John Bennett's blog

The Federal Government is engaged in an unprecedented campaign to damage the credibility of the environmental movement. In the latest move, Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver (apparently replacing Environment Minister Peter Kent as the chief anti-environmentalist government spokesperson) submitted an “open letter” to the media. In it, he links “radicals and environmental groups” and charges they are against everything. ... Read more »

This is my last blog of the year so I want to begin by sincerely thanking you for being part of the most exciting year of my campaigning career. In 2011 we probably had one of highest participation rates for email campaigns in all of Canada. Again, thank you.

Today I want to tell you about a disturbing pattern emerging in the public dialogue on environmental issues that has the potential to do significant damage to the environmental movement and our ability to positively influence public opinion. Influencing public opinion, after all, is how we have achieved the great change in how the natural environment is viewed and treated, so it’s important to understand what is happening.... Read more »

This morning when I woke up, I saw that I received an email from Graham Saunders. Graham’s email really summarizes the situation in Durban succinctly and I wanted to share it with you.

If you haven’t already, please take a moment and send a message to the Prime Minister and Federal Environment Minister telling them to uphold Canada's reputation and do what's right in Durban! After reading the post below, I know you will!

– John Bennett, Executive Director, Sierra Club Canada ... Read more »

Finally we met the real Peter Kent. He made two very revealing public statements last week.

The first was in reaction to a couple of NDP MPs (including environment critic @MeganLeslieMP) who headed to Washington to promote action on climate change and suggest an alternative vision of Tar Sands development and energy security.

Kent called them "treacherous" for opposing “Canada’s economic interest". What's next? Are they also "un-Canadian"? How about "communist"?

Then on Thursday he told reporters the Canadian government is considering narrowing the focus of its main environmental assessment agency so it can accelerate reviews of major industrial projects, including Tar Sands and pipelines.
... Read more »

We got the word last night. The federal government won't be funding the Canadian Environmental Network (CEN) any more. The network consists of 600 groups from coast to coast to coast.

The news came about the same time Heritage Minister James Moore tweeted the announcement of his new War of 1812 iPhone App - part of a $29 million program to celebrate a 200 year old war.

CEN is a coordinating body that doesn't take stands. It just helps environmental organizations network and facilitates communication with the federal government. It’s the very definition of non-partisan. ... Read more »