We just delivered your signature and 34,000+ others to the Carney government. Yesterday, the 350 Canada team joined our friends at Sacred Earth and David Suzuki Foundation on Parliament Hill to deliver tens of thousands of petition signatures demanding a renewable-powered, publicly-owned East-West Grid.
Thank you for helping us send this powerful message. Our message was clear. It’s time to accelerate a fossil fuel phase out and expand access to affordable renewable energy and green technology.
We’re building on the momentum of this petition delivery by meeting with power holders in Ottawa to reinforce our demands for a People’s Power Grid that serves people and the planet, not corporate profits.
The oil price shock hitting Canadians is a reminder that we need to transition away from a volatile fossil fuel powered economy towards a justice-centered, renewable powered future.
But Big Oil is countering our efforts with every dirty trick in the book. As we meet with parliamentary decision makers this week, one of Canada’s most dangerous oil lobby groups, the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP), is hosting an energy symposium in Toronto to discuss their renewed push to build pipelines and scrap climate regulations.1 And they have the political support. Just yesterday, they succeeded in pushing the Carney government to scrap the federal gas tax.2
The worst part is that support for new pipelines is growing amongst Canadians and there are many widespread misconceptions about a green energy transition.3
That’s why, last month, we launched Toxic Trivia – a creative community engagement tool that’s part of our ongoing Powerlines Not Pipelines campaign. It’s a game that busts Big Oil propaganda one question at a time. Across the country, people like you are hosting events to remind their communities that Canada needs to accelerate the transition to affordable, reliable renewable energy instead of building new pipelines that lock us into fossil fuel dependence. I hosted a game in my community, Kingston, just a couple of weeks ago! Once the game is complete, we have parliamentary petitions you can pass around to build even more support for a People’s Power Grid.
This is your reminder that April 30th is the deadline to claim your complimentary Toxic Trivia deck and claim a $50-$500 event budget. We have funding available on a first come first served basis to reimburse you $50-$100 for a small private event and $200-$500 for a bigger, public event – including pizza or snacks, printing, or space rentals. After you sign up, we will support you every step of the way with a toolkit, 1-1 coaching, and more. REGISTER TO HOST AN EVENT NEAR YOU
We are doing our best to put direct pressure on the Carney government but, especially with their newly secured majority, the only way forward is by ensuring the public is on our side. Toxic Trivia is our way to bring the public along for action on the climate emergency, and it’s just one step of a bigger fight.
Blog by Chris Gusen
Photo by Kashmiri Kage