ACTION ALERT: Climate Change Accountability Bill C-311

Dear friends,

With less than sixty days left before the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Canada is running out of time to commit to legally binding, science-based greenhouse gas reduction targets. The NDP’s Climate Change Accountability Act is the only plan before the parliament. But it is being stalled at the committee.

We have a real chance to ensure parliament passes C-311 – the NDP’s Climate Change Accountability Act – and put in place fair and binding science-based targets for reducing Canadian greenhouse gas emissions. And, YOU can help!

The House of Commons will vote this week on whether to further delay C-311 in committee.

When the Bill passed third reading in Parliament in 2008, environmental leaders celebrated its adoption as a world first. But by shutting down Parliament and calling an early election last year, Mr. Harper killed the Bill before it could be passed by the Senate.

We re-introduced the bill in this parliament. With the help of people like you it passed a first vote and was sent to the Environment Committee for study with support from the New Democrats, Liberals, and Bloc Québécois. However, despite the fact that the previous Committee heard many expert witnesses and thoroughly studied the exact same bill in 2008, this Environment Committee has proposed an extension of study that means the Climate Change Accountability Act could remain stalled until past December.

It is crucial that our Parliament commit to specific targets and action before Canadian delegates arrive in Copenhagen. To achieve that, we need your support for moving the Climate Change Accountability Act back to Parliament.

I ask you to contact the leaders of all the political parties in parliament and urge them to support Canadian action on climate change by opposing any extension that will delay the passage of the Climate Change Accountability Act.

Here’s the contact information:

Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada
Phone: (613) 992-4211 Email: pm@pm.gc.ca

Jack Layton, Leader of the New Democrats
Phone: (613) 995-7224 Email: LaytoJ@parl.gc.ca

Michael Ignatieff, Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada
Phone: (613) 995-9364 Email: IgnatM@parl.gc.ca

Gilles Duceppe, Leader of the Bloc Québécois
Phone: (613) 992-6779 Email: DucepG@parl.gc.ca

The extension is scheduled to be voted on by the entire House of Commons the week of October 19th. Defeating it is our best chance to ensure that Canada has agreed to binding targets in time for Copenhagen.

I thank you in advance for your continued help. I invite you to forward this email to those interested in environmental protection.

Sincerely,

Irene Mathyssen, MP
London-Fanshawe