People for Climate Justice

Some exciting things have been happening in Canada lately. A country currently most well known for it’s terrible environmental track record and complete and utter refusal to do something productive about climate change. What has been happening in Canada? DIRECT ACTION for Climate justice!

All across Canada people have been coming together to organize peaceful sit-in/occupations at the offices of elected officials, tar sands financers, and the coal and tar sands industries. This is serious stuff for Canada, within the environmental movement we’re pretty low key€¦ Well not anymore.

This morning at 10am 6 activists entered the Vancouver offices of  MP Andrew Saxton.

This marked the 6th in a series of sit-ins with more to come! Sit-ins have already happened in Calgary at Jim Prentice the Minister of the Environment’s office (what a hilarious name for someone who is a notorious big oil lover *cough tar sand cough* and climate criminal), in Edmonton at Rona Ambrose’s office (Labour Minister), in Whitby, ON at Jim Flaherty Finance Minister’s office, in Sidney on Vancouver Island at Gray Lunn’s office, in Ottawa, ON at John Braid’s office (Minister of Transport Infrastructure, and Communities), and finally today in North Vancouver at Andrew Saxton ’s office (Canadian Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Treasury Board).

All of the different people involved are demanding the same thing:

- Meaningful action on climate change — no more stalling while people die!

- That Canada sign the UN declaration on Indigenous Rights

- Green Jobs NOW

-That a zero carbon economy IS possible

- That Canada meaningfully commit to the principles of Climate Justice

-  Reduction of emissions to safe levels for those most affected by climate change

- That anything less than adherence to the principles of Climate Justice be defined as “criminally negligent” as defined under Canadian law.

I had the pleasure of participating in one of the sit-ins/protests in Whitby, ON. The 7 people who entered the office (and were locked to each other using chains) were eventually cut free and arrested; while a crowd of supporters local and not local cheered and chanted outside. They were never given the opportunity to speak with Jim Flaherty, however they were allowed to speak with the Chief of Staff.

We don’t just want our government to listen; listening is not enough! Listening implies they can ignore us, and we won’t allow this to happen.

Hearts full, fists up we will continue to fight for climate justice until our demands are met. We refuse to let this become the biggest disaster of our time.

Check out: www.canadaclimatejustice.wordpress.com for info on all of the sit-ins that have happened so far.

Pictures from the Whitby Ontario sit-in

Video taken from inside the office, as well as during the arrests:

This is the demand letter People for Climate Justice presented to the Finance Minister:

Honourable Minister Flaherty:

We held a sit-in at in your constituency office today because the Conservative Government is stalling progress to build a just, meaningful, and binding climate treaty this December in Copenhagen.

Inaction on climate change is already displacing and killing millions, and sending many into poverty.  In Canada, climate change is harming the land and lives of indigenous communities in the Far North. Globally, recent declines in food production due to climate-catalyzed droughts, is causing food shortages in some poor countries and escalating global hunger.  Climate caused events like floods, melting glaciers, and sea level rise, are forcing millions to permanently flee their homes, from Pacific islanders to subsistence farmers in India. The UN estimates there will be 150 million climate refugees by 2050.

We call on you Minister Flaherty to publicly commit to do everything in your power to meaningfully and fairly address the global climate crisis.

We call on you Minister Flaherty to make sure the Canadian Government supports a just, meaningful, and binding climate treaty this December in Copenhagen.

We call on you Minister Flaherty to publicly commit to pass the Climate Change Accountability Act, which calls on Canada to drastically reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and do its’ part to solve climate change.

Finally, we demand that you publicly commit to sign the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People.  Climate change is a human rights issue, and First Nations in Canada are feeling climate change worst and first.

The global climate crisis is threatening our future, and humanities’ future.  We have passed the time for inaction.  We demand change. We were forced to end our protest today but our struggle for climate justice will continue.

Yours,

People For Climate Justice