10817413_640544437873_151224351_o

Le français suit

To the Government of Canada: 

We are the Canadian Youth Delegation, supported by more than sixty environmental non-profits, labour groups, and youth organizations. We are youth from across Canada who are attending the upcoming UN international climate change negotiations (COP 20) in Lima, Peru. As we prepare for our participation at the negotiations, we realize how important it is for us to introduce ourselves and tell you that we refuse to tolerate the inaction of the Canadian Government when it comes to climate change. We intend to hold you accountable for the decisions you make at COP 20.  

We have grown up in a world threatened by the impacts of a changing climate. For our entire lives, world leaders have been aware of the irreversible damage that humans are inflicting on our planet, but have done almost nothing to reverse it. You, the Government of Canada, have made it clear that you are more interested in the profit and power you gain from a fossil fuel based economy than you are in ensuring a sustainable and livable planet for generations to come. Since assuming power you have:

  • withdrawn from the Kyoto Protocol in 2012 and continually blocked progress at international climate negotiations;
  • refused to put meaningful effort into supporting climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts; 
  • lowered and reneged on emissions reductions commitments and zealously lobbied other governments to do the same;
  • pushed back relentlessly on the Climate Change Accountability Act (Bill C-311) and silenced the young people who protested its failure in October 2009 by dragging them from the House of Commons, where you laughed at them for demanding collective and ambitious climate action and policy;
  • championed an omnibus bill in 2012 that stripped federal environmental protections and muzzled climate scientists; 
  • systematically audited and threatened organizations that aim to shed light on the disgraceful actions of the government;
  • and denied the treaty rights of Indigenous peoples in this country. 

We, the Canadian Youth Delegation, stand alongside the millions of young people worldwide who refuse to inherit a planet in crisis. We stand beside Indigenous peoples, front-line communities, people of colour and low income populations who are living the frightening realities and injustices of climate change, and who will continue to be disproportionately impacted in the absence of sufficient action. 

From coast to coast to coast First Nations, Inuit, and MĂ©tis, industry workers, new immigrants, parents, farmers, fishers, unions, students and many more are demanding climate justice. Yet the Government of Canada continues to lead us down a highway of unfettered expansion of the tar sands, paired with unwieldy trade agreements, and a complete lack of respect for Indigenous land and treaty rights. We reject the notion that the environment and the economy are mutually exclusive or pitted against each other. There is no price tag on forests, rivers, wetlands, air, culture, communities, or our lives and livelihoods.  We know that it is not for lack of technological advancement, public opinion, or financial resources that we have not stopped climate change in its tracks; the culprit is lack of political will. Along with action on climate change, we demand that the Government of Canada honour the treaties and land rights of Indigenous people in this country.

You have the opportunity to be a leader in creating a just transition to a clean energy future, but you consistently fail to rise to the challenge. By now, any excuses for delay have long expired, yet we anticipate with heavy hearts that you will continue to stall negotiations at COP 20 and promote carbon-intensive projects at home. If this is the case, we will continue to challenge the ongoing development of the single most destructive development anywhere on Earth, and we will not give up until you acknowledge and take urgent and ambitious action to demonstrate that our future is more important to you than the money in your pockets, the oil on your hands, or the power you hold. To us, our future is everything, and we will do all that we can to protect it. Let it echo through the halls and boardrooms of every legislating body and corporate headquarters in this country: we deserve better. 

Sincerely, 

The Canadian Youth Delegation to COP 20  
350.org
Bringing Youth Towards Equality (BYTE) 
Canadian Federation of Students 
Canadian Labour Congress
Canadian Unitarians for Social Justice
Canadian Youth Climate Coalition
ClimateFast
Climate Justice Saskatoon
Committee for Future Generations
Conservation Council of New Brunswick
Council of Canadians
Dalhousie Student Union Office of Sustainability
Divest Dalhousie
Divest McGill 
Divest Mount Allison
Divest UVic 
Divest York
Douglas Channel Watch 
Ecology Action Centre 
Ecology North
Ecology Ottawa 
Environmental Studies Student Association, University of Saskatchewan
Fossil Fuel Divestment at Grenfell 
Fossil Free Guelph
Fossil Free Kwantlen 
Fossil Free Lakehead
Fossil Free McMaster 
Fossil Free uOttawa 
Friends of the Earth Canada
Geography, Planning and Environmental Graduate Students of Concordia University 
Greenpeace Canada
Inter-Church Uranium Committee Educational Co-operative 
Keepers of the Athabasca
Leadnow.ca
Living Oceans Society
Mother Earth Action Co-operative Ltd.
Nova Scotia Native Women’s Association
Pro Information Pro Environmental United People (PIPE UP) Network
Polaris Institute
Public Interest Alberta
Queen’s Backing Action on Climate Change
rabble.ca 
RPIC (Renewable Power – the Intelligent Choice) 
Saskatoon Peoples’ Climate March
Saskatchewan Citizens’ Hearings on Climate Change Organizing Committee 
Saskatchewan Eco-Network
Sierra Club BC
Sierra Club Canada Foundation
Simon Fraser Public Interest Research Group
Starfish Canada 
Stop Energy East Halifax
Sustainable SFU 
Sustainable Trent 
Student’s Society of McGill University 
Toronto350.org 
Transition Initiative Kenora
UBCC350
UofT350.org 
UR Sustainability 
Vegans and Vegetarians of Alberta
West Coast Environmental Law Association
Wilderness Committee

