Renew Your 2010 Membership Today! As we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Council in 2010, we will be working hard on the issues that matter to you: protecting our fresh water, public health care, energy resources, fair trade deals, and the values that make us distinctly Canadian. Building a better Canada depends on a strong and effective national citizens’ organization. When we band together with a common passion and purpose, we are stronger and better able to fight for and win important victories. We need your help The work we do would simply not be possible without your continued financial support and commitment. As a membership-based organization we rely on generous individuals like you to run our campaigns. We do our work without a penny of corporate or government funding. This financial independence allows us to take on multinational corporations, and the governments that cater to them, to ensure the values we believe in are protected for future generations. It is more important than ever that Canadians have a strong and united citizens’ movement to speak out on their behalf. So please renew your 2010 Council of Canadians membership today so we can continue to strengthen the things you value most about Canada. Contact us at 1-800-387-7177 or click here to renew your membership right now through our website. Please Note: Monthly donors automatically have their membership renewed. Here’s more about what’s new at the Council of Canadians: Calling for Climate (of) Change in Copenhagen Council launches Olympic protest signs The Blue Summit Overflows with Action It’s Time for a WTO Turnaround We Need Green, Decent and Public Jobs Public challenges free trade - MP loses cool Speaking out against unfair trade deals in Ontario Water markets pose threat in Alberta Join the Council of Canadians today!

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Calling for Climate (of) Change in Copenhagen

The Council of Canadians joined thousands of people in Copenhagen pushing the urgent need for climate change action as world leaders gathered for COP15, the 15th session of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Many saw COP15 as a crucial moment for getting new commitments for an international climate agreement, and viewed the Canadian government’s commitment to the tar sands as one of the major hurdles to a meaningful agreement.

"Canadians are sending a clear message to the Harper government – we want climate action, we want to be part of the solution," said Maude Barlow, National Chairperson for the Council of Canadians. "This government is stuck in the tar sands, and is not listening – this must change.”

Our country does not have a good record on climate change action. At previous climate summits, the Harper government has demonstrated an unwillingness to negotiate, instead insisting elements of previous agreements be rewritten. Canada was the only country to back away from its Kyoto commitments, allowing its greenhouse gas emissions to rise by 26 per cent instead of working to cut emissions by the promised six per cent.

In Copenhagen, our National Chairperson, Maude Barlow, and staff Brent Patterson, Andrea Harden-Donahue and Anil Naidoo joined rallies and marches as tens of thousands of people flowed through the streets voicing their support for government leaders to take urgent action. We joined with First Nations highlighting the devastating impacts tar sands production have on land, water and air and First Nations communities, and we spoke out about the clear links between climate change and water. Back in Canada our chapters held events and rallies in communities across the country calling on the Canadian government to act now.

To see all the latest blog updates and videos from our team in Copenhagen go here.

To read our Climate Justice website section and see a gallery of recent events and actions go here.

Council launches Olympic protest signs

The Council of Canadians staked its concerns with the corporate influences at the 2010 Olympic Games, which will be held in Whistler and Vancouver, B.C., on the front lawn of Vancouver City Hall this past week.

The signs target Coca-Cola, a worldwide sponsor of the 2010 Winter Olympics and call on Coke to “Stop playing games with water.” Since 1928, the Olympics have provided Coca-Cola with a highly publicized forum to promote its products and the company plans to heavily advertise its new "PlantBottle" bottled water as an environmentally-friendly product during the 2010 Winter Olympic. The bottle is primarily plastic and hides more significant issues related to the company’s practices such as ground water depletion, bottled water waste and the commodification of water.

The sign campaign also highlights concerns with the public’s right free speech and legitimate dissent following the City of Vancouver's recent removal of an anti-Olympic mural and the approval of bylaws that do not allow city licenses for Olympic signs that aren’t “celebratory” of the Games.

To read our media release go here.

To be a part of our education campaign about the negative impacts of the 2010 Olympics, order your lawn sign today. Signs are $10 each or 3 for $25 and include the cost of mailing. Go here to order a sign from one of our regional offices today.

The Blue Summit Overflows with Action

Photo credit: Marilyn Mikkelsen

At the end of November more than 300 people from across the country came together to “Learn, Act and Organize” for public water at The Blue Summit.

Organized by the Council of Canadians and CUPE, The Blue Summit gave people tools and support to protect their public water services and supplies from pollution, underfunding, destructive dams and diversions and privatization. The event celebrated, strengthened and expanded the network of Water Watch activists working to protect public water for everyone. We came together to celebrate grassroots water activism, hear speakers, participate in workshops and take part in a rally on Parliament Hill in support of public water. At the rally, people signed a banner with the message that “Climate Justice is Water Justice,” which was presented recently to Canadian leaders in Copenhagen at climate talks.

The exciting two-day event culminated with a Declaration that commits to “engage all Canadians in working to protect water for the planet and future generations.” Go here to read the Declaration.

For all the latest updates on water issues in communities across Canada, check out our new quarterly Making Waves e­newsletter here.

