http://www.canadians.org Founded in 1985, the Council of Canadians is Canada's largest citizens' organization, with members and chapters across the country. We work to protect Canadian independence by promoting progressive policies on fair trade, clean water, energy security, public health care, and other issues of social and economic concern to Canadians. en-ca http://www.canadians.org/media/energy/2008/16-Dec-08.html Saskatoon - Finance Minister Jim Flaherty needs to focus on the health and well being of Canadians and the environment at this week's Finance Ministers meeting, says the Council of Canadians. The Alberta government's message to Flaherty will be: 'help the tar sands'. The Council is arguing that increasing subsidies to temper the pause in what has been an alarming pace of development in the tar sands comes at a high social and environmental cost. http://www.canadians.org/media/energy/2008/16-Dec-08.html http://www.canadians.org/media/water/2008/10-Dec-08-2.html United Nations, New York - A high level endorsement of the right to water from United Nations President Miguel d'Escoto Brockman, on the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, is being met with praise from Maude Barlow, a leading Canadian water rights advocate. http://www.canadians.org/media/water/2008/10-Dec-08-2.html http://www.canadians.org/media/water/2008/10-Dec-08.html United Nations, New York City - To commemorate the 60th anniversary of the UN Declaration of Human Rights, The Council of Canadians and On the Commons are launching an exciting new report titled Our Water Commons: Toward a new freshwater narrative. Written by Maude Barlow, National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians and recently appointed Senior Advisor on Water Issues to the President of the General Assembly of the United Nations, Our Water Commons is part of the ongoing work to address the global water crisis by naming and reclaiming the freshwater commons. Barlow is at the United Nations in New York today discussing water as a human right on a panel with Miguel d'Escoto Brockman, President of the UN General Assembly. http://www.canadians.org/media/water/2008/10-Dec-08.html http://www.canadians.org/media/water/2008/8-Dec-08.html During the 60th anniversary celebration of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the President of the United Nations General Assembly Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann will introduce Council of Canadians National Chairperson Maude Barlow as his new Senior Advisor for Water. Barlow is working to direct a new task force to address the issue of water as a human right. http://www.canadians.org/media/water/2008/8-Dec-08.html http://www.canadians.org/media/other/2008/03-Dec-08.html Ottawa - In a video statement, Council of Canadians national chairperson Maude Barlow is calling for Stephen Harper to step aside, so that the Liberal-NDP coalition can form the new government. The 3-minute video is online at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gD7L-QNwda4 http://www.canadians.org/media/other/2008/03-Dec-08.html http://www.canadians.org/media/water/2008/3-Dec-08.html Toronto, ON - The City of Toronto's bottled water ban and renewed commitment to public access to water is a new milestone in the international struggle against the commodification of water, says Maude Barlow, senior advisor on water to the United Nations and national chairperson of the Council of Canadians. http://www.canadians.org/media/water/2008/3-Dec-08.html http://www.canadians.org/media/water/2008/1-Dec-08.html Toronto - As Toronto City Council gathers to consider passing a city-wide ban on bottled water, a new coalition is challenging advertising claims made by Nestle Waters that "bottled water is the most environmentally responsible consumer product in the world". The group, which includes Friends of the Earth Canada, the Polaris Institute, the Council of Canadians, Wellington Water Watchers, and Ecojustice, is filing a complaint today under Canadian Code of Advertising Standards against Nestle Waters North America. The groups argue that Nestle is attempting to mislead the public on the true impacts of bottled water. Copies of the coalition's complaint against Nestle Waters are available upon request. http://www.canadians.org/media/water/2008/1-Dec-08.html http://www.canadians.org/media/other/2008/28-Nov-08.html Ottawa - The Council of Canadians is calling on the three opposition parties to defeat the Harper government in a non-confidence vote as soon as possible and to form a coalition government guided by a set of progressive priorities. http://www.canadians.org/media/other/2008/28-Nov-08.html http://www.canadians.org/media/other/2008/19-Nov-08.html Ottawa - With the Throne Speech to be delivered today, the Council of Canadians is calling on Prime Minister Harper to address five key concerns of Canadians. Stephen Harper has indicated the throne speech and his strategy in Parliament will focus primarily on the global economic crisis. However, the minority Conservative government is taking steps that could worsen the economic crisis in Canada, including pursuit of more free trade. http://www.canadians.org/media/other/2008/19-Nov-08.html http://www.canadians.org/media/water/2008/14-Nov-08.html Ottawa - Quantum of Solace, which hits North American theatres today, pits James Bond against a new kind of super-villain, and a type which exists in the real world today: a corporate water baron. The plot, in which 007 goes