Five days after Dr. Arnold Naimark released his report for the Hospital for Sick Children CAUT received the following statement signed by the Canadian Health Coalition, National Federation of Nurses Unions, Canadian Labour Congress, National Pensioners and Senior Citizens Federation, Canadian Union of Public Employees, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, Hospital Employees Union, Congress of Union Retirees, CAW-Canada, and the Alliance for Public Accountability.

"We fully endorse CAUT's call for an external, independent public inquiry into the threats to research integrity exposed by the L1 scandal involving the Hospital for Sick Children and the University of Toronto.

"Dominance of corporate funding is an ominous threat to all research integrity and patient safety, not only at the Hospital for Sick Children, but nationally and internationally. An independent public investigation is imperative.

"Essential, in our view, is inquiry into the underlying causes of risk to research integrity, not just the symptoms. We must identify who has what responsibilities - for both researchers and institutions - and who must answer publicly and for what responsibilities, in the research process.

"The full facts of the scandal must be exposed in an open, independent manner so as to understand and limit threats to research integrity in the future. It is vital that the free expression of research concepts and findings be vigilantly defended in this country."