Prorogue This! Join the Canada-wide prorogation protests tomorrow On December 30, Prime Minister Stephen Harper used a special Parliamentary privilege and prorogued Parliament, shutting down democratic representation in the House of Commons. The move – his second prorogation in less than a year – stopped further inquiries and criticisms of important issues such as the Afghan detainee affair. The Council of Canadians is opposed to Stephen Harper’s prorogation of Parliament and believes that parliamentarians should be back at work on Monday January 25. We support the “Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament” Facebook campaign asking people to write Members of Parliament with this demand and their call to participate in rallies across the country on Saturday January 23. Click here to visit the Facebook group. For a list of anti-prorogation events in communities across Canada go here. For a list of events on Facebook, go here. Let’s all stand up for democracy! Here’s more about what’s new at the Council of Canadians: The high price of the 2010 Olympic Games Harper hurting Canada's reputation at home and abroad Watch for your 2010 membership renewal in the mail Four new Council chapters making a difference in their communities Scenes from fighting for climate justice in Copenhagen

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The high price of the 2010 Olympic Games

In February, athletes from around the world will converge in Vancouver and Whistler B.C. for the 2010 Olympic Games. While the Olympic spirit of friendly, peaceful competition between countries is admirable, the Council of Canadians has been working hard to raise awareness about the social, environmental and democratic problems related to the Games.

We are sounding the alarm about corporate green-washing where multinational companies such as Coke, Royal Bank and Suncor-PetroCanada use the Games as a platform to promote themselves as being more environmentally friendly than they actually are. Coke will be using the Games to sell millions of bottles of bottled water, an energy intensive and water-wasting practice that commodifies water. According to recent media reports, reusable containers filled with tap water have been banned from all Olympic venues. The Royal Bank and Suncor Energy Inc. are two other examples of corporate green-washers. Both are big investors in the environmentally destructive tar sands, the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the country.

The Games will leave a serious legacy of debt. In the midst of the economic crisis, we have seen numerous examples of governments using public funds to bailout Olympic projects. The most glaring example is the Olympic Village, a boondoggle that will cost millions in public funds. The cost of the Games is more than $6 billion while there have been massive cuts to social programs including education, health care, the arts and women’s centres across B.C.

Heightened security in the area has also threatened basic civil liberties. People who have been deemed “dissenters” of the Games have been followed and interrogated. One billion dollars is being spent on security for the Games and protestors ­­– people exercising their democratic rights – have been targeted as the biggest threats.

In the lead-up to the 2010 Games we will continue to raise awareness through a speaking tour, local events and activities about the harmful impacts caused by turning the Games into a massive corporate-sponsored event. To see a listing of events go here.

For fact sheets, updates and to order a lawn sign “Stop playing Games with water!” go here.

PHOTO: E-mail inquiries@canadians.org or call us at 1-800-387-7177 to order your lawn sign today and help raise awareness about concerns with the corporate takeover of the 2010 Olympic Games.

Harper hurting Canada's reputation at home and abroad

“As a new year and a new decade begin, it is time to accept an unpleasant reality: Canada's international reputation as a progressive middle power is gone,” writes Maude Barlow in a recent opinion editorial published in The Globe and Mail. “Instead, our country is increasingly seen as a human-rights-denying eco-outlaw that has lost its way and its special status as a standard bearer for a better world. This change is largely the doing of Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the ideology that has motivated him and his mentors for decades.”

Go here to read the full op-ed.

Watch for your 2010 membership renewal in the mail

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. If you are a member of our monthly Canada Plan, your membership will be renewed automatically. Thank you for your ongoing support.

Four new Council chapters making a difference in their communities

Part of the Council’s strength as a grassroots organization comes from our chapters. With concerned and active members in more than 70 communities across the country, our chapters provide a strong voice to local, regional and national issues. Through regular meetings, public events and actions, interactions with the media, and getting involved in issues in their communities, Council chapters act as the true government watchdog.

We are thrilled to welcome four new chapters into action. The Simcoe Region chapter in Ontario was formed in November and is focusing on following up on the Site 41 victory that protected a local aquifer and pushing for the best waste treatment options in their region. We also have a new chapter in Ottawa, Ontario, where more than 30 people attended a recent founding meeting. With our 25th Annual General Meeting coming up this year in Ottawa, this chapter is well placed for a high profile. The Columbia Valley Chapter in British Columbia was formed as a result of an inspiring demonstration against the Glacier-Howser independent private power project. A great group of activists have come together to work on issues of water, privatization and climate change in their community. On the East Coast, we now have a presence on Cape Breton with the Inverness County chapter. The chapter has been active around climate change, the Olympics and trade issues.

If you are interested in getting information about Council chapters, or forming one in your community, please contact the regional office nearest to you:

British Columbia: 1-888-566-3888
Prairies: 1-877-729-4500
Ontario-Quebec: 1-800-208-7156
Atlantic: 1-877-772-7811

For a list of our chapters go here.

PHOTO: Members of the new Inverness County chapter gather in front of a Council banner at their founding meeting.

Scenes from fighting for climate justice in Copenhagen

The Council of Canadians was in Copenhagen from December 11-19  joining millions of voices from around the world demanding action for an effective global climate agreement addressing the climate crisis.