Wow… things are moving so fast this week.
For the first time in months, I’m finding Canadian politics amazingly interesting at the point to see the American’s insignificant and the Québec election ridiculous! (Pardon my excitement)
This Thursday is hugely important, Prime minister Harper will go to governor general Michaelle Jean to ask her to prorogue (basically shutting down) the parliament until January 27th. At that time, the opposition will surely says that they don’t trust this government and we will be back in election! Harper doesn’t want to see a coalition with NDP and liberals and bloc together, so he is trying to buy time.
I found the coalition idea totally refreshing. They even think about including the green party in the government. The coalition government will represent more than 60% of the votes, what a win for our democracy! Party with different views and opinions will have to compromise, put ideology aside, and find consensus policies, where all Canadians will be the clear winners. The coalition parties all support strong measure to fight climate change and finally we could see something happening in Canada!
We need the support of everyone to make this coalition a reality.
What to do:
1. Please sign the petition: http://www.progressivecoalition.ca/
2. Go to a Rally this Thursday night:
a. In Vancouver, there is a rally at the Convention Center, near Canada Place, from 5 to 7:30PM
i. http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=99064915261
ii. I’ll go from UBC around 5:00PM, join me if you can
iii. If you are in another city, find out if you have an event there:
http://www.progressivecoalition.ca/regional.php
b. Put a candle in your window if you can’t go to the rally!
i. http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=55449301160
This is very exciting! Let’s make history and change the way politics are done in Canada!
Alexandre
Comment this newsletter on our blog:
http://chbe-sustainability-club.blogspot.com/
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Coming back from the AASHE Conference
I had the chance to participate at the 2nd biannual Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education conference, in Raleigh, North Carolina last week. It was in an interesting timing with the presidential election still hot in the air and delegates hugely supportive of Barack Obama. (We took a picture with all student delegates cheering “Yes We Can”). It was quite refreshing to see hundreds of Sustainability Coordinators coming together, from every part of the States and Canada. The conference gathered impressive keynotes speakers and all of them spoke about the huge tasks ahead to solve the climate crisis.
The grassroot movement is well alive in the United States, and now with a president that understands the issues and wants to act; a lot of thing will change in 2009. I’m hoping that Canada can at least jump into the wagon of changes; our leadership role has been lost for a long time already.
The grassroot movement is well alive in the United States, and now with a president that understands the issues and wants to act; a lot of thing will change in 2009. I’m hoping that Canada can at least jump into the wagon of changes; our leadership role has been lost for a long time already.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Canadian for a Progressive Coalition
Let’s week, a friend of mine ask me to translate documents in French for a very interesting campaign. Bringing the Bloc Québécois, NDP and Liberals together to form a coalition government. With the Greens includes, all those parties represent more than 60% of the votes during the last elections. However, to my great discontent, we still have a right wing government in Ottawa. With the economic crisis striking all around the globe, I’m confident that Harper’s government will use it as an excuse to avoid any meaningful climate change actions or international leadership roles.
All the center to left parties have a lot in common to fight climate, and yet differences. But I will argue that more will happen with a coalition government that with the current one.
If you share my view, please sign the online petition and join the facebook group.
Petition
http://www.progressivecoalition.ca/
Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=21013685&ref=profile#/group.php?gid=27949758238&ref=mf
To avoid catastrophic climate change, we don’t have a lot of time to stop the growth of global greenhouse gas emissions, about ten years. Anything help!
All the center to left parties have a lot in common to fight climate, and yet differences. But I will argue that more will happen with a coalition government that with the current one.
If you share my view, please sign the online petition and join the facebook group.
Petition
http://www.progressivecoalition.ca/
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=21013685&ref=profile#/group.php?gid=27949758238&ref=mf
To avoid catastrophic climate change, we don’t have a lot of time to stop the growth of global greenhouse gas emissions, about ten years. Anything help!