head-to-head with a CEO who is trying to replace the Bolivian government with a dictatorship to take control of the country's freshwater, shares much in common with real-world developments in Bolivia and around the globe. http://www.canadians.org/media/water/2008/14-Nov-08.html http://www.canadians.org/media/trade/2008/06-Nov-08.html Ottawa - The Council of Canadians and the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) today condemned NAFTA for letting chemical giant Dow sue Canada over a Quebec pesticide ban. http://www.canadians.org/media/trade/2008/06-Nov-08.html http://www.canadians.org/media/energy/2008/01-Nov-08.html Edmonton - The Council of Canadians will bring the boom to the streets with a Rally and March for No New Approvals in the Tar Sands on Saturday, November 1. The rally will begin at 12:45pm at Veterans Park at 102nd Street NW and MacDonald Drive NW (across from the Crown Plaza Hotel) for a March to the Alberta Legislature. http://www.canadians.org/media/energy/2008/01-Nov-08.html http://www.canadians.org/media/energy/2008/30-Oct-08.html Edmonton - The Council of Canadians is holding its 23rd Annual General Meeting in Edmonton this weekend, bringing together members and concerned citizens from across the continent to challenge the myths of continental energy integration. This year's gathering will build on the demand for no new tar sands approvals, with panels, workshops, and a rally and march to the Alberta Legislature. http://www.canadians.org/media/energy/2008/30-Oct-08.html http://www.canadians.org/media/water/2008/21-Oct-08.html Ottawa - Maude Barlow, national chairperson of the Council of Canadians and founder of the Blue Planet Project, has been appointed as the first Senior Advisor on water issues by Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann, President of the 63rd session of the United Nations. http://www.canadians.org/media/water/2008/21-Oct-08.html http://www.canadians.org/media/trade/2008/09-Oct-08.html TORONTO, Oct. 9 /CNW/ - Eight leaders representing diverse organizations joined together to convey the need to defeat the Stephen Harper Conservatives in the October 14th federal election. http://www.canadians.org/media/trade/2008/09-Oct-08.html http://www.canadians.org/media/trade/2008/08-Oct-08.html Ottawa - The Council of Canadians has found that 77 percent of Canadians want the draft text of a sweeping new Canada-European Union trade deal made public before the October 14 federal election vote, in a poll conducted by Strategic Communications. Prime Minister Stephen Harper has reportedly decided not to release the draft text and internal study of the trade deal that is said to exceed NAFTA in scope, despite talks on the deal that will take place in Montreal just three days after the election. The poll also shows that 67 per cent of Conservative voters believe that the draft text should be released right away. http://www.canadians.org/media/trade/2008/08-Oct-08.html http://www.canadians.org/media/water/2008/06-Oct-08.html Ottawa - The Council of Canadians and MiningWatch Canada have made public a report drafted by Environment Canada in December 2007 revealing that the agency had documented crucial information regarding the looming freshwater crisis in Canada. http://www.canadians.org/media/water/2008/06-Oct-08.html http://www.canadians.org/media/trade/2008/30-Sep-08.html OTTAWA - Canadian civil society organizations call upon Canada's political leaders to respond clearly and unequivocally to US presidential candidate Barack Obama's challenge to renegotiate NAFTA during this week's Federal Leaders debates. http://www.canadians.org/media/trade/2008/30-Sep-08.html http://www.canadians.org/media/trade/2008/26-Sep-08.html Ottawa - The Council of Canadians has found that 61% of Canadians agree with U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama that NAFTA should be renegotiated to include enforceable labour and environmental standards, in a poll commissioned from Environics. The finding follows those of earlier polls and demonstrates a steady growth in Canadians' support for renegotiating NAFTA - from 45% in March to 52% in July (Angus Reid). http://www.canadians.org/media/trade/2008/26-Sep-08.html http://www.canadians.org/media/water/2008/24-Sep-08.html The Council of Canadians is demanding that the Canadian government intervene to secure an amendment to the Great Lakes Compact which received U.S. Congressional approval yesterday. The organization is calling for an elimination of the loophole that would grant bottled water corporations unlimited access to Great Lakes water in 20 litre containers. http://www.canadians.org/media/water/2008/24-Sep-08.html http://www.canadians.org/media/healthcare/2008/22-Sep-08.html Friends of Medicare and the Council of Canadians are leading a wide coalition of Albertans who are concerned about the Copeman private health clinic opening in Calgary on Monday September 22. http://www.canadians.org/media/healthcare/2008/22-Sep-08.html http://www.canadians.org/media/trade/2008/18-Sep-08.html September 18, 2008 / Ottawa - Prime Minister Stephen Harper must make public the draft text of a new "deep economic integration" trade deal with the European Union that rivals NAFTA in scope before voters go to the polls on October 14, says the Council of Canadians. http://www.canadians.org/media/trade/2008/18-Sep-08.html http://www.canadians.org/media/water/2008/28-Aug-08.html Ottawa - The Montreal Economic Institute's (MEI) proposal to sell Quebec's water is highly