It’s Time for a WTO Turnaround

The Council of Canadians took on the global trade agenda in Geneva, Switzerland at the seventh WTO ministerial conference in early December. While few decisions were made at the meeting, governments’ commitments to complete the Doha round of negotiations, stalled since it began in 2001, did not waver. While there was some opposition from developing countries, most leaders at the conference, including International Trade Minister Stockwell Day, rallied behind WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy in claiming that signing Doha is the best thing the world could do to encourage economic recovery.

“The WTO with its model of unsustainable growth is a major contributor to the multiple crises facing humanity – food security, jobs, climate change, and financial chaos,” said Leo Broderick, vice chair of the Council of Canadians, in Geneva with Trade Campaigner Stuart Trew for a civil society counter-summit to the Ministerial organized by Our World Is Not For Sale. “This week in Geneva, the WTO once again failed to produce results that will help millions of working men and women around the world, and the many more millions who are unemployed due to the world financial crisis.”

Visit our Trade blog for reports from Geneva here. To see a video of the march in Geneva opposing the WTO, go here.

We Need Green, Decent and Public Jobs

The Council of Canadians and the Canadian Labour Congress have produced a groundbreaking new research report revealing a leadership role Canada can play investing in and creating “green” jobs.

The report, titled Green Decent and Public, focuses on the distinct opportunities the public sector can play in generating decent green jobs. It reveals how there are opportunities in improving energy efficiency and rapidly expanding electricity produced from renewable resources. Public and community ownership of renewable power is offered as an alternative path to further market liberalization in the electricity sector. the creation of an energy system based on local renewable resources offers a wealth of job creation possibilities without adding to the atmosphere's carbon burden. Luckily, there is an abundance of renewable resources that can be put to good use reducing the province's greenhouse gas emissions, increasing energy security and creating decent green jobs.

To read the full report, go here.

Public challenges free trade - MP loses cool

Pressure is continuing to mount on Liberal MPs to pull their support for the Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement and ensure that the Agreement does not pass. Critics argue that the FTA offers no benefit for Canada and that Canadians need to take a stand against Colombia’s appalling human rights record.

Earlier this month, the Council of Canadians along with the PSAC, Just Us Coffee Roasters Co-op and members of Brison’s riding hosted a panel discussion in Wolfville, Nova Scotia about the trade deal. The next day more than 80 people rallied in front of MP and Liberal Trade critic Scott Brison’s office. People at the rally were demanding that Brison retract his recent statement claiming paramilitary violence no longer exists in Colombia.

With over 100 people at the panel discussion, many of whom were Brison’s constituents, he was a noshow, after confirming he would attend. The next day, he attempted to take over the microphone at the rally from Angela Giles, the Council’s Atlantic regional organizer, interrupting her before walking away. Mr. Brison has voted in favour of the Bill to implement the trade agreement and has been a spokesperson for the Colombian Uribe government despite his role as opposition critic.

“We had invited Brison to the panel event so he could listen to the critical view of this Agreement,” explains Giles. “Instead, he invited the crowd to a future discussion – one on his terms, to hear the same rhetoric he’s said before. By doing so he didn’t actually listen what people in his riding are concerned about. The real situation in Colombia is serious and hugely problematic and we know the tangible benefits from this Agreement are negligible. Parliament should stop wasting its time on this agreement and move on.”

Take action! Pressure must continue through MP’s winter break. Tell your MP to say “no” to the Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement. Go here to send your letter today.

Speaking out against unfair trade deals in Ontario

The Council of Canadians, with CUPE Ontario, recently wrapped up a successful eight-city speaking tour in communities across Ontario raising awareness about the impacts of new interprovincial and international trade deals.

Drawing the links between how these deals favour corporate interests over environmental, social and workers’ interests, the tour focused on the need for local solutions to the current economic and environmental crises. We encouraged people to take action and contact their government representatives about the Ontario-Quebec Trade and Cooperation Agreement, the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, and a proposed agreement with the United States on government procurement.

this final agreement, which would ban “buy local” or “buy Canadian” policies in Canada, could be signed as early as this month. You can read about how the buy American boogeyman is being used to force new restrictions on our cities and provinces – and what you can do to stop it here.

To read our comprehensive trade tour booklet Say Bye To Buy Local go here.

To see Maude Barlow’s tour stop presentation in Hamilton click here.

Water markets pose threat in Alberta

The Council of Canadians spoke out recently about recommendations given to the Alberta government to formalize and extend a water market system throughout the province.

“The Alberta government has clearly decided that it is not interested in other potential solutions to the province’s looming water crisis besides turning Alberta’s water over to the market system,” said Scott Harris, Prairies regional organizer for the Council of Canadians in a recent media release. “This is an obvious attempt to frame the discussion in forthcoming public consultations to focus exclusively on market-based solutions.”

If approved, this plan would give water resources up to the highest bidder forcing cash-strapped municipalities to compete with big oil and other large industries for increasingly scarce water resources.

To read our media release on this issue go here.