E-News: Analysis, recent wins, and campaign updates
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- Published on Sunday, 29 November -0001 16:00
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BUILDING A STRONGER DEMOCRACY
Over the last weeks, we have been shaken and angered as we watched the harassment of health care workers and residents in Ottawa, expressions of far-right organizing on our streets, and the double standards in law and policing.
We recognize the widespread and legitimate frustration with how those in power have handled the pandemic – a response that has put corporate interests ahead of people and the collective good. But we’ve been disturbed to see far-right leaders capitalizing on these grievances to further their own political agenda.
To bring people together from across the country to reflect on the moment we're in, the Council of Canadians organized a public panel discussion on February 22nd.
Almost 2,000 of you attended the webinar and our staff fielded more than 200 questions from the audience participating in the moderated Q&A box. We thank you for your terrific engagement and support.
We are also very grateful for the crucial insight and perspectives offered by panelists Zexi Li, Linda McQuaig, Jackie Walker, and Alex Silas, as well as our moderator Anne Lagacé Dowson.
As the Council of Canadians’ Chairperson, John Cartwright, wrote in a recent piece, we need more than ever to come together under the banner of “caring, social solidarity, and creating a future where everyone feels they belong.”
If you missed the event, or if you’d like to share the recording with your friends and family, you can watch it here.
Stay tuned for announcements about other upcoming webinars.
THE TIDE IS RISING FOR A JUST TRANSITION
March 2 marks the end of the first 100 days of the new Parliament, and the clock is ticking for the Trudeau government to deliver on its promised legislation for a just transition.
As we move to a low-carbon future, a just transition plan ensures that the ensuing transformation is carried out equitably, is rooted in climate justice, respects the rights of Indigenous peoples, and creates good, green jobs in the process.
As the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has warned in its most recent report, any delays in meaningful climate action will “miss a brief and rapidly closing window to secure a liveable future.”
Our government doesn’t have a clear vision for a just transition so we’re bringing our vision to them.
From coast to coast, we will visit MP offices and use creative visuals, theatrics, and art to show them the kinds of programs we need to transition off fossil fuels – brought to us by a not-quite-in-existence-yet federal Ministry of a Just Transition.
Since October, more than 150 people in over 40 communities – including many of you! – have been collecting signatures to get local MPs to table our just transition petition in Parliament. Thanks to your efforts, 10 MPs from across the political spectrum have already tabled the petition and at least 20 others have committed to doing the same.
Last month, we received the government’s first response to our petition, which made it clear that we need to keep up and redouble our efforts. Unfortunately, the response omitted any mention of the Just Transition Act that Prime Minister Trudeau promised three years ago – a promise he repeated in his ministerial mandate letters last fall. Instead, the Ministers responding to our petition offered a patchwork of policies that are no match for the scale of the crisis we’re facing. (Read more of our analysis on that here.)
To all of you who have signed the petition, contacted your MP, come to our organizing meetings, or joined our phonebank, we thank you. Now, help us keep the momentum going.
Join us on March 12 for the Day of Action for a Just Transition.
Big Pharma vs. Public Health
So long as the global inequity in access to COVID-19 vaccines persists, new variants will continue to emerge. To end the pandemic for all, we need vaccine justice.
That’s why the Council of Canadians initiated a parliamentary petition last November calling on the federal government to stop blocking the manufacturing of generic vaccines in Canada, and to support the temporary suspension of patents on vaccines and other life-saving medicines at the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Unfortunately, the Trudeau government’s response to our petition reveals it is still placing Big Pharma’s profits ahead of global public health.
The government’s response completely ignores our core demand: to facilitate the manufacturing of generic vaccines by domestic producers in Canada. It also dishonestly asserts that the government is ready to discuss any “IP [intellectual property] challenges” regarding vaccines at the WTO. In reality, our trade officials in Geneva have continually obstructed discussions over a temporary suspension of patents on vaccines, ever since the measure was first proposed in October 2020.
The government’s response to our petition instead celebrates Canada’s pledged vaccine donations – neglecting to mention that it has delivered only 6 per cent of what it had pledged.
You can read more of our analysis about the government’s response here.
Continue showing your support for vaccine justice by writing to your MP today.
We need a vigorous “People’s Lobby” for vaccine justice. Together, we can make our voices heard, above the din of honking horns and the whispers of Big Pharma lobbyists.
In conversation with Gordon Laxer on the power of Big Foreign Oil
Wealthy foreign-owned oil corporations have a massive influence in shaping climate policy in Canada. In a comprehensive new report, Gordon Laxer has outlined the power and reach of Big Foreign Oil – and how to curb it.
Last month, we hosted a lively discussion with Gordon Laxer to review the findings from his report, “Posing as Canadian: How Big Foreign Oil Captures Canadian Energy and Climate Policy.”
Almost 400 of you participated in the webinar from across Canada and contributed to a rich and engaging conversation. Thank you!
If you missed the webinar, or if you’d like to share it with your friends or family, you can find a recording of the event here.
Keep an eye out from more updates from us, as we announce local conversations with Gordon, hosted by chapters from the Council of Canadians in the coming weeks and months.
P.S. Read our second excerpt from Gordon’s report here.
Membership Builds Our Movement
The Council of Canadians has proudly reinstated an open membership structure. We invite you to become a member by making at least a $1 contribution to cover your annual membership fee.
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