Climate Change Accountability Act

Warming Atlantic Linked To Hurricane Igor Devastation in Newfoundland

September 23, 2010 by Christine

Much of the east coast of Newfoundland was devastated by Hurricane Igor on Tuesday. Roads have been washed out, electricity is gone, communities have been cut off from help, and one man has been washed out to sea. By now, at least 30 communities have declared a state of emergency.

The news coverage that I heard yesterday had locals emphasizing the unusual strength of Igor. The town clerk from Bonavista interviewed on As It Happens on CBC radio said he’d never seen winds that strong or rainfall that heavy in his lifetime – and Bonavista is on a windy, wet peninsula! Sam Synard, the Mayor of Marystown was quoted in The Star as saying:

“We’ve never seen such a violent storm before.” Synard reported that more than 200 millimetres of rain was dumped in 20 hours, “and very few, if any communities in the country, could deal with that amount of rainfall.”

My heart goes out to Newfoundlanders – “The Rock” is one of my favourite places on earth. The header photo on my blog was taken during a visit last September. I wish the good people of Newfoundland Godspeed in their recovery from this devastation.

Unfortunately, the warming of the atmosphere and the resulting warming of the ocean which has happened as a result of our unbridled burning of fossil fuels in the last century is making severe weather events like this more and more frequent. The economic as well as the human toll will only increase (the Newfoundland government is predicting it will take at least $100 million to repair the damage from this storm). Recent research has shown that we are experiencing more storms with higher wind speeds, and these storms are more destructive, last longer and make landfall more frequently than in the past. This is our new reality, in Canada and around the globe, as the Arctic ice and the permafrost melt, and the oceans get warmer. We are starting to reap the destruction that we have sown, and it’s not going to be pleasant.

It’s time for all of us to demand that our governments, particularly at the federal level, start addressing this issue in more ways that just preserving Canada’s claim to the Arctic so we can dig up more oil and gas! For ways to do this, check out Cheryl McNamara’s recent post on Bill C311 – the Climate Accountability Act, or go to my “Action not Apathy” page.

What Would You Do To Ensure Your Children and Grandchildren’s Future is Bright and Secure?

September 22, 2010 by Christine

I have two intelligent, lovely daughters who, as of this September, have both left home to attend university in different parts of the country. The last few weeks have been a busy blur of packing and moving them. My husband and I are now adjusting to life without them, which feels lonely and liberating at the same time. This past Sunday, for the first time, I went grocery shopping for just the two of us, and I realized with a pang that this is the way it will be from now on. On the other hand, I have spent very little time in the kitchen since we got home, so am feeling freed from the relentless need to ensure my entire family was eating healthy, well-prepared food. My husband is concerned that I may never cook again, but the good news is that he is a pretty good cook himself, so we won’t starve!

What has kept me out of the kitchen this week, besides a full-time employment contract, is the urgent need to address Bill C311, the Climate Accountability Act, which is approaching its second reading in the Senate next week. The Harper Conservatives continue to oppose this bill, and it needs at least 53 votes to pass (of the 105 Senators, 52 are Conservative). As Cheryl McNamara pointed out in Monday’s post, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce has taken the anti-science, anti- progress stance and is opposing this bill and is exerting its considerable influence lobbying more of the senators to vote against it, even though it was passed in the House of Commons.

I have emailed all the Senators and sent letters to half of the insurance company executives identified by Cheryl on Climate Response. Obviously, I have more work to do – and so do you, if you haven’t yet let the senators as well as the insurance and financial companies hear your voice.

If you need some motivation, read about 82-year old grandmother and activist Betty Krawczyk‘s courageous campaign to bring attention to old-growth logging in British Columbia, and her current situation – the BC government is asking that she be locked up for life for her actions! She is on CBC’s The Current this morning. I will post that link as soon as it’s available.

Writing To People Who Should Know Better

August 20, 2010 by Christine

Today’s guest blogger is Cheryl McNamara, whose blog Carbon Slim offers tasks and tips to help readers reduce their carbon footprints. Cheryl also runs Climate Response, a grassroots on-line group whose purpose is to “elevate the public conversation on climate change and the transition to a low-carbon economy”. The following article is from August 4, 2010:

Some of you have been asking about my Carbon Slim blog. My apologies for the spotty installments. I’ve been busy writing to Canadian Senators and now, the President of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, to stop plotting to kill Bill C-311, the Climate Change Accountability Bill. The Bill is now before the Senate.