misleading and uninformed, argues the Council of Canadians. The MEI report, which argues for the sale of water from Quebec, is based on the myth of abundant supplies of water that has been discredited by a growing body of evidence including the recently uncovered Environment Canada report that warns of Canada's looming freshwater crisis. http://www.canadians.org/media/water/2008/28-Aug-08.html http://www.canadians.org/media/water/2008/21-Aug-08.html Ottawa / August 21, 2008 - The Council of Canadians is blasting the Federal government for suppressing an Environment Canada report that warns of increased water shortages across the country. The Council of Canadians is calling on the Government of Canada to implement a comprehensive National Water Policy, as there is currently no national strategy to address urgent water issues and no federal leadership to conserve and protect our water. The Federal Water Policy is over 20 years old and badly outdated. http://www.canadians.org/media/water/2008/21-Aug-08.html http://www.canadians.org/media/water/2008/19-Aug-08.html London, ON - The Council of Canadians is applauding the decision last night by the City of London to enact a comprehensive ban on sale of bottled water on city premises. Going further than other bans in Canadian cities so far, the precedent-setting London bottle ban extends beyond city hall to all city facilities. The Council of Canadians calls on all cities across the country to enact similar bans. http://www.canadians.org/media/water/2008/19-Aug-08.html http://www.canadians.org/media/healthcare/2008/18-Aug-08.html MONTREAL, Aug. 18 /CNW Telbec/ - At their annual general meeting in Montreal from August 17-20, members of the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) will examine "patient-focused funding," a hospital funding model presently used in the United Kingdom. The Coalition Solidarite Sante and the Council of Canadians are concerned with the trend in certain medical circles towards greater private financing of our health system. http://www.canadians.org/media/healthcare/2008/18-Aug-08.html http://www.canadians.org/media/energy/2008/13-Aug-08.html Regina - In response to the government sale of new exploration permits for Tar Sands in Saskatchewan, the Regina chapter of the Council of Canadians held a public meeting outside of the Legislature yesterday, inviting people to learn more about the controversy that stands to affect the province economically, environmentally and socially. http://www.canadians.org/media/energy/2008/13-Aug-08.html http://www.canadians.org/media/trade/2008/30-Jul-08.html Ottawa - The collapse of the Doha Round of WTO (World Trade Organization) talks in Geneva yesterday is being celebrated as a victory for democracy around the world, says Maude Barlow, National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians. Barlow says the collapse of the Doha Round should be a wake up call for the federal and provincial governments to reverse course on undemocratic bilateral and inter-provincial deals such as TILMA (Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreements) and the Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement. http://www.canadians.org/media/trade/2008/30-Jul-08.html http://www.canadians.org/media/trade/2008/29-Jul-08.html Edmonton - Using the acronym MASH to represent numerous sectors in a simple word, the Alberta government announced last Friday that under the controversial Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement (TILMA) with British Columbia, restrictions will be made on how municipalities, academic institutions, school boards and the health sector engage in contracts for their organizational requirements. The provincial government stated that when TILMA comes into full effect on April 1, 2009, any MASH contracts beginning at $75,000 for goods and services tenders and $200,000 for construction projects must be opened up for outside contract bids. http://www.canadians.org/media/trade/2008/29-Jul-08.html http://www.canadians.org/media/peace/2008/25-Jul-08.html This week rallies are taking place in Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver calling on Stephen Harper to bring Khadr to Canada. The rallies are being sponsored by a wide range of peace, social justice and faith groups, including the Canadian Peace Alliance, the Council of Canadians, Canadian Arab Federation, Canadian Muslim Civil Liberties Association and Toronto Conference, United Church of Canada. The protest in Ottawa will take place at 12pm, Saturday, July 26. http://www.canadians.org/media/peace/2008/25-Jul-08.html http://www.canadians.org/media/trade/2008/23-Jul-08.html A new dispute resolution process, which Canada's premiers agreed to include into the Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT) at last week's Council of the Federation meeting, is unnecessary, anti-democratic, and represents a capitulation to corporate interests, says the Council of Canadians. http://www.canadians.org/media/trade/2008/23-Jul-08.html http://www.canadians.org/media/water/2008/08-Jul-08.html OTTAWA - An emerging coalition of conservation, Aboriginal, and social justice organizations is calling on the federal government to immediately stop the practice of allowing mining companies to use Canada's lakes as dumping grounds for toxic mine wastes. http://www.canadians.org/media/water/2008/08-Jul-08.html http://www.canadians.org/media/peace/2008/03-Jul-08.html Ottawa - The Council of Canadians is calling on the Harper government