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Wisconsin dairy farmer says supply management is not the problem, overproduction is

June 13, 2019

Farmer protest on Parliament Hill While the Canadian Parliament is in the process of actively ratifying the Canada United States Mexico Agreement, a U.S. dairy farmer is visiting Ottawa to tell farmers that access to Canadian markets in the new NAFTA will not solve the woes of American farmers.

In the U.S., major dairy industry lobby groups have been urging the swift passage of the CUSMA though the U.S. Congress. Jim Goodman, President of the National Family Farm Coalition says, however, that they miss the point: it is American overproduction that hurts American farmers, not Canada’s control on imports and its supply management system.

Solidarity against the megadamage of megadams

June 11, 2019

13 people were arrested on Parliament Hill yesterday at a Protest Against Megadam Megadamage in Ottawa, which started outside the annual meeting of the International Coalition on Large Dams before marching to the Hill. Everyone was released with a trespass ticket and a 90 day ban from the Hill soon after.

I took part in the protest, organized by the Ontario-Muskrat Solidarity Coalition and Wa Ni Ska Tan: An Alliance of Hydro Impacted Communities. Indigenous Land and Water Protectors were in Ottawa to challenge Site C, Muskrat Falls, the Automation of the Grand Rapids Generation Station, and other damaging megadam projects.

The Indigenous Land and Water Protectors and allies were arrested while trying to deliver a 15,000 signature petition against megadams to Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Catherine McKenna.

What's the rush?

June 11, 2019

The Trudeau government has continued to fast-track the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) through Parliament. Just this morning, it was sent for second reading – just 17 days after it was first presented.

Prime Minister Trudeau is desperate for a political “win,” before the October elections.

But we all know whose deal this really is – U.S. President Donald Trump’s.

And right now, progressive Democrats in the U.S. are using their majority power in the House of Representatives to push for stronger environmental and labour provisions in NAFTA 2.0, as well as to reduce protections for pharmaceuticals that lock-in higher drug costs for people like you and me, and lock in billions in profit for Big Pharma. We would all reap the benefits of these changes.

But these much-needed improvements from the U.S. will be harder to achieve if Canada rushes to ratify this deal.

No Pipelines in a Climate Emergency

June 8, 2019

This is a climate emergency. It’s time to act like it.

From June 9-18, people from coast-to-coast-to-coast are taking action to stop the Trans Mountain pipeline and tanker project. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Cabinet are expected to release their decision on whether they’ll approve the controversial project by June 18.

The Trans Mountain project could add 13 to 15 megatonnes of carbon emissions to the atmosphere, which would be like adding almost 3.8 million cars on the road. This will make it impossible for us to meet our climate targets, which are already far from the scale of emissions cuts that are needed.

At the same time, TC Energy (formerly TransCanada) continues to push its “Coastal GasLink” (CGL) fracked gas pipeline.

Bill C69 passes Senate with pro-oil and gas amendments

June 7, 2019

Yesterday, Bill C-69 “An Act to enact the Impact Assessment Act and the Canadian Energy Regulator Act, to amend the Navigation Protection Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts” passed third reading in the Senate with over 180 amendments. Unfortunately, it looks like many of the amendments drafted by Big Oil and proposed by Conservative Senators were adopted, but it’s not over yet. The Bill has now been sent back to the House of Commons which will vote on which amendments are accepted before it goes back to the Senate for a final vote.

The Council of Canadians

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