It is a holiday weekend here in Canada, a time for celebrating things that are important to us. Across the country, in every province and territory, Canadians are proving this weekend that solving the climate crisis is something that is very important to us.

On 10/10/10 thousands of Canadians will join in over 200 events across the country in a global work party to help solve the climate crisis. This campaign — driven by the fantastic organizers at 350.org is setting records. Last year CNN called their Day of Action, the “most widespread day of political action in the planets history,” with over 5,000 events across the globe on October 24th (including over 5,000 people gather in Parliament Hill in Canada for Fill the Hill). This year is even bigger. Over 7,000 actions in 188 countries are taking place this Sunday, proving that global concern and our collective drive to find solutions is only growing.

In Canada exciting and creative events are popping up from coast to coast to coast. From 10 year old Owen’s plan to clean up the planet in British Columbia, to committing to make Saskatoon “garlic neutral,” to taking homes completely off of the grid with solar power, everyone is finding their own way to send one very important message to our politicians. We are getting to work, now it is your turn!

Speaking of politicians — Liberal MP Maria Minna has committed to putting solar panels on her house within 10 months, NDP MP Bruce Hyer has called on Canadians and the Prime Minister to get to work passing the climate change accountability act on the eve of 10/10/10, and the Green Party has the global work party front and centre on their website. Globally, the President of the Maldives spent yesterday harnessed to his roof installing solar panels, and President Obama has promised to put solar panels back on the White House!

Where then is our Prime Minister? Instead of getting to work doing Canada’s part to solve the climate crisis, Prime Minister Harper is giving away over $1.5 billion dollars in tax breaks each year to dirty fossil fuels.

Canadians don’t want our government to forfeit billions of dollars to give oil and gas companies and easy ride. We want our government to stop being reckless when it comes to climate change and to get to work!

It may be too late to turn parliament solar by Sunday, but it is not to late to stop giving a free tax ride to the dirtiest (and richest!) companies in the country.

For the rest of us, on 10/10/10 we will make history — again. We will not let inaction stand in the way of action! This Thanksgiving we will be thankful for our planet and the millions of people around the world working to save it.

About fossil fuel subsidies and clean energy policy in Canada

The Canadian government spends an estimated 2 billion dollars a year in subsidies to the fossil fuel industry. Meanwhile the only major federal programs supporting renewable energy and home retrofits have both run out of money.

About 350.org

Founded by American environmentalist Bill McKibben, 350.org is an international campaign that works to build a global climate movement. On October 24, 2009 they organized what CNN called the “most widespread day of political action in the planet’s history.” 350.org is named after the goal of reducing the concentration of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere from its current level of 390 parts per million to below 350 ppm, the safe upper limit according to the latest science.