The Council of Canadians said free-trade agreements with Panama and Jordan will have little effect on jobs or the economy while putting Panamanian workers, Indigenous peoples and environmental protections at risk. The free trade agreement with Panama is especially problematic given that country's lax environmental regulations related to mining. International Trade Minister Ed Fast (Abbotsford, … Read more
Council of Canadians chairperson Maude Barlow released a statement on the U.S. decision to put the manufacture of the Keystone Pipeline on hold. Barlow said the decision by the Obama administration is a step in the right direction and that the Council of Canadians and many others are committed to ongoing vigilance to make sure … Read more
The Council of Canadians is expressing its firm opposition to the federal government’s reopening of a rejected proposal for the Prosperity Mine in British Columbia, arguing the move violates the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the UN-recognized right to water. The Council of Canadians notes that even Taseko, the company … Read more
The Council of Canadians and the Public Service Alliance of Canada are seeking intervener status in the Friends of the Canadian Wheat Board’s legal challenge in defence of the Canadian Wheat Board from a government bid to end the Canadian Wheat Board's single desk authority by August 1, 2012. The Action Group on Erosion, Technology … Read more
On September 14, the Council of Canadians signed on to a National Farmers Union letter-writing campaign to defend the Canadian Wheat Board. The letter said the CWB provides fair, equitable, reliable and cost-effective service to farmers. The Council of Canadians also said ending the single desk authority of the CWB would throw western agriculture into … Read more
The Council of Canadians and Food and Water Watch commend the Special Rapporteur on the Human Right to Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation for stressing the urgent need for States to increase funding for the fulfilment of the human right to water and sanitation with a particular emphasis on meeting obligations towards the most marginalized … Read more
The Council of Canadians sent a letter to all Members of the European Parliament urging them to ignore Canadian pressure when they are asked to vote, as early as December 2, on an important fuel quality policy that lists all tar sands crude as more polluting than conventional oil. The organization warns European decision makers … Read more
The Council of Canadians commends the United Nations Human Rights Council for a strong resolution that places the primary responsibility on states to ensure that all people enjoy the human right to water. Chairperson of the Council of Canadians Maude Barlow said this emphasis on the responsibility of the states, means governments cannot pass the … Read more
Council of Canadians warns that Canada and the United States are close to agreeing on a joint policing program that could give U.S. security agencies substantial control of their northern border while deputizing U.S. police agents in Canada. Had the arrangement been in place during last year's G20 events, U.S. police or security officers would … Read more
The Council of Canadians is urging the federal government to let the Canada-U.S. government procurement agreement expire as planned later this month. The Council is calling on the government to follow U.S. President Barack Obama's lead by increasing funding to municipal infrastructure while attaching 'Buy Canadian' conditions to it. The Council of Canadians said the … Read more
