CCL CANADA UPDATE DECEMBER 2, 2015

CCL CANADA UPDATE DECEMBER 2, 2015
CCL CANADA UPDATE DECEMBER 2, 2015
Posted on December 2, 2015 in Blog

CCL CANADA UPDATE DECEMBER 2, 2015

There is so much happening in Canada lately that it is hard to pick one thing to focus on. Here is a list of the first seven things that came to mind:

  1. The Toronto Sun, Canada’s largest “ultra-conservative” newspaper called Carbon Fee and Dividend the best carbon pricing policy. Scroll down to the bottom of the letters to the editor page on November 29, 2015   to see the editor’s comment.

    CCL Halifax with MP Bill Casey

    MP Bill Casey (Cumberland-Colchester) with CCL Halifax members Joanne Light and Andy Blair

  2. CCL Halifax is touring the province of Nova Scotia and lobbying every federal Parliamentarian in Nova Scotia for Carbon Fee and Dividend. Read about it here. Along the way they recruited a new CCL chapter in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, with the help of Mari at CCL Ottawa. Welcome Jeffry and the gang to CCL Canada.
  3. CCL British Columbia (BC) members are collaborating in a provincially focused effort to “hike the BC carbon tax”. Their first action was to send to all Canadian Premiers*, the Prime Minister and other key politicians our cartoon that explains carbon fee and dividend. Read about it here.
  4. On Sunday November 29, 2015, three CCLers in Canada got on CBC Radio’s National weekly call-in show, Cross Country Check-Up. The topic for the program was “What do you expect from Canada at the climate talks in Paris?”   Listen to Cathy (12:00), Christine (18:55) and Liz (1 hour 47 minutes). Two days later, Anita in Perth, ON secured CCL Canada an in depth radio interview you can listen to here.
  5. Youth and new members got their first Op-Eds published this past month. Way to go Mary Blake (CCL London, PhD student), Frédérique (CCL Montreal, law student) and  Neil (CCL Brampton).
  6. Our new Prime Minister attended COP21 and invited all the Premiers*, the Opposition Parties and the Grand Chief of the Assembly of First Nations to COP21. In three months they will meet again to discuss Canada’s climate plans.  Read the transcript of the PM’s speech here.
  7. Perhaps one of the politest acts of civil disobedience that ever occurred happened November 5-8, 2015, when 100’s of people tried to get arrested in front of our new Prime Minister’s residence and did not get arrested. CCL Canadians participated in this action. You can read about it here.

Special thanks to all who participated in the 100% Possible day of action across Canada. The 100 % Possible Human sign the 25,000 people made on Parliament Hill in Ottawa was priceless and Mary Blake’s speech at the London action was inspiring.

Footnote: We are not overly excited about the recently announced Alberta Climate plan. It is hopeful because they have an economy-wide carbon tax now. But their carbon tax is not quite revenue neutral as claimed and Alberta’s GHG emissions will not start to fall until 2030. Lots of work ahead.

*Canadian Polispeak 101:  Premiers are provincial leaders akin to the US state governor.

Cathy Orlando has put her words to work for the climate by getting letters and opinion pieces published in newspapers in every province in Canada. When she’s not safeguarding the climate alongside the best volunteers on the planet, you can probably find her stargazing, dancing, reading books not about climate change, hanging out with her husband Sanjiv, and mothering her three cherished daughters.

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