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TAKE ACTION: Don’t let Canadian lobbying stop EU climate action!

Tomorrow’s vote on the EU Fuel Quality Directive (FQD), which the Canadian and Albertan governments alongside industry have lobbied heavily against, is featuring prominently in the news. This includes an in-depth segment on the Current, a letter from Nobel Peace Laureates and the most recent confirmation that Canada is threatening to challenge the policy before the World Trade Organization.

The Council of Canadians has been responding to these lobby efforts for many months. Most recently, we organized a lobby busting tour of EU Embassies in Ottawa to counteract the misconceptions being brought forward the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP)  and their friends, the Harper and Albertan governments.

It is simply unacceptable that our government’s climate policy has become lobbying against other countries climate policies in the interests of unsustainable tar sands expansion.

So here’s the deal. The vote happening tomorrow is before a committee of technical experts. If there is a qualified majority, the directive moves forward to vote at the European Parliament. If there is a qualified minority, the directive goes back to the European Commission for changes. If there is not a qualified majority or minority, the directive will most likely move forward to a Committee of Environment Ministers for further review, followed by a final vote before the European Parliament.

Don’t let Canadian lobbying stop EU climate action!

Send a message to ministers of Germany, France, the UK, Spain and Italy, voting on the EU Fuel Quality Directive using Avaaz’s petition with this message: We urge you to vote to classify tar sands oil as more polluting than other sources of fuel under the Fuel Quality Directive. Only strong legislative action can stop the flow of dirty tar oil into the EU and allow us to meet our carbon reduction targets. Europe’s global environmental leadership is on the line — please ensure that Europe’s climate ambitions aren’t undermined by Canada’s dirty oil threats.

Petition: www.avaaz.org/en/eu_tar_sands/

Add your photo to our action alert. The over 100 photos of Canadians sending their messages to European decision makers has already been sent to European Members of Parliament and Ministers in key voting countries. We will continue to use this gallery to let Europeans know that Canadians don’t support our government’s lobbying efforts.