Council to Campbell: Citizen power cannot be ignored!

VANCOUVER - In support of the fight against Premier Campbell's agenda of free trade and privatization, the Council of Canadians is bringing together hundreds of activists at its Annual General Meeting in Vancouver from October 24 to 26.

"There's a state of emergency in BC, and it's not just the fires and the floods," says Claudia Medina-Culos, BC Regional Organizer for the Council of Canadians. "Our public services are under siege."

The AGM is an opportunity to celebrate the past year's victories, most notably the collapse of the World Trade Organization Ministerial in September. The theme of the AGM, "The Other Superpower," refers to the ever-increasing strength of the global civil society movement, as witnessed in Cancun.

"In Cancun, we showed the corporate bullies and their puppet governments that citizen power cannot be ignored any longer," says Maude Barlow, National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians. "It is long past the time for the Campbell and Chretien governments to stand up for the basic rights of citizens - clean water, public health, safe food, fair trade. From Cancun to Vancouver, we will not waiver from this message."

Internationally-known global justice activists Virginia Setchedi, Rudolf Amenga-Etego, Dr. William J. Weida, David Lane, Marta de la Vega, and Percy Schmeiser will speak at the AGM.

Strategy discussions on the fight back in British Columbia will feature prominent activists from the BC Health Coalition, BC Citizens for Public Power, and the Vancouver Chapter of the Council of Canadians.

The AGM takes place at the Renaissance Hotel and is open to all members of the public. The registration fee is $65.

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