Here’s a little press release for you all:

Students bare all to urge action on the shutting down of the Climate Change Accountability Act, Bill C-311

Guelph, ON – On November 16, the Senate voted down Canada’s only piece of climate legislation, Bill C-311, in a snap vote without debate. This Climate Change Accountability Act would have had Canada commit to science-based greenhouse gas reduction targets and implement measures to meet such targets. The Act was passed in the House of Commons twice – first before the 2008 election – thanks in part due to fierce support of Canadians nationwide. Outraged by the loss of this bill in the Senate, students at the University of Guelph organized a public ‘strip mob’ to call attention to the matter.

“The killing of Bill C-311 undermines Canadian democracy,” said Gracen

Johnson, an event organizer. “Canada has embarrassingly weak carbon reduction targets without even a plan to meet them. Bill C-311 was our chance to restore some dignity on the international scene; dignity that has been evaporating under the Harper government as was made clear by the loss of our seat on the UN Security Council.”

The death of Bill C-311 comes at a critical time, as Canada takes part in the UN Climate Conference (COP16) in Cancun, Mexico from November 29 – December 10.

“Rather than showing leadership, Canada is heading to Mexico with no plan. Not only do we not have targets that will adequately mitigate dangerous climate change, but Canada does not even have sufficient policy in place to achieve those minimal reductions in greenhouse gas emission,” says Yvonne Su, fellow organizer and videographer. “It’s unacceptable.”

In a spontaneous burst of music, dancing, and undressing to undergarments, these students had a campus eatery in startled fits of laughter and cheering. The event was caught on film and has been spreading virally on Youtube and Facebook since, accruing 1200 views in a matter of hours. The video calls on Canadians to contact their MPs and Stephen Harper and express their disappointment in the loss of C-311 and the need for a national climate action plan.

“Canada has nothing to put on the table in Cancun, except for maybe a coupon for dirty oil and a dead duck,” says Johnson. “The sooner we can change that, the sooner we can call Canada a leader once more. I want to be proud of my country again.”

Canadians from all backgrounds have been expressing dismay over the Senate’s decision to kill Bill C-311. Rick Mercer dedicated his regular ‘Rant’ to the topic on November 24^th, calling the move, “so undemocratic nobody actually believed any Canadian government would do it.”

Watch the video.

We know the Copenhagen Accord is not going to cut it. There is still so much work to be done, but we are not about to give up. Evidently so – 10/10/10, the Global Work Party is even BIGGER than October 24th, 2009. Consider the words of 350.org Co-Founder, Bill McKibben:

Dear Friends,

When we first announced the Global Work Party scheduled for this weekend, I had three worries:

1) Since so many of you had done such a good job last year–5200 events in 181 countries, what CNN called “the most widespread day of political action in the planet’s history”–I was concerned that it was going to be hard to top.

2) Because the Global Work Party called for real, tangible Work, I thought fewer people would be willing to rise to the challenge.

3) It had been a discouraging year, with the failures in Copenhagen and in the US Congress, and the unwillingness of governments all over the world to take any sort of meaningful climate action. People told me the movement was deflated, and that no one had any energy left.

Obama promised this week to reinstall solar panels on the White House.

As it turned out, I didn’t need to worry. Thanks to you, this weekend will be remembered as the day when a single message blanketed more of the planet than ever before. This won’t just be the most widespread day of carbon-cutting action in the planet’s history–it will be the most widespread day of just about anything the earth has ever seen.

In the same year when global temperatures have set one scary new record after another, you are rewriting the record books for civic engagement. We don’t have the final numbers yet because registrations are still streaming in, but it’s clear that we’re on track to shoot past 7000 events in 188 countries. [...]

President Nasheed of the Maldives installed solar panels on his roof this week.

Things are happening fast here, and I’ve got to get back on the phone with reporters to try to explain to them about everything happening around the world. We are so grateful for all that you’re doing, and
committed to making it count.

Onwards!
Bill McKibben for the whole 350.org Team

Bill C-311, the Climate Change Accountability Act passed third reading in the House of Commons on May 5th, 2010. Conservative MPs voted against it, while the majority of Opposition MPs supported it. The Bill is now before the Senate.

If passed into law, the Act will require the Canadian federal government to set regulations to bring emissions 25% below 1990 levels by 2020, and 80% below 1990 levels by 2050. The Act will require the government to produce five year target plans, establish independent reviews and punish polluters who break regulations.

Of the total 105 Senators:

52 are Conservatives
49 are Liberals
2 are Progressive Conservatives
2 are Independents

Note: of the Conservatives, 13 were appointed by Mulroney, nominated the ‘greenest Prime Minister’ by Corporate Knights.

We are SO close! The Canadian Chamber of Commerce is lobbying the Senate to kill Bill C-311 – let’s not let it happen!

Climate Response is going to make this easy for you. Find a draft letter and all the resources you need to contact our Senators and urge them to support Bill C-311 right here.

You can help the Facebook fairies do their thing by joining this group: Urge Senators to Support Bill C-311

If you have not already started planning a 10/10/10 event for this October 10th, it is not too late to get cracking! In Canada, the Global Work Party is conveniently taking place on our Thanksgiving weekend. Perhaps your family is already gathering for some holiday festivities which makes recruitment a breeze. This is an opportunity for the world to give a collective foot-tapping-arms-crossed-intense-stare to elected officials – “We’re getting to work, how about you?”

We know it seems like a lot to ask to organize a Work Party, BUT:

1. Refer to the ‘party’ bit. Yeah, we thought so.
2. What could be more important than building the movement we need? You know, the one that fosters political will to establish climate justice.
3. This is another one of those moments that we will look back on with pride. When the world rose up, armed with solar panels and trees, you were there with dirty hands and a shovel!

There are over 80 actions already registered in Canada and trust us, you want to be one more.

Here are some action ideas.

Make sure to take lots of pictures and post them with 350.org. Also, invite your MP or let them know that this Thanksgiving, we are getting to work!

Hello,

I recently returned from a semester in India, eating bananas and riding in rickshaws. Now that I’m back in Canada with a computer I’m trying to drop a line to the many connections I had the pleasure of making over the past year and a half in the process of making Fill The Hill a reality.

First, I would like to extend another sincere thank you for all of your support along the journey. I am fully aware how absurd it must have seemed to hop on board behind a raving 19-year-old and pull together thousands with almost zero resources. I should hope that in my life I will give my energy and trust so willingly as you have. You were essential to creating the improbable.

Second, I wish to introduce you to one of the offshoots of the C-Day movement. Cheryl McNamara of our communications team, and a small team of collaborators have been working hard since October to create the online community called Climate Response (www.climateresponse.ca). This is a citizens’ effort to raise the voice of reason. We all know that comment boards and shoddy journalism often trivialize or deny climate change and it can be very tempting to just ignore the nonsense. However, unless we can shift the comments and public opinion in favour of the truth, we will struggle to achieve serious change. Therefore, Climate Response is a platform where contributors can find resources and share their efforts to take back the playground from deniers. Cheryl is recruiting members (especially students), so please do check it out and share with friends. Grassroots is a continual source of hope and satisfaction.

Third, good news regarding climate change can be hard to come by. If nothing else, remember that we are all still in it for the long haul. Let’s keep our heads high, minds clear, and hands busy. Speaking of which, I’m sure we are all excited for 350.org’s Global Work Party on 10/10/10.

Thanks again!

Yours in action,

Gracen