To read my exchange with Perrin Beatty, President of the Chamber of Commerce, who is urging industry to lobby the Senate to kill the Bill, visit http://www.trunity.net/climateresponse/blogs/view/149327/?topic=28777

For my correspondence with Marjory LeBreton, Leader of the Government in the Senate, visit http://www.trunity.net/climateresponse/blogs/view/147728/?topic=28777

Things are little hairy, what with the US Senate not doing a damn thing about climate change, despite 2010 being the hottest year on record. Governments are failing us because, let’s face it, they receive campaign money from big oil and coal, or believe we must hitch our economic wagon to oil and coal extraction.

350.org is mobilizing citizens through its 10.10.10 campaign. If governments won’t act, people will. Time is of the essence. It’s not time to give up. In five years time, if no significant action is taken on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, then god help us all.

Bill Mckibben, who spearheaded 350.org, has this to say about the matter – http://www.tomdispatch.com/archive/175281/

More links:

If you are interested in being notified and contributing comments when articles on climate change and alternative energy appear in the mainstream media, click here to join Climate Response.

Weird Weather This Weekend – Again

May 31, 2010 by Christine

Here in Manitoba, it has been a weekend of record-breaking downpours. The Red River rose by more than nine feet over the weekend. In Winnipeg, streets were closed, sewers backed up and basements flooded all over the city. Rural parts of the province were hit even more severely, with the town of Emerson at the U.S./Canada border declaring a state of emergency.

People in these parts are not happy with our weather this spring, and they are remembering the “summer that wasn’t” last year. Most people over 30 will tell you that the weather is different from when they were younger; it can’t be counted on the way it used to be. Besides being less dependable, it is also “weird” – like the hailstorms in northwestern Ontario at the beginning of April this year, and the rain during the winter months Manitoba has experienced two winters in a row.

What is going to happen, I wonder, when the population as a whole realizes that our erratic weather is happening because our leaders didn’t heed the warning of scientists, who have been sounding the alarm about the warming of the atmosphere, and resulting global weather “weirding” for decades? How will people feel when they realize they have been betrayed by politicians who put political expediency and short-term economic profits over the long-term well-being of the planet and our children’s future? What will people say when they see our economy pushed to the breaking point trying to deal with the weather disasters and crop failures brought on by our reckless burning of fossil fuels? I imagine there will be anger among citizens that is unparalleled in the world’s history. It’s not to late for our politicians to read the writing on the wall, and to show true leadership on this issue. There are precedents, even in Manitoba’s history. Duff Roblin, the 14th premier of Manitoba, passed away this weekend. He put his political reputation on the line to build a floodway that would protect future generations of Winnipeggers from a repeat of the devastating 1950 flood. Now nick-named “Duff’s Ditch”, the floodway was previously dubbed “Duff’s Folly” by his critics. History vindicated Mr. Roblin’s foresight and courage. Where is the Duff Roblin of this generation, a politician willing to put his or her political reputation on the line to protect future generations?

Deb Loewen's picture of flooding south of Winnipeg — photo by Deb Loewen

“Province Reels from Downpour: Heavy Rains Overload Backup Systems” Winnipeg Free Press

“Storm Clean-Up Starts In Southern Manitoba“. CBC.ca

“Why The ‘Never Seen Before’ Fargo Flooding is Just What You’d Expect From Climate Change” Climate Progress

“Climate Accountability Act Needs Support From Politicians With Vision”

If you feel moved to action, contact our Canadian Senators and encourage them to pass Bill C311, The Climate Accountability Act, to move Canada from a laggard to a leader in addressing climate change. Click here for more information.

Time for Canada to Shift Paradigms And Get With Green Economy

May 27, 2010 by Christine

Senator Grant Mitchell is the Liberal Senator who is sponsoring Bill C311, Climate Accountability Act, as it makes its way through the Senate. If this bill, which has already passed 3 votes in the House of Commons, is made into law, Canada could start to lead the world out of the mess our reckless burning of fossil fuels has gotten us into. As Senator Mitchell points out in this article, first published in the Hill Times, addressing climate change now doesn’t have to lead to economic hardship. It’s NOT addressing our greenhouse gas emissions that will decimate our economy, as we will struggle to deal with the natural disasters and food shortages brought about by a global weather weirding.

