Farmers across Canada have been dealing with changing weather patterns in recent years. From droughts and floods in the Prairies to storms and blights in the Maritimes, people who rely on the land to make a living are suddenly being forced to adapt.
Friends of the Earth thanks Gord Miller, Ontario’s Environmental Commissioner for his timely report — Losing Touch — in which he says the Environmental Bill of Rights (EBR) is one of the most significant environmental laws of our time. Friends of the Earth has lauded Ontario as the most progressive jurisdiction in Canada in its provision of environmental rights under the EBR based on our analysis of environmental rights across Canada (“Standing On Guard,” 2009). However, today, the Environmental Commissioner said, “I am astounded by the level of disregard and contempt being shown to the statutory requirement of the Environmental Bill of Rights… Senior members of the Ontario Public Service are ignoring their responsibility to support and implement the will of the Legislative Assembly.”
On June 19, Friends of the Earth (FoE) released a report critiquing the corporate capture of the United Nations. Corporate capture means that governments are not doing their job and that they have become advocates for the corporate agenda. Popular movements have risen to the occasion in a re-energized drive to democratize the political process and take back control over our lives and nature.
By my calculation, by the time Canada’s withdrawal kicks in one year from now, we will have had commitments under the Kyoto Protocol for five years less 19 days. Professor Nigel Bankes from the Faculty of Law at University of Calgary reviews law pertaining to withdrawal from an international environmental agreement in his blog.