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Merve Wilkinson
A very emotionally rich week! First, I have to say that I feel sorry for the millions of Canadians who lost tons of money and saw their retirement plan melt like ice cream on a patio… However, there are positive things with this economic storm: Harper’s team is loosing steam and Obama is on the rise! That means a lot for meaningful action on climate change in the future. It is still very, very important to vote strategically on October 14th, so please check one of those websites if you care about the issue.
www.voteforclimate.ca
http://www.voteenvironment2008.ca/
http://www.avaaz.ca/ca/stop_harper_pledge/?cl=135350169&v=2254
I would like to start a ‘hero’ series. We sometime have the chance to meet amazing and inspiring people. That happened to me in August, while I was attending the Youth Action Gathering, organized by SYC and the BCCCN. The event was held at the Wildwood EcoForest, near Nanaimo, where I met an extraordinary person, Merve Wilkinson.
In 1938, Merve Wilkinson bought 137 acres of land in a hope to start an agro business. The soil was too poor and Merve decided in 1945 to do forestry instead. Decades before the concept of “sustainability” was emerging, Merve applied the principles on his land. He developed sustainable logging practices, observing and preserving the ecosystem; logging a little bit less than the measured forest growth rate, keeping his forest “multiage, multiheight and multispecies”.
The next paragraph is extracted from: http://managingwholes.com/merve.htm
“In 1993, the MacMillan Bloedel company, a major licensee operating on crown land, refused to abandon its plans to clearcut a significant portion of Clayoquot Sound on the west coast of Vancouver Island. In August 1993, Merve and his wife Anne took part in a protest blockade of the access road. Merve convinced many of the demonstrators to protest clearcutting rather than timber harvest per se. (Merve thought that since he was able to change the position of environementalists, but not the logging company’s, he decided to stand with the protesters and get arrested.) Merve and Anne were arrested (along with 850 others) for ignoring the British Columbia Supreme Court injunction against interference with MacMillan Bloedel’s plans. During the trial, Merve told the judge, “My Lord, it is not necessary to destroy the forest to extract timber. It is a matter of method.”“
The Clayoquot Sound resistance got a lot of media attention and was a major step towards changing logging practices in BC.
Merve is now 95 years old, I believed, and still live in a wooden house on his land and will welcome any visitors. I can guaranty that a visit there will be legendary.
www.voteforclimate.ca
http://www.voteenvironment2008.ca/
http://www.avaaz.ca/ca/stop_harper_pledge/?cl=135350169&v=2254
I would like to start a ‘hero’ series. We sometime have the chance to meet amazing and inspiring people. That happened to me in August, while I was attending the Youth Action Gathering, organized by SYC and the BCCCN. The event was held at the Wildwood EcoForest, near Nanaimo, where I met an extraordinary person, Merve Wilkinson.
In 1938, Merve Wilkinson bought 137 acres of land in a hope to start an agro business. The soil was too poor and Merve decided in 1945 to do forestry instead. Decades before the concept of “sustainability” was emerging, Merve applied the principles on his land. He developed sustainable logging practices, observing and preserving the ecosystem; logging a little bit less than the measured forest growth rate, keeping his forest “multiage, multiheight and multispecies”.
The next paragraph is extracted from: http://managingwholes.com/merve.htm
“In 1993, the MacMillan Bloedel company, a major licensee operating on crown land, refused to abandon its plans to clearcut a significant portion of Clayoquot Sound on the west coast of Vancouver Island. In August 1993, Merve and his wife Anne took part in a protest blockade of the access road. Merve convinced many of the demonstrators to protest clearcutting rather than timber harvest per se. (Merve thought that since he was able to change the position of environementalists, but not the logging company’s, he decided to stand with the protesters and get arrested.) Merve and Anne were arrested (along with 850 others) for ignoring the British Columbia Supreme Court injunction against interference with MacMillan Bloedel’s plans. During the trial, Merve told the judge, “My Lord, it is not necessary to destroy the forest to extract timber. It is a matter of method.”“
The Clayoquot Sound resistance got a lot of media attention and was a major step towards changing logging practices in BC.
