Canadian government censoring scientists from media?

I'm very surprised to see from two sources (The Montreal Gazette and The Ottawa Citizen) that scientists with Natural Resources Canada -- the government department that deals with natural resources -- need to get permission from their Minister's office before going to the media with their scientific results... and that the office has say over whether they can talk to the media or not. What? I mean really, WHAT? OK, first: I understand that the government funds scientific research, and there are caveats that must apply when that happens. I also understand that the government should have some say in how scientific results are released. Whether you're a scientist at a university, a private company, or a government lab, you shouldn't just go to the media with results when you get them; there are proper channels in announcing them. However, this is a very dangerous precipice upon which to balance. ...