Here’s what Mr. Mitchell has to say about the need for Bill C311, The Climate Accountability Act:

One unfortunate prevailing idea held by this government is that dealing with climate change needs to entail significant economic hardship. This view ignores the human and economic costs from unmitigated climate change. Many expert economists and studies also indicate that climate change action will be much more affordable than we now think, especially if we start today. There are also a host of other issues, like energy security and economic volatility from oil prices that can be eased by rethinking our carbon and energy consumption. The climate change issue is not a problem of facts; it is the failure to imagine what is possible and what the stakes are.

While we see next to no action at the federal level, the Globe 2010 conference which Senators from the Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources recently attended is a microcosm of what is happening globally in the green economy. The resounding reason I heard there for immediate climate change action can be summed up with the line from Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign, “it’s the economy, stupid.”

The good news is that significant business players are becoming involved in the green economy. Far from being a gathering of only environmental activists, the major banks, insurance companies and CEO’s of oil and other commodity companies were there. They are working with carbon markets, developing feed-in tariffs for renewable energies, investing in carbon capture and storage and building a solar energy fed city in the desert. It is exciting to feel the energy these people have. And, it was clear at the conference that these players accept climate change science and believe that we must begin dealing with its implications quickly.

Huge economic opportunities will emerge as we restructure our economy to meet the climate change challenges and green industries become mainstream. It was repeated frequently at the conference that clean tech is the largest venture capital sector worldwide. CIBC recently appointed a renewable energy vice-chair in its wholesale banking division. But, more needs to be done and that involves shifting our paradigm. The ‘green’ economy is just the economy, and ‘green’ jobs are jobs. Period. This is the way Canada’s major trading partners and competitors are thinking and we are losing ground by hoping slight, incremental changes will be sufficient.

In Vancouver, which hosted the Globe conference, I was struck by the work that is being done regardless of the federal leadership vacuum on climate change. The city and the province of British Columbia, are proof positive that tackling carbon emissions and making green investments can stimulate the economy. Vancouver has a goal of being the greenest city in the world. It is working hard to build a clean tech hub, similar to the IT hub that exists in Silicon Valley, and it is attracting jobs and investments to its fast growing economy. For the Winter Olympics, Vancouver built the greenest neighbourhood in North America to serve as its Olympic Village. The city also has a strong provincial partner. BC has had foresight to price carbon and will be implementing a cap-and-trade system. BC Hydro is developing its smart grid and is rolling out smart meters to every customer. The province will make its public sector carbon neutral by the end of this year and has set up a crown corporation, the Pacific Carbon Trust, to generate the one million carbon offsets that will be required. This will create new opportunities for BC businesses and farmers.

The governments of Vancouver and BC have implemented proactive policy, through a carbon price, and it is driving innovation and economic growth. A typical criticism of prospective government leadership in this area is that we need to ‘let the markets work’. This is absolutely true. But, our markets are currently distorted because carbon emissions are essentially free despite the significant costs of its negative externalities. We need governments to price carbon, for instance, through cap-and-trade, or alternately develop strong incentives for low carbon activities like the feed-in tariff program in Ontario. This will develop the economies of scale needed to commercialize new technology and massively deploy it. This, in turn, brings down prices for consumers. We seem to forget that government has intervened like this before, most notably in the Oil Sands where the cost of oil extraction would not have been economic without significant government investment.

The Conservative government says we need to wait for US cap-and-trade legislation to take action here. But, a cap-and-trade system may not be achieved in the US for several years and Canada cannot afford to miss several formative years of green economic development. Even without cap-and-trade the US is spending significant amounts on clean energy and technology, eighteen times more per capita than we are. China is investing similar amounts. In fact, China and the US have a wide ranging agreement on clean energy partnerships that is far more substantial than our clean energy dialogue with the US, which at this rate has turned into a monologue. Canada may bluster about being a clean energy ‘superpower’, but frankly, our money is nowhere near where our mouth is.

Click here or here for a sample letter to send to Canadian Senators, and their email addresses.

Click here to go to Senator Mitchell’s blog.

Just a note to let my faithful readers know that Peter Sinclair, maker of the fantastic videos addressing denier’s fabrications and distortions, Climate Crock of the Week, got enough votes to win the $5000 prize awarded by Brighter Planet. So, thanks to everyone who took the time to vote for him (especially my mother-in-law, Ruth, who took the time to figure out how to vote, even though she and computers are not on overly familiar terms!). Click here to read more.

Now, get busy and contact those Senators. This opportunity to shift Canada’s paradigm from dirty oil to a greener future is too good to miss!

Climate Accountability Act One Step Closer to Becoming Law

May 5, 2010 by Christine

Just heard – Canada’s Climate Change Accountability Act, Bill C311, has just passed its final vote in the House of Commons tonight, with 149 votes for and 136 against. Now it’s on to the Senate.

