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Text Box: The government of Canada received a friendly but firm wake-up call from Friends of the Earth Canada this month. Neither our nation, nor our Prime Minister, could feign sleep as our Campaign for Environmental Justice sounded the alarm with three major initiatives. Bright and early in the month – just as the House of Commons was about to rise – FoE Canada celebrated World Environment Day by presenting a model Canadian Environmental Bill of Rights at a press conference on Parliament Hill. The Canadian Environmental Bill of Rights (CEBR) will recognize a healthy environment as the protectorate of the government, and the right of every Canadian. It will also ensure individual citizens equal and fair access to information, participation, and legal recourse in environmental decision-making. Four of five political parties have expressed their support for the model bill, and with your support it can be pushed into law. To learn more about the CEBR, or to sign a letter of support, click here! Mid-way through the month, Friends of the Earth Canada partnered with the Manitoba Chamber of Commerce to demand answers on the controversial Devils Lake Outlet. Since 2006, the outlet has allowed polluted water from a land-locked North Dakota lake to be drained into the Sheyenne River and Lake Winnipeg. The diverted water contains fish parasites and sulphate levels - an alarming threat to the approximately $125 million dollar fishing and tourism industry on this side of the border, and the health of the surrounding communities. Devils Lake Outlet has been operating under a trans-boundary, multi-layered agreement, made in 2005. The agreement included the development of a sophisticated filtration system between the two bodies of water, and multiple tests on the level of toxins and foreign species travelling into Lake Winnipeg. FoE Canada and the Manitoba Chamber of Commerce made a formal petition to the Auditor General of Canada on June 12 2008, demanding a public release of government findings on these issues and the closure of Devils Lake Outlet should the findings be unacceptable to the health of Canadian environment. To learn more about Devils Lake Outlet, and how you can help, click here! On June 14 2008, Canada was hauled before the United Nations Kyoto Compliance Committee in Bonn. At home, 4 days later, our Minister of Environment faced trial in Toronto for his failure to abide by the Kyoto Protocol Implementation Act (KPIA), a domestic law passed by the senate and opposition parties in Spring 2007. Friends of the Earth Canada is calling for judicial review of the Minister of Environment’s performance under KPIA. Eminent law firms Paliare Roland and Ecojustice represented the applicants. Lawyers for the respondent, John Baird, conceded that the Minister had failed to follow the directives set out by Parliament in the KPIA. They argued that while Baird had clearly not followed the KPIA when drafting his “Turning the Corner Plan”, his intentions were pure. Moreover, their position was that KPIA should never appear in court, but rather be enforced at the sole discretion and power of Parliament. In an unusual, environmental statute such as this, the Department of Justice argued, there are no individual rights or obligations at stake and therefore no legal recourse available. Friends of the Earth Canada, however, believes that all Canadians have the right to legal recourse when environmental laws are violated. FoE Canada also believes the law is the law, and that the will of the Parliament must be obeyed. KPIA is not just about the future of our climate; it’s about the health of our democracy. To learn more about KPIA, view press coverage, or support our legal challenges, click here! Text Box:

The Earth needs all the friends it can get!

  Earthwords

 Friends of the Earth CANADA E-Newsletter          June 2008-Issue 24

Text Box: To subscribe to our Earthwords e-newsletter, click here. To remove your name from our mailing list, please click here. Questions or comments? E-mail us at foe@foecanada.org or call 1888 385 4444 Website: www.foecanada.org Text Box: Newark Canada, a leading distributor of electronic components and test equipment, celebrated its 25th birthday by giving FoE Canada a gift of $10 000 USD. The donation was raised through web sales, over the course of five months. On June 16 Beatrice Olivastri, CEO of Friends of the Earth Canada, visited the Newark Canadian head office to accept the generous donation, and chat with staff about bringing an eco-conscience to the office. A tree was planted outside the office, symbolizing renewal of the earth and a commitment to its protection. To See More Photos or Learn About Corporate Giving Click Here! Text Box: Birthday Presents! Text Box: DONATE NOW!

Canada Offers Harper Complimentary Wake-Up Call

Friends of the Earth proposes Canadian Environmental Bill of Rights,

Judicial Review on Kyoto, and demands answers on Devil’s Lake Outlet