International 
Aotearoa New Zealand Human Rights Lawyers Association
Australian Youth Climate Coalition 
Generation Zero 
New Zealand Youth Delegation 
P3 Foundation 
SustainUS: U.S. Youth for Sustainable Development 
Young Friends of the Earth Europe 

———

Au gouvernement canadien:  

Nous sommes la DĂ©lĂ©gation jeunesse canadienne, soutenue par plus de soixante organismes Ă  but non lucratif, syndicats et organisations jeunesse. Nous sommes des jeunes de partout au Canada qui seront prĂ©sents Ă  la ConfĂ©rence des parties sur le climat (COP 20), Ă  Lima du 1er au 12 dĂ©cembre. Alors que nous nous prĂ©parons Ă  participer Ă  ces nĂ©gociations, nous avons cru bon de nous prĂ©senter et de vous annoncer que nous ne tolĂ©rons pas l’inaction du gouvernement canadien en matière de changements climatiques. Ă€ COP20, nous avons l’intention de vous tenir responsable des dĂ©cisions que vous avez prises au courant de la dernière dĂ©cennie. 

Nous avons grandi dans un monde menacĂ© par les impacts d’un climat en changement. Durant l’intĂ©gralitĂ© de nos vies, les leaders mondiaux ont Ă©tĂ© au courant des dommages que l’humain inflige Ă  la planète, mais n’ont pas agi pour l’en empĂŞcher. Vous, le gouvernement canadien, avez fait clairement comprendre que vous ĂŞtes davantage intĂ©ressĂ© par le profit et le pouvoir que vous obtenez d’une Ă©conomie basĂ©e sur les Ă©nergies fossiles que vous l’êtes par l’assurance d’un environnement sain pour les gĂ©nĂ©rations Ă  venir. Depuis la prise de pouvoir de M. Harper, vous avez: 

  • retirĂ© le Canada du Protocole de Kyoto en 2012 et continuellement empĂŞchĂ© le progrès des nĂ©gociations internationales sur le climat; 
  • refusĂ© d’investir quelque effort que ce soit au soutien de l’adaptation et de la mitigation des impacts des changements climatiques; 
  • manquĂ© Ă  vos obligations de rĂ©duction des Ă©missions tout en encourageant d’autres gouvernements Ă  suivre votre exemple; 
  • rĂ©primĂ© le projet de loi sur la responsabilitĂ© en matière de changements climatiques (C-311) et retirĂ© la voix des jeunes manifestant leur dĂ©saccord Ă  l’abandon de cette loi en les traĂ®nant hors de la Chambre des communes et en riant de leurs demandes d’action concrète; 
  • introduit et adoptĂ© le projet de loi C-45 annulant les protections environnementales fĂ©dĂ©rales tout en muselant les scientifiques; 
  • auditĂ© et menacĂ© de manière systĂ©matique des organismes tentant de dĂ©noncer les actions douteuses du gouvernement; 
  • reniĂ© les droits ancestraux des peuples autochtones du pays. 

La DĂ©lĂ©gation jeunesse canadienne se tient debout avec les millions de jeunes Ă  travers le monde qui refusent d’hĂ©riter d’une planète en crise. Nous nous tenons debout avec les Autochtones, les communautĂ©s au front des impacts climatiques, les personnes de couleur et les populations Ă  revenu modique qui vivent quotidiennement les rĂ©alitĂ©s et les injustices climatiques, et qui continueront de les vivre de manière disproportionnĂ©e si vous maintenez vos positions et restez dans l’inaction. 