Here’s what The Council of Canadians, who have been active in working to move this bill through the House, had to say:

Today’s passage of the Climate Change Accountability Act (Bill C-311) is a step in the right direction but much more is needed, warns the Council of Canadians.

“The passage of C-311 has been a long time coming and it is certainly good to see Parliament support it,” says Andrea Harden-Donahue, Climate Justice Campaigner with the Council of Canadians. “While the Council of Canadians is celebrating the passage of C-311 and we want to see it pass the Senate, we believe that this is just a starting point.”

“We are faced not only with the challenge of ensuring our government puts in place plans that will effectively achieve these emissions reduction targets,” says Harden-Donahue in reference to the Harper government’s track record of ignoring the will of Parliament. “The fact is that many global South countries and movements are calling for even greater responsibility on the part of countries like ours, for climate debt repayment.”

In disproportionately contributing to the historical carbon emissions causing the current crisis, climate debt asserts responsibility on the part of developed countries for deeper emission cuts and climate mitigation and adaptation funding for the global South.

The Council of Canadians recent experiences at an international climate conference in Cochabamba, Bolivia, affirm there is growing support for even deeper emission reduction targets by developed countries, and the need for concrete plans to transition off of fossil fuel dependency.

The World Peoples’ Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth anticipated 8,000 participants and representatives of 50 governments. Governments of more than 70 countries were present, along with civil society representatives of nearly 130 countries and an estimated 41,000 participants.
The agreement produced at the conference advocates limiting temperature rise below 1 degree, far more ambitious then the up to 4 degree rise based on the voluntary targets of the Copenhagen Accord.

The Council of Canadians wants C-311 to mark a change in Canadian climate policy. “We want C-311 to lead to regulations that actually reduce our emissions,” adds Harden-Donahue. “Planning for a tar sands free future, getting off of coal, vastly improving energy conservation and efficiency alongside plans for sustainable energy development, these are the types of actions that are needed.”

It looks Valentine’s Day came a little late today, but better late than never!

*This picture was originally posted by Cathy Orlando, in Sudbury, Ontario, who works tirelessly to educate others about the dangers of global warming and the need to shift to a low carbon world while there is still a planet worth saving. Thanks Cathy!*

Thanks to all of you readers who took the time to contact Members of Parliament about this crucial bill. The fight isn’t over, but let’s celebrate this victory!

EU Urges Canada to Address Climate Change: “There is A Real Threat To Our Survival”

May 5, 2010 by Christine

Once again, Canada under Prime Minister Stephen Harper (whose father was an oil company executive) is shown up as an international laggard in acting on climate change. The President of the European Union, José Manuel Barroso is now calling Harper on his government’s inaction on this crucial issue:

Canada shouldn’t keep waiting for the rest of the world to act on climate change before making its own changes, the president of the European Union Commission said Wednesday as he prepared to meet with Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Brussels.

“We should not lose momentum regarding climate change negotiations,” José Manuel Barroso told Canadian reporters during an hour-long briefing.

“With Canada, I’m not going to give lessons to one of our partners. What we want is for everybody to move.

“What we don’t want to see, frankly speaking, is that someone does not move because the others don’t move.”

Barroso said the matter is pressing enough to require immediate political action, despite the economic toll that might result from measures to reduce carbon emissions, which a large body of research has linked to global warming…

“In Europe, we believe, according to science, that there is a real threat to our survival as a civilization. And for the future of our planet and the quality of life of our children … I think we have to move.”

Click here to read the full story on CBC.ca.

However, the good news is that the three opposition parties – NDP, Liberal, and Bloc Quebecois – are working together to pass Bruce Hyer’s private member’s bill, Bill C311 “The Climate Accountability Act”. Despite the Conservative’s attempts to derail the bill, it is going for its third and final vote in the House of Commons this afternoon. To encourage the three parties to continue to support the bill today, click here. Once it has passed in the House, it will also have an uphill battle in the Senate. But that’s a battle for another day!

