http://www.canadians.org Founded in 1985, the Council of Canadians is Canada's largest citizens' organization, with members and chapters across the country. We work to protect Canadian independence by promoting progressive policies on fair trade, clean water, energy security, public health care, and other issues of social and economic concern to Canadians. en-ca http://www.canadians.org/action/2009/25-May-09.html The Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement (CCFTA) hits the House of Commons this Monday, May 25 for second reading and debate followed by a vote that if passed would send it to committee for further study. Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff along with some Liberals on the Commons Standing Committee on International Trade have been sending around a form letter indicating that human rights and labour conditions are improving in Colombia, and that free trade is the only way to create a legitimate economy in that country. http://www.canadians.org/action/2009/25-May-09.html http://www.canadians.org/action/2009/19-May-09-2.html Wednesday May 20 marks the launch of a grassroots campaign with people across the province to convey priorities to the Ontario government for ensuring a green, secure and accessible electricity future. http://www.canadians.org/action/2009/19-May-09-2.html http://www.canadians.org/action/2009/19-May-09.html Our friends in Colombia have collected over 2 million signatures from their fellow citizens in support of a constitutional amendment supporting the fundamental human right to water. http://www.canadians.org/action/2009/19-May-09.html http://www.canadians.org/action/2009/24-Apr-09.html Today, April 24, marks the beginning of a week of action against the Canada-Colombia free trade agreement, with special focus on convincing Liberal MPs that whether or not they support free trade, this is a bad agreement that can only worsen human rights violations, increase violence against labour and civil society actors, and weaken environmental protections in Colombia for the sake of boosting the profits of large Canadian mining and resource companies. http://www.canadians.org/action/2009/24-Apr-09.html http://www.canadians.org/action/2009/17-Apr-09.html There are currently 7 application for Water Bottling in creeks within the Bute Watershed just north of the sunshine coast in BC. These application have been posted to the Intregrated Land Management Bureau website and they are accepting comments from the public. http://www.canadians.org/action/2009/17-Apr-09.html http://www.canadians.org/action/2009/14-Apr-09.html The Canadian government has just refused a passport for Canadian citizen Abousfian Abdelrazik, who has been stranded in Sudan for the last six years but who had a ticket to return to Canada today, paid for by his supporters. http://www.canadians.org/action/2009/14-Apr-09.html http://www.canadians.org/action/2009/9-Apr-09.html On March 26, 2009, the Harper government introduced legislation (Bill C23) in the House of Commons to implement a Canada-Colombia free trade agreement. This was done despite widespread opposition from labour and human rights groups, as well as the opposition NDP and Bloc Quebecois. They argue against the agreement on the grounds that Colombia has the worst human rights record in the Western Hemisphere. They say the free trade agreement as written can do nothing to change this problem, and might even exacerbate it. http://www.canadians.org/action/2009/9-Apr-09.html http://www.canadians.org/action/2009/30-Mar-09.html Take action before the House of Commons vote on Thursday April 2 http://www.canadians.org/action/2009/30-Mar-09.html http://www.canadians.org/action/2009/26-Mar-09.html Canadian sugar company Lantic Inc. (Rogers Sugar and Lantic brands) is deciding right now to accept or reject Monsanto's genetically modified (GM) sugar beet. Lantic Inc. is the only sugar company in Canada that processes sugar beet (grown in Alberta) but the GM sugar beet will only be planted if Lantic allow it. Lantic sugar is currently GM-Free. Stop GM sugar beets from being planted this April! http://www.canadians.org/action/2009/26-Mar-09.html http://www.canadians.org/action/2009/25-Feb-09.html Amendments to the Navigable Waters Protection Act being proposed under C-10, the Harper government's Budget Implementation Act, will give the Transport Minister the power to push through a number of projects including some run of the river and micro hydro-dams projects from environmental oversight. http://www.canadians.org/action/2009/25-Feb-09.html http://www.canadians.org/action/2009/04-Feb-09-2.html To date only business groups have been consulted on a plan to eliminate over 150,000 rules and regulations affecting industry in Ontario. Despite promises that environmental and health-related policies will not be weakened, there is very little information on what regulations the Ontario government is planning on trimming. http://www.canadians.org/action/2009/04-Feb-09-2.html http://www.canadians.org/action/2009/15-Jan-09.html In this time of global economic crisis, Canadians from all walks of life are worried about their jobs, their homes, and their futures. In a time of protracted climate crisis, we are also worried about the future of our planet. In its upcoming budget, the Canadian Government has the opportunity to launch