Via Campesina marched in Cancun today, while right across Canada activists are holding People’s Assemblies this week to come up with grassroots responses to the climate crisis. Here’s the notice of Vancouver’s Assembly, part of today’s ‘thousands of Cancuns’ global day of action.

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As politicians from around the world meet in Cancun Mexico to talk about how not to save the world from catastrophic climate change, thousands of ordinary citizens all around the world are raising their voices this week for real change and real solutions.

In the Lower Mainland a People’s Assembly for Climate Justice will bring people together for the first strategy session of a growing movement that unites environmentalists, social justice advocates, labour and indigenous communities in a common cause. The Vancouver Assembly is inspired, in part, by the People’s Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth held  in Cochabamba, Bolivia in April 2010, which had over 30,000 participants.

When: Tuesday, Dec. 7 at 7 p.m.

Where: SFU Harbour Centre, 515 W. Hastings – Rm 1400

This Assembly is part of a global day of action for climate justice called by Via Campesina – the global organization of small family farm owners and farm workers — who are calling for ‘thousands of Cancuns’ around the world to support climate activists in Cancun demanding real solutions to global warming.

Metro Vancouver is one of over a dozen communities across Canada holding People’s Assemblies on Climate Justice during the UN climate negotiations in Cancun, Mexico. This is the first of what will be a series of Assemblies over the coming months, and will also help build toward a Mass Direct Action on Saturday Dec. 11 in downtown Vancouver.

The Assembly is organized by the Council of Canadians (Delta-Richmond, Vancouver-Burnaby, and Surrey-White Rock-Langley chapters), the Canada-Bolivia Solidarity Committee and GatewaySucks.org, as well as other allies.

Derrick O'Keefe

Derrick O'Keefe

Derrick O'Keefe is a writer in Vancouver, B.C. He served as rabble.ca's editor from 2012 to 2013 and from 2008 to 2009.