Here’s a little press release for you all:

Students bare all to urge action on the shutting down of the Climate Change Accountability Act, Bill C-311

Guelph, ON – On November 16, the Senate voted down Canada’s only piece of climate legislation, Bill C-311, in a snap vote without debate. This Climate Change Accountability Act would have had Canada commit to science-based greenhouse gas reduction targets and implement measures to meet such targets. The Act was passed in the House of Commons twice – first before the 2008 election – thanks in part due to fierce support of Canadians nationwide. Outraged by the loss of this bill in the Senate, students at the University of Guelph organized a public ‘strip mob’ to call attention to the matter.

“The killing of Bill C-311 undermines Canadian democracy,” said Gracen

Johnson, an event organizer. “Canada has embarrassingly weak carbon reduction targets without even a plan to meet them. Bill C-311 was our chance to restore some dignity on the international scene; dignity that has been evaporating under the Harper government as was made clear by the loss of our seat on the UN Security Council.”

The death of Bill C-311 comes at a critical time, as Canada takes part in the UN Climate Conference (COP16) in Cancun, Mexico from November 29 – December 10.

“Rather than showing leadership, Canada is heading to Mexico with no plan. Not only do we not have targets that will adequately mitigate dangerous climate change, but Canada does not even have sufficient policy in place to achieve those minimal reductions in greenhouse gas emission,” says Yvonne Su, fellow organizer and videographer. “It’s unacceptable.”

In a spontaneous burst of music, dancing, and undressing to undergarments, these students had a campus eatery in startled fits of laughter and cheering. The event was caught on film and has been spreading virally on Youtube and Facebook since, accruing 1200 views in a matter of hours. The video calls on Canadians to contact their MPs and Stephen Harper and express their disappointment in the loss of C-311 and the need for a national climate action plan.

“Canada has nothing to put on the table in Cancun, except for maybe a coupon for dirty oil and a dead duck,” says Johnson. “The sooner we can change that, the sooner we can call Canada a leader once more. I want to be proud of my country again.”

Canadians from all backgrounds have been expressing dismay over the Senate’s decision to kill Bill C-311. Rick Mercer dedicated his regular ‘Rant’ to the topic on November 24^th, calling the move, “so undemocratic nobody actually believed any Canadian government would do it.”

Watch the video.

November 30, 2009 (Whitby, Ontario) — The third of a series of peaceful sit-ins staged by a coalition of concerned individuals who are targeting elected officials, tar sands financiers, and the coal and tar sands industries began at Finance Minister Jim Flaherty’s office today, located at: 701 Rossland Road East- Unit 204, Whitby. Seven people entered the office just after 9:30 refusing to leave, demanding that the federal government act to combat the climate crisis and stem the millions of deaths and displacements that will result from more inaction.

To understand the challenge of tackling climate change in Canada, picture a 10-year old boy.

We’ll call him “Johnny,” but you can go with “Stephen” if you prefer.

Although he’s a smart kid, Johnny gets into trouble for not starting his climate homework until the last second. Often he’s too busy playing in the oil-sands box to clean his room, so he hides everything under the bed and hopes no one notices. And while the big kids are headed to Clean Energy University, Johnny won’t have a chance of getting in unless he improves his D grade in global warming.

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Mild-mannered, absolutely. But Environment Minister Jim Prentice wants the world to know he’ll be no boy scout when crucial climate change talks convene in Copenhagen a month from today.

The sudden swagger is a startling transformation for Mr. Prentice, a consensus-seeking Environment Minister who is striving to find a safe footpath through interprovincial tension and industrial sector warfare toward a targeted 20per cent cut in greenhouse emissions by 2020. Continue Reading