I am excited to share with you this new publication, Global Warming: Made in Canada? about Canada's role in the world in the era of climate change.

We Canadians pride ourselves on being good global citizens yet in recent years our reputation on the world stage has been changing rapidly. This paper was inspired in part by the stories of young Canadian climate activists who were delegates at UN climate negotiations. These dedicated young people reported feeling shame when people representing the global south saw the maple leaf patches on their backpacks.

The world's poorest people are already feeling the impacts of climate change, even though they have done the least to cause the problem. Meanwhile Canada has now won four consecutive "Fossil of the Year" awards for playing an "obstructionist role" in international climate negotiations. Many people believe Canada has been blocking climate action in an attempt to continue expanding the tar sands at all costs.

This publication urges us all to take a long, hard look at the tar sands and related fossil fuel infrastructure in our country in the context of the impacts of climate change that are already being felt around the world. Being the stewards of one of the world's largest remaining fossil fuel reserves is a big responsibility. Working together we can reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and help Canada play a more responsible role in the world.

Our focus is on strategic choke points where we can stop the expansion of oil exports by stopping new infrastructure and trade routes. Banning oil tankers off the BC coast, pipeline construction and expansion and curbing related highway and port infrastructure will play a major role in making the change that is needed.

Also, our report explores the low-hanging fruit in terms of strategic investments to reduce our dependence on oil. Public transit investment and electrified passenger rail corridors are a no-brainer when it comes to investing in greening our communities and getting us out of our cars.

By working on reducing both the supply and demand for oil we can really make a difference for the better and get Canada on the right track both within our boarders and as a member of the global community.

Ready to take action? If, after checking out the report, you want to do more, please think about taking some newspapers to distribute in your community. Contact us at emma@wildernesscommittee.org and let us know how many copies you would like and your mailing address and we will get them in the mail to you ASAP. Then on your next visit to your local coffee shop, library or doctor's office, help get the word out by just dropping off a couple of copies.

Also, please join us at the Earth Day Parade we are organizing in partnership with the Youth for Climate Justice Now. It is happening on Friday, April 22nd, starting at 11am at Commercial and Broadway and will be followed by a festival at the Britannia Oval at William and Woodland from 12 -3pm featuring funky live music, family friendly activities and special guest speakers. We will have lots of copies of the paper on hand and there will be opportunities to get more involved in various aspects of the campaign to stop global warming.

See you soon,

Ben West | Healthy Communities Campaigner
Wilderness Committee