to respect the will of Parliament and the Canadian people. Despite strong public support for war resisters who want to stay in Canada, the Harper government has remained silent, apparently content to let deportation proceedings continue, the organization says. http://www.canadians.org/media/peace/2008/03-Jul-08.html http://www.canadians.org/media/trade/2008/20-Jun-08.html Ottawa - On Friday, June 20 the Council of Canadians held a mock press conference and protest outside Ottawa's Chateau Laurier, where Republican Senator John McCain spoke to an elite audience of Canadian corporate executives. The action featured the "NAFTA-saurus", a representation of unjust trade policies that are facing extinction. http://www.canadians.org/media/trade/2008/20-Jun-08.html http://www.canadians.org/media/water/2008/20-Jun-08.html The Council of Canadians is congratulating the Ontario cities of London and Kitchener for approving plans this week to ban the sale of bottled water on city property. The Council of Canadians welcomes these local victories as important steps toward a national water policy that would improve the public system and ensure clean drinking water standards for all communities across the country. http://www.canadians.org/media/water/2008/20-Jun-08.html http://www.canadians.org/media/trade/2008/03-Jun-08.html Negotiations toward an Ontario-Quebec Economic Partnership Agreement, announced by Premiers Jean Charest and Dalton McGuinty at this week's joint cabinet meeting in Quebec City, must include a full public hearing of the issue and an opportunity for public comment in both provinces, says the Council of Canadians. http://www.canadians.org/media/trade/2008/03-Jun-08.html http://www.canadians.org/media/water/2008/02-Jun-08.html Toronto - Recipient of the Canadian Environment Award's Citation of Lifetime Acheivement award, Maude Barlow will use a portion of her keynote address to highlight the impacts of the petrochemical industry on the environment and health, particularly of First Nations communities, in Canada. http://www.canadians.org/media/water/2008/02-Jun-08.html http://www.canadians.org/media/trade/2008/30-May-08.html Despite significant public outcry, Bill 32 went into effect without any vote in the Legislature today. The enabling legislation sets the private courts system Trade Investment and Labour Mobility (TILMA) into motion, ceding the right to corporations to sue local governments and other entities for regulations deemed to impede profits. http://www.canadians.org/media/trade/2008/30-May-08.html http://www.canadians.org/media/water/2008/28-May-08.html Ottawa - Maude Barlow and the Council of Canadians congratulate the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board on seeking to eliminate bottled water in its 150 schools. The Board passed a motion last night requiring staff to report on a plan to eliminate the regular sale and purchase of bottled water in all facilities of the school board. http://www.canadians.org/media/water/2008/28-May-08.html http://www.canadians.org/media/trade/2008/21-May-08.html Following a new legal opinion on the constitutionality of inter-provincial trade pacts like the Alberta-B.C. Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement, the Council of Canadians is warning Ontario and Quebec to steer clear of a similar alliance when the premiers meet for a joint cabinet meeting in Quebec City on June 2. http://www.canadians.org/media/trade/2008/21-May-08.html http://www.canadians.org/media/DI/2008/18-Apr-08.html While the Canadian, Mexican and American heads of state continue to discuss corporate priorities for North America behind closed doors at the fourth annual SPP summit in New Orleans next week, civil society from all three NAFTA countries will lay the groundwork for international cooperation of a more human kind that places the needs of communities, the environment and workers first. http://www.canadians.org/media/DI/2008/18-Apr-08.html http://www.canadians.org/media/DI/2008/15-Apr-08.html As Stephen Harper prepares to attend the North American leaders' summit on the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) in New Orleans next week, a new Environics Research poll shows that Canadians disagree with key elements of North American integration. http://www.canadians.org/media/DI/2008/15-Apr-08.html http://www.canadians.org/media/water/2008/08-Apr-08.html The Council of Canadians and the Geneva-based Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE) sent the federal Liberal Party a letter today to correct the Party on statements made to the media last week about the consequences of Canada endorsing the right to water. http://www.canadians.org/media/water/2008/08-Apr-08.html http://www.canadians.org/media/other/2008/27-Mar-08.html The Campaign for Democratic Media! is outraged at Bell Canada's recent announcement that it will begin throttling Internet service providers (ISPs) starting April 7 - a policy uncovered and made official after Canadian ISPs realized they were being shortchanged by the telecommunications giant which had begun selectively limiting the ISPs' bandwidth. http://www.canadians.org/media/other/2008/27-Mar-08.html http://www.canadians.org/media/energy/2008/20-Mar-08.html Edmonton - A group of British Columbian activists who have just completed a three-day "learning tour" of the Alberta tar sands are calling for an end to new approvals for tar sands expansion at a press conference today. http://www.canadians.org/media/energy/2008/20-Mar-08.html