Updates

Ottawa – On Sunday, January 26, 2020, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland called on opposition parties to fast-track the CUSMA deal “without undue delay.” In response, the Council of Canadians, who have scrutinized trade agreements since the early days of the 1988 Canada-U.S. Free Trade agreement, questioned if the Minister hopes to curtail democratic debate in Canada.

Op-ed written for the The Star, January 6, 2019, by Gordon Laxer, Political Economist and professor emeritus at the University of Alberta.

Donald Trump likes to smash things, such as the U.S. commitment to the Paris Climate Accord and the Iran Nuclear Deal. Occasionally he smashes bad things, perhaps inadvertently, opening a crack and the light gets in.

OTTAWA — After months of negotiations, a new NAFTA deal was reached between the U.S. Congress, Mexico and Canada. While the deal is still under wraps, it appears that some key positive changes have been made. However, the deal is more of the same, says the Council of Canadians.

This afternoon in advance of the start of the Federation of Nova Scotia Municipalities fall conference in Halifax, several south shore and west nova municipalities gathered to call on the Federal and Provincial governments to initiate a public inquiry into offshore drilling.

Following the Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities Fall Conference, the Council of Canadians, the Campaign to Protect Offshore Nova Scotia, the Clean Ocean Action Committee and the Sierra Club Canada Foundation, are holding a public event about the fight against offshore drilling in Canada and in the coastal United States. 

Participants will hear from Mayor Sheila Davies (Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina), Councilor John Weber (Bradley Beach, New Jersey), and the Campaign to Protect Offshore Nova Scotia about the international effort to stop offshore drilling. 

On November 6, Los Angeles will become the first major city in the United States to earn the designation of “Blue Community” – a bold move that will keep water protected from privatization. The Council of Canadians has been working with communities across Canada and internationally to pressure municipalities to commit to the Blue Communities principles.

What:     A press conference announcing that 12 municipal governments from Chester to Digby have called on the provincial and federal governments to launch a public inquiry into the socioeconomic and environmental impacts of offshore drilling and exploration in Nova Scotia’s waters.

Yesterday, millions of voters went to the polls and elected a Liberal minority government, shifting the balance of power across the country. This represents a major change in Ottawa not seen since the 2011 election, and puts the future of the country in the hands of the Canadian public, who now have the power to impact the agenda in Ottawa like never before.

Resolution targets commercial bottling following more than 1400% increase in water bottle exports from B.C. to the U.S. in last decade.

Vancouver — In an unprecedented move, local governments and First Nations throughout B.C. have just passed a resolution calling on the B.C. government to stop issuing water licences to commercial water bottling operations in the province. The Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) passed the resolution today at their annual convention in Vancouver.