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Canada is Alive and Kicking – in Spight of the Extinction Paper!

[Photo by Barry Stemshorn] Just before Parliament rose for the summer, the Government of Canada rolled out what I am calling the Extinction Paper: a series of rolls backs and undemocratic changes that would make it even easier for fossil fuel and nuclear industries – aided by elected officials who would be willfully ignorant of the impacts of their decisions – to drive species to extinction, approve pipelines before routes were even known, and the create zones where environmental safety laws simply do not apply.

We are hearing that decisions are being made by a small number of people: PM Carney, Minister Hodgeson, Minister LeBlanc, and Minister MacKinnon. Meanwhile, Ministers of Environment, Nature and Climate Change Julie Dabrusin and Secretary of State for Nature, Natalie Provost are being shut out.

Meanwhile, outside the Prime Minister’s Office, Mother Nature (bless her) is screaming pretty loudly that there is no Canada without Nature. Wildfires are blazing across the country, threatening the lives and homes of people and wildlife and making the very air we and our children breathe dangerous to our health. Heat waves and tick-born diseases are curtailing the blissful enjoyment many of us look forward to in the summer.

MPs across the country need to be asked: are you willing to support the Extinction Paper?

Push back from the public and environmental leaders resulted in the Government changing its plans to pass the law and policy changes outlined in the Extinction paper before going on summer holiday.

Over 21,000 submissions have been made on the Extinction Paper – a strong signal that Canadians are very concerned about what the federal government so carelessly suggested in the Extinction Paper.

But to permeate the echo chamber of pro-oil and pro-nuclear lobbying, we need to keep up the pressure. Our Board of Directors has volunteered to call their MPs to convey their concerns – and I hope you will join them:

We invite you to call your MP and – if you happen to see your MP at a community event over the summer, take a moment to ask them in person: what are you doing to stop the Extinction Paper from becoming law and start building the country we need right now?

You may not have your MP on speed dial – here’s where you can look up their number.

Sample Questions to ask when you call:

Have you read the Discussion Paper and do you realize how it could impact our communities ability to have a say on projects that will affect clean air, land and water like pipelines, nuclear and gas plants, fracking, and offshore drilling?
Along with 21,000 others, Sierra Club Canada has written a detailed response to the government’s Discussion Paper – will you read our submission and get back to me with regard to the recommendations? (Make sure to get their number to follow up..)
Species like endangered whales, birds, turtles [please identify natural species and spaces that are important to you] are vital parts of what makes our riding so special. We also know that the diversity of life we enjoy here is what makes life in Canada so prosperous and safe. Will you ensure that no laws are passed that could exempt companies or Government from ensuring we protect and restore habitat for these species while tackling climate change that threatens all life on Earth?
Do you agree that environmental laws are NOT what stops us from being secure as a country – and that projects that decrease biodiversity , threaten our health, and decrease our ability to fight climate change are actually what holds us back?
What project would you allow a limited number of people in the federal Cabinet to approve in this riding without knowing where exactly it would be built, how it would impact our air and water and wildlife, and without taking into consideration other industries that rely on a healthy environment like fishing, tourism and outdoor recreation, and farming ?

If you do reach out, please let us know how it went and how your MP responded by contacting me [Gretchen Fitzgerald] at communications@sierraclub.ca.

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