Ă€ l’échelle du pays, des Premières Nations, Inuit, MĂ©tis, travailleuses et travailleurs, parents, fermières et fermiers, pĂŞcheurs et pĂŞcheuses, syndiquĂ©(e)s, Ă©tudiantes et Ă©tudiants ainsi que des milliers d’autres personnes demandent la justice pour le climat. Pourtant, le gouvernement canadien maintient ses positions d’industrialisation dĂ©bridĂ©e, d’exploitation de nos ressources naturelles et d’accords d’échange peu fructueux, sans se soucier des impacts sur le territoire ou des droits des Autochtones. Nous rejetons la notion selon laquelle l’environnement et l’économie sont exclusifs ou en opposition. Nos forĂŞts, nos rivières, les milieux humides, l’air, notre culture, nos communautĂ©s, nos vies et nos moyens de subsistance n’ont pas de prix. Ce ne sont pourtant pas le manque d’avancĂ©es technologiques, l’opinion publique ou le manque de ressources financières qui nous empĂŞchent de contrer les changements climatiques : le manque de volontĂ© politique est le vrai coupable. En plus de l’action concrète sur les changements climatiques, nous exigeons que le gouvernement du Canada respecte les traitĂ©s et les droits des Autochtones. 

Vous avez la chance de devenir des leaders pour un futur propre, mais vous échouez constamment à relever ce défi. Aujourd’hui, le délai pour fournir des excuses a expiré depuis fort longtemps, pourtant nous anticipons avec tristesse que vous continuerez de retarder les négociations à COP 20 et de promouvoir des projets d’extraction sur la scène nationale. Si c’est le cas, nous continuerons de défier le développement des sables bitumineux, soit le projet d’exploitation le plus destructeur au monde. Nous ne cesserons pas jusqu’à ce que vous reconnaissiez que notre futur vaut plus que l’argent dans vos poches, le pétrole sur vos mains ou le pouvoir que vous détenez. Nous exigeons des actions en ce sens. Pour nous, le futur est tout ce que nous possédons et nous ferons tout ce qui est en notre pouvoir pour le protéger. Que notre message résonne à travers les chambres d’assemblées et les sièges sociaux du pays: nous méritons mieux.

Sincèrement,

La Délégation jeunesse canadienne à COP 20
350.org
Bringing Youth Towards Equality (BYTE)
Canadian Federation of Students
Canadian Labour Congress
Canadian Unitarians for Social Justice
Canadian Youth Climate Coalition
ClimateFast
Climate Justice Saskatoon
Committee for Future Generations
Conservation Council of New Brunswick
Council of Canadians
Dalhousie Student Union Office of Sustainability
Divest Dalhousie
Divest McGill
Divest Mount Allison
Divest UVic
Divest York
Douglas Channel Watch
Ecology Action Centre
Ecology North
Ecology Ottawa
Environmental Studies Student Association, University of Saskatchewan
Fossil Fuel Divestment at Grenfell
Fossil Free Guelph
Fossil Free Kwantlen
Fossil Free Lakehead
Fossil Free McMaster
Fossil Free uOttawa
Friends of the Earth Canada
Geography, Planning and Environmental Graduate Students of Concordia University
Greenpeace Canada
Inter-Church Uranium Committee Educational Co-operative
Keepers of the Athabasca
Leadnow.ca
Living Oceans Society
Mother Earth Action Co-operative Ltd.
Nova Scotia Native Women’s Association
Pro Information Pro Environmental United People (PIPE UP) Network
Polaris Institute
Public Interest Alberta
Queen’s Backing Action on Climate Change
rabble.ca
RPIC (Renewable Power – the Intelligent Choice)
Saskatoon Peoples’ Climate March
Saskatchewan Citizens’ Hearings on Climate Change Organizing Committee
Saskatchewan Eco-Network
Sierra Club BC
Sierra Club Canada Foundation
Simon Fraser Public Interest Research Group
Starfish Canada
Stop Energy East Halifax
Sustainable SFU
Sustainable Trent
Student’s Society of McGill University
Toronto350.org
Transition Initiative Kenora
UBCC350
UofT350.org
UR Sustainability
Vegans and Vegetarians of Alberta
West Coast Environmental Law Association
Wilderness Committee

Organisations internationales
Aotearoa New Zealand Human Rights Lawyers Association
Australian Youth Climate Coalition
Generation Zero
New Zealand Youth Delegation 
P3 Foundation
SustainUS: U.S. Youth for Sustainable Development
Young Friends of the Earth Europe