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Caribou Legs running across the country to demand federal protection of our lakes and rivers

Caribou Legs

OTTAWA – Indigenous ultra-marathoner Caribou Legs kicks off his 4400-kilometre run from Vancouver to Ottawa at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, June 1, at the Vancouver Art Gallery. He's running to draw attention to the tens of thousands of lakes and rivers threatened by pipelines, fracking, mining and extreme energy project across the country. When he arrives in Ottawa, Caribou Legs will call on MPs to restore legislative protection for our lakes and rivers.

“I’m running to help protect our waterways in Canada. They need protection from Stephen Harper’s government and from big oil, gas and mining companies eager to sacrifice them for profit,” explains Caribou Legs. “I have a voice, I have legs, and I’m committed to using them to make change.”

In 2012, the federal omnibus budget bill implemented sweeping changes to environmental laws, removing critical safeguards for water protection. This included amending the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act to eliminate 3,000 environmental assessments, removing protections for 99 per cent of lakes and rivers in the Navigable Waters Protection Act, and gutting the Fisheries Act.

“Caribou Legs is an inspiration. We need people like him who are willing to go the distance to raise awareness of the vulnerability of our lakes and rivers,” says Maude Barlow, National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians. “It has been three years since the Harper government removed environmental safeguards that had been in place since 1882. We are still experiencing the fallout, but it will be our children and grandchildren who will see the real impact. I urge MPs to not only reinstate but strengthen our environmental legislation. The future of our lakes and rivers depends on it.”

The Council of Canadians is sponsoring Caribou Legs. Stops include Chilliwack, Hope, Kamloops, Lake Louise, Banff, Calgary, Regina, Winnipeg, Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury and Ottawa. Go to Canadians.org/runningwater to see a complete route and updates.

Supporters are being asked to sign the Council of Canadians #Pledge2Protect petition and run with Caribou Legs along his route. The Council of Canadians is calling on federal party leaders and MPs to develop and implement a national water policy that recognizes the human right to water, establishes national enforceable drinking water standards, adequately funds infrastructure, and stops projects that threaten water.

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