDougall’s role at IDRC. In its letter it noted that Canada has signed the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which forbids anyone employed by the tobacco industry to serve on a body that sets tobacco control policy or public health policy.

Because the IDRC does work in both those areas, Ms. McDougall has a clear conflict, said Neil Collishaw, research director at Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada. He called the halt of the African research project a tragedy, and said the situation has given Canada “a very substantial black eye.” '

[daleo]

1. Imperial Tobacco must pay their board members well

It amazes me that a civilized person would have anything to do with a tobacco company in this day and age.