a hopeful response to these crises by making a "Green New Deal" for Canada. http://www.canadians.org/action/2009/15-Jan-09.html http://www.canadians.org/action/2008/1-Dec-08-2.html On October 14, the Conservatives won a minority of seats in the House of Commons. As a result, in our parliamentary system, Stephen Harper needs the confidence of the House to govern. By failing to provide leadership and a plan to address the current economic crisis and choosing instead to pick fights with the opposition parties, Mr. Harper has lost the confidence of the House. http://www.canadians.org/action/2008/1-Dec-08-2.html http://www.canadians.org/action/2008/1-Dec-08.html The Council of Canadians is joining Friends of the Earth, the Polaris Institute, Wellington Water Watchers and Ecojustice to file a complaint under the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards against Nestle Waters North America for running a full-page advertisement in the Globe and Mail in October containing misleading information about the environmental and health impacts of its product. http://www.canadians.org/action/2008/1-Dec-08.html http://www.canadians.org/action/2008/20-Nov-08.html Just 11 days before a groundbreaking new treaty banning cluster bombs opens for signature in Oslo, Canada has still not announced that it intends to sign the treaty on December 3. Let them know you support a ban on cluster munitions by signing the People's Treaty: http://www.minesactioncanada.org/peoples_treaty http://www.canadians.org/action/2008/20-Nov-08.html http://www.canadians.org/action/2008/02-Oct-08.html Governments and big business have spent the last 15 years telling us that free trade is good for us. But Canadians know better. The Council of Canadians has found that 61% of Canadians agree that NAFTA should be renegotiated to include enforceable labour and environmental standards. http://www.canadians.org/action/2008/02-Oct-08.html http://www.canadians.org/action/2008/18-Sep-08.html As reported in the Globe and Mail on September 18, "Canadian and European officials say they plan to begin negotiating a massive agreement to integrate Canada's economy with the 27 nations of the European Union, with preliminary talks to be launched at an Oct. 17 summit in Montreal three days after the federal election." The article continues, "...a senior EU official involved in the talks described (them) as 'deep economic integration negotiations.'" http://www.canadians.org/action/2008/18-Sep-08.html http://www.canadians.org/action/2008/27-Aug-08.html As reported in today's Toronto Star, "The Canadian government is embarking on an aggressive sales campaign with the White House candidates to counter the 'dirty oil' label that U.S. environmentalists and some politicians are tagging on Canadian exports." http://www.canadians.org/action/2008/27-Aug-08.html http://www.canadians.org/action/2008/14-Aug-08.html The following alert was issued earlier this week to members of the Writers' Union of Canada in response to the latest assault by the Harper government on funding to writers, artists, musicians and other members of Canada's cultural industries. http://www.canadians.org/action/2008/14-Aug-08.html http://www.canadians.org/action/2008/04-Jul-08.html The federal government is reviewing our post office for the first time in 12 years. It has asked an advisory panel to conduct this inquiry, which it is calling the Canada Post Corporation Strategic Review (CPCSR). http://www.canadians.org/action/2008/04-Jul-08.html http://www.canadians.org/action/2008/30-Jul-08.html The U.S. law going through Congress to legalize the Great Lakes Basin Compact has the approval of the Ontario and Quebec governments despite the fact that it leaves wide open the possibility of massive removals of water from the shared watershed through bottled water exemptions. Let Congress know that Canadians are concerned by signing on to Food and Water Watch's petition at: http://action.foodandwaterwatch.org/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=25279 http://www.canadians.org/action/2008/30-Jul-08.html http://www.canadians.org/action/2008/28-Jul-08.html Write a letter to Gerry Ritz (Ritz.G@parl.gc.ca), minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (the department responsible for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency), demanding that Luc Pomerleau be given his job back. http://www.canadians.org/action/2008/28-Jul-08.html http://www.canadians.org/action/2008/15-Jul-08.html You can show your support for Robin Long and all US war resisters by contacting Stockwell Day, the Minister of Public Safety, this morning and telling him that the House of Commons has voted to allow war resisters to stay in Canada, that 64 percent of Canadians believe that war resisters should be allowed to stay in Canada as permanent residents, and that the Federal Court of Canada has ruled that US war resisters have grounds to claim refugee protection. http://www.canadians.org/action/2008/15-Jul-08.html http://www.canadians.org/action/2008/11-Jul-08.html The privatization of water achieved a new height in Canada when Environment Canada announced that lakes would be used as tailing impoundment areas, or dump sites for the toxic waste of metal mining corporations. Save Sandy Pond by sending Minister Baird a message! http://www.canadians.org/action/2008/11-Jul-08.html