This picture sums up Harper’s approach to climate change:

Call To Action – Climate Accountability Act Faces 3rd Vote in Parliament on Wednesday April 14th

April 9, 2010 by Christine

From Nature Canada’s blog:

“An urgent message from Bruce Hyer, MP Thunder Bay – Superior North who introduced Bill C-311 – The Climate Change Accountability Act:

Because of a surprise procedural motion foisted upon the House of Commons by the Conservatives just as the debate on Bill C-311 was about to begin, things are drastically different from what was originally expected. The debate on the bill was cancelled, and there will now be a crucial vote in the House on April 14 that will determine its fate. It will be a simple vote: support the Climate Change Accountability Act going forward to Third Reading, or not. If the vote fails, the bill dies. Our fear is that with a procedural vote coming with so little notice, many MPs won’t realize the significance of the vote…

We know the NDP and Bloc caucuses will be there on April 14 to vote in support of C-311. But many years of work on the only climate change bill in Parliament will come to an end, in obscurity, if Liberal MPs are not there in force to support it too.”

Here’s the email addresses of all the Liberal MPs – send them a message that we want Canada to act NOW to ensure a viable future for our children and their children – we want Bill C311 to pass! Or to phone Michael Ignatieff, call 416-251-5510 or 613-995-9364.

IgnatM@parl.gc.ca, HallM@parl.gc.ca, GuarnA@parl.gc.ca, GoodaR@parl.gc.ca, GarneM@parl.gc.ca, FryH@parl.gc.ca, Foote.J@parl.gc.ca, FolcoR@parl.gc.ca, EykinM@parl.gc.ca, EasteW@parl.gc.ca, DrydeK@parl.gc.ca, DosanU@parl.gc.ca, DionS@parl.gc.ca, DhallR@parl.gc.ca, DhaliS@parl.gc.ca, DamouJ@parl.gc.ca, CuzneR@parl.gc.ca, CanniJ@parl.gc.ca, ByrneG@parl.gc.ca, BrisoS@parl.gc.ca, BenneC@parl.gc.ca, BelanM@parl.gc.ca, BainsN@parl.gc.ca, BagneLL@parl.gc.ca, Andrews.S@parl.gc.ca, Crombie.B@parl.gc.ca, CoderD@parl.gc.ca, Coady.S@parl.gc.ca, PearsG@parl.gc.ca, PatryB@parl.gc.ca, PacetM@parl.gc.ca, Oliphant.R@parl.gc.ca, NevilA@parl.gc.ca, MurraJ@parl.gc.ca, MurphS@parl.gc.ca, MurphB@parl.gc.ca, MinnaM@parl.gc.ca, MilliP@parl.gc.ca, Mendes.A@parl.gc.ca, McTeaD@parl.gc.ca, MckayJ@parl.gc.ca, McGuiDa@parl.gc.ca, McCalJ@parl.gc.ca, MartiK@parl.gc.ca, MalhiG@parl.gc.ca, MacAuL@parl.gc.ca, LeeD@parl.gc.ca, LeblaD@parl.gc.ca, Kennedy.G@parl.gc.ca, KarygJ@parl.gc.ca, Kania.A@parl.gc.ca, JenniM@parl.gc.ca, HollaM@parl.gc.ca, Zarac.L@parl.gc.ca, WrzesB@parl.gc.ca, WilfeB@parl.gc.ca, VolpeJ@parl.gc.ca, Valeriote.F@parl.gc.ca, Trudeau.J@parl.gc.ca, TonksA@parl.gc.ca, SzaboP@parl.gc.ca, Simson.M@parl.gc.ca, SimmsSc@parl.gc.ca, SilvaM@parl.gc.ca, SgroJ@parl.gc.ca, ScarpF@parl.gc.ca, SavagM@parl.gc.ca, RusseT@parl.gc.ca, RotaA@parl.gc.ca, RodriPa@parl.gc.ca, ReganG@parl.gc.ca, RatanY@parl.gc.ca, RaeB@parl.gc.ca, ProulM@parl.gc.ca

James Hoggan: Should Climate Deniers Be Treated Like War Criminals?

March 29, 2010 by Christine

James Hoggan, author with Richard Littlemore of “Climate Cover-up” and president of the public relations firm James Hoggan and Associates, appeared on the Thom Hartmann show in November of 2009 to discuss the climate change denial industry. Mr. Hoggan is also president of The David Suzuki Foundation and one of the founders of DeSmogBlog.com.

Here is the video of that interview:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcAePLs3O2c]

Climate Accountability Act Needs Support From Politicians With Vision

March 17, 2010 by Christine

In the local news today, our neighbours to the south in Grand Forks, North Dakota are making headlines again as they prepare for the crest of the Red River in their community, the second year in a row that they have been forced to sandbag and build dikes in preparation for the spring flood. In Winnipeg, the residents are much more relaxed, confident in the ability of “Duff’s Ditch”, the Winnipeg floodway, to protect them from the Red’s rising waters. The Red River Floodway is a permanent 300-metre-wide ditch built to re-route water from the Red River south of Winnipeg, carry it along the east side of the city and then dump it back into the Red just north of city limits.

