CAD Gov't Strong-Arms Enviro Critics, Knocks Out 4,500 Sites

The "Blame Canada" cliche is back in force amidst reports that the Canadian government has shut down 4,500 websites -- two of which are owned and operated by global warming activists who have routinely criticized the Harper Conservatives for not doing enough to help shape an effective international environmental policy.

The two websites in question are both Canadian and include enviro-canada.ca and eg-gc.ca. In recent weeks these sites engaged in lively campaigns to highlight the disappointing results at Copenhagen and to specifically blame Canada for its role in the debacle. Part of that criticism included pointing out the country's "terrible" policy towards threats of climate change.

Canadian Government Demands Enviro Censorship

According to reports, the Canadian government responded to this harsh criticism by demanding the German Internet Service Provider (ISP) of the two sites, Serverloft, shut them down. In addition, the Canadian government allegedly asked Serverloft to prevent "other environment-related domains" from popping up on its servers. (Source: tgdaily.com)

4,500 Sites Shut Down

Serverloft appears to have responded by shutting down not just enviro-canada.ca and eg-gc.ca but also a massive chunk of IP addresses, many having nothing to do with the recent campaign to highlight the Canadian governments' environmental failures.

Campaign Launched by The Yes Men

The campaign in question was launched by The Yes Men, anti-corporate enviro-crusaders Jacque Servin and Igor Vamos. They felt they could best highlight the failures of the Canadian government on the environmental question by preparing a hoax, which on behalf of Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced that the Great White North would drastically reduce greenhouse emissions by 2050 -- in line with similar promises from south of the 49th parallel.

In response, Mike Laudreville of Environment Canada wrote to Serverloft stating, "We trust you appreciate the importance of avoiding confusion among the public concerning Canadian governmental affairs and that you will assist us in preventing this hoax from spreading further." (Source: dailytech.com)

As you might expect, these events have brought great press to The Yes Men, who recently replied, "We are sorry to see that the Canadian government will not take certain actions that could help stave off catastrophic climate change." (Source: tgdaily.com)