Merve is now 95 years old, I believed, and still live in a wooden house on his land and will welcome any visitors. I can guaranty that a visit there will be legendary.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Ending Greed
Someone told me one day (maybe my mom) that in a democracy, we have the politicians that reflect who we are… If so, can we stop to be that much greedy, let’s say for the next 50 years…?
The Conservative are heading towards a majority government in Canada and the Republicans in the US might keep the Whitehouse for another 4 years. Both elections this year looks like a gong show about who are going to lower taxes the most; which party is going to bring you the most money into our pocket. As Canadians, do we really need all those extra dollars?? We were taught to vote for the politicians who will best represent my interest. So it could have nothing wrong with having more money to spend, but where in our democracy are we caring about the next generation? We got from my grandparent generation polluted rivers and lakes from pulp mill, manufactures and mines. My parent’s generation will give us depleted oceans, more polluted rivers with industrial agriculture, a bunch of toxic waste from large scale industrial complex and most likely catastrophic climate change.
Could my generation aims giving back rivers and lakes that you can swim into without fearing about your health; a stable climate, where people can live with secure food and housing; clean air where you can bike to your school or workplace, without inhaling dangerous smog or poisonous gas or particulate matters? Could we accept that doing this won’t be easy and will cost money, but what a good investment for the future?
There is a good website about how to vote strategically next elections, and avoid a Conservative government holding a majority…
www.voteforclimate.ca
Other interesting website:
http://www.voteenvironment2008.ca/
http://www.powerupcanada.ca/
The Conservative are heading towards a majority government in Canada and the Republicans in the US might keep the Whitehouse for another 4 years. Both elections this year looks like a gong show about who are going to lower taxes the most; which party is going to bring you the most money into our pocket. As Canadians, do we really need all those extra dollars?? We were taught to vote for the politicians who will best represent my interest. So it could have nothing wrong with having more money to spend, but where in our democracy are we caring about the next generation? We got from my grandparent generation polluted rivers and lakes from pulp mill, manufactures and mines. My parent’s generation will give us depleted oceans, more polluted rivers with industrial agriculture, a bunch of toxic waste from large scale industrial complex and most likely catastrophic climate change.
Could my generation aims giving back rivers and lakes that you can swim into without fearing about your health; a stable climate, where people can live with secure food and housing; clean air where you can bike to your school or workplace, without inhaling dangerous smog or poisonous gas or particulate matters? Could we accept that doing this won’t be easy and will cost money, but what a good investment for the future?
There is a good website about how to vote strategically next elections, and avoid a Conservative government holding a majority…
www.voteforclimate.ca
Other interesting website:
http://www.voteenvironment2008.ca/
http://www.powerupcanada.ca/
Friday, September 5, 2008
Fall political season is ON
The fall political season is getting exciting and/or depressing. We are going to be experiencing elections both in
On this side of the border, the next government will likely be either a second Harper government with its friendly oil lobby, or less likely a new Dion government, with a Green Shift program. Unfortunately for the green advocates, Dion’s party is very week in many part of
On the South side of the border, Republican John Mc Cain just picked a human induced climate change denier as his running mate. The irony is that Mrs. Palin is the governor of
If both Harper and Republicans win this fall, it will be a huge blow on the moral of those friendly climate change activists but more dramatic, quite a set back for our planet.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Carbon Tax Surprise!
Wednesday afternoon, July 2nd, I got a life-time surprise (ok, I’m exaggerating a little here). My landlord ringed the bell of my door and asked my permission to get in and take measurements of all our windows: we are going to get brand new, energy efficient windows! I never thought that my landlord will make any investment in my apartment: he still fix the toilet with gift wrapping tape. But one day after the carbon tax started, my landlord is taking action to save some money on their natural gas bill. I’m really impressed, but hope my rent won’t increase too much in the fall…
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