Duff Roblin, Progressive Conservative Premier of Manitoba from 1958 to 1967, put his reputation on the line when he championed this floodway. It was originally dubbed “Duff’s Folly” by opponents, who denounced it as a monumental, potentially ruinous, waste of money (sound familiar?). The floodway project was huge in scope – worldwide, only the Panama Canal was larger in terms of earth-moving projects. The $63-million price tag was also huge. But Duff Roblin persisted, and the floodway was completed, on budget, by 1968. It has since protected the city 20 times, most notably during the so-called “Flood of the Century” in 1997 that turned southern part of the province into a 2,000 square kilometre lake and swamped Grand Forks. Duff Roblin is now recognized as a visionary, vindicated by history, as this excerpt from an interview with professor of political science, and long-time Winnipeger, Paul Thomas demonstrates:

For some, Roblin’s determination is a lost art in a world where political policy is often shaped by opinion polls.

“He wouldn’t make policy just on the basis of some philosophical orientation or the pressures of public opinion,” Thomas said. “He was far more interested in the evidence … and what was feasible.”

Where is the “Duff Roblin” of climate change in Canadian politics today? It seems that many of our politicians are too fond of public opinion polls or tied to their own philosophical orientation to look clearly at what the science – and economics – tell us is achievable. Those that do listen will find themselves being hailed by future generations as visionaries, and their achievements will be celebrated long after they themselves are no longer in office.

MP Bruce Hyer may be one of those politicians following in Roblin’s footsteps. The NDP Member of Parliament for Thunder Bay-Superior North introduced Bill C311, the Climate Accountability Act, to the House Commons. It has passed two votes, supported by the Bloc Quebecois and a handful of Liberal MPs. It is currently making its way through the house for the third and final vote. For it to become law, it needs to be supported by the Liberals as well as the Bloc and NDP. “Starving for Change” states:

Canada has an opportunity to take a historic leadership role in solving climate change. Bill C-311 is also known as the Climate Change Accountability Act. There is a huge difference between Stephen Harper’s made in USA, weak, greenhouse gas targets and the ambitious targets in Bill C-311. If we want to avoid a more than two degree increase in temperature, a climate change tipping point, then our M.P.s must vote for this historic Bill. That’s why I, Dante Ryel, have been participating in a water-only fast from March 3rd, the Day parliament resumed, until I can be assured that Bill C-311 will become law.

The NDP introduced Bill C-311 and the Bloc Quebecois will support it. We must pressure the leaders of the Liberal and Conservative parties to vote yes on Bill C-311. In fact, all we need is Liberal support! However, the Liberals have made no commitment and many people are scared that some in the party will vote no. We need to pressure them. Stephen Harper’s Conservatives have consistently voted against Bill C-311, and have prevented any meaningful progress on climate change, but we should still ask them for their support. You never know. The duration of my fast will be determined by the Liberals and/or the Conservatives because neither party has made a commitment to the bill.

We are so close to making history but we must make sure our politicians do the right thing!

Click here to send off an email to each federal party:

In about a minute you could help change the world, all with the click of a mouse! Or phone your Member of Parliament. If you like, you could record yourself doing it, and post the video on YouTube.

Consider sending Bruce Hyer an email of support at: info@brucehyer.ca, or phone him at 807-345-1818. A tangible way to support the Climate Accountability Act – and Mr. Hyer – is to make a financial donation to Mr. Hyer. Go to this link for more information on how to do that – and remember, because of tax deductions, a $100 donation actually ends up costing you only $25. And if you aren’t comfortable supporting Mr. Hyer, but are opposed to Mr. Harper’s Climate-Change-Denying Conservatives, consider donating to either the Liberals or Greens as a tangible way of showing your displeasure.

Whatever you do, don’t delay. Get the message out now that you support the Canadian Climate Accountability Act – it is set to be voted on in the House of Commons in April.

Here is Dante Ryel, who has been fasting for 2 weeks to raise the awareness of Bill C311, explaining the bill, and its importance:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agUGFM_XUXA&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0]

Also, if you are interested in the connection between the recent increase in the number of Red River floods and climate change, go to Climate Progress’s post, Why the “never seen before” Fargo flooding is just what you’d expect from climate change.