A media release issued today states, “On the eve of President Obama’s first foreign visit to Canada, a group of over 50 prominent Canadians have signed an open letter telling Obama that the tar sands don’t fit in the new energy economy.”
Those signing the letter include, “actress Neve Campbell, authors Ann-Marie MacDonald and Farley Mowat, musicians Anton Kuerti and Jim Creeggan of the Barenaked Ladies, athletes Adam Kreek (Olympic Gold Medalist) and Andrew Ference (Boston Bruins defenceman), and political leaders Jack Layton of the NDP and Elizabeth May of the Green Party…”
Maude Barlow, Chairperson for the Council of Canadians and Senior Advisor on Water to the President of the UN General Assembly says, “We must look at the bigger picture and see the consequences of relying on the tar sands as an economic driver. There is an opportunity presented by the current pause in expansions to reassess, address, and develop a strategy to meet Canadians’ energy security needs that transitions to sustainable energy production.”
The full letter and complete list of signatories is available on http://www.obama2canada.org/Ltr_ProminentToObama.pdf
