Advice from Friends of the Earth Canada

Advice from Friends of the Earth Canada John Baird - New Environment Minister

4/1/07 1:32PM
Interview Opportunity
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Beatrice Olivastri, Chief Executive Officer, Friends of the Earth-Canada
Re: Advice to Canada's new Minister of the Environment

Open letter to Canada’s New Minister of the Environment

January 4, 2007

Dear Minister Baird,

I extend to you my congratulations on your appointment as Minister of the Environment. As a long time leader in advancing Canada’s environmental agenda, I know that this can be either the best or the worst job in the world. To help you start on the essentials, I’m sending you the priority ABCs for immediate action.

A
Act on Canada’s climate commitments: Reduce greenhouse
gases by setting clear targets and schedules that meet our
Kyoto commitments; cut the bafflegab and spin from your predecessor’s “Dirty Air Act”; and, admit that we’ve blown it so far, but we’ll try our best now (this may mean taking a penalty from the Kyoto Compliance folks, but why not be proactive and responsible about it instead of wallowing in deep denial).

B
Boil water: Boil your own drinking water for a month – then you’ll experience the fear and aggravation created by boil water advisories in communities from Newfoundland to British Columbia, including many First Nations communities (see www.foecanada.org). Safe drinking water is a human right which should be supported at home and at the UN.

C
Compete with California to have the cleanest, most efficient vehicles and fuels: Set regulated targets for Canada’s auto and truck makers and invest in the next generation of biofuel technologies (such as cellulosic), so that Canada can lead in this area, protecting rather than damaging the environment.

These ABCs are just the beginning. You have a whole department of dedicated and passionate employees with a mission – not just a job – to help save our planet. I encourage you to use that dedication to help you earn your “honourable” designation as Canada’s Minister of the Environment.

I look forward to meeting you to talk about how Friends of the Earth-Canada and our 70 Friends of the Earth groups across the planet can help you address these ABCs and many other serious issues.

Sincerely yours,

Beatrice Olivastri
Chief Executive Officer
Friends of the Earth-Canada
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Ms. Olivastri can be contacted at 613-241-0085 ext.26 or 613-724-8690 (cell)