So a river is being threatened? Don't have enough money? Just create it out of thin air!

Jaculmoco Mexico Conundrum

 Jim Coffey, esteemed whitewater leader appeals to adventure travelers to go to Jacumulco.

A story about the destruction of recreational whitewater in favor of other societal values such as job creation, power generation, water control


One approach: set a good example with river cleanups

 Paddlers encounter trash washed downstream from a local community garbage dump:

What would a Green Party Platform for any candidate look like?

 A work in progress


Democracy in the 21st Century 
A system of voting that allows proportiona control to a party in proportion to the  vote
Create a strong economy with the strongest environmental law
Support for SMEs and small business is central to our government’s economic strategy
Pursue trade without sacrificing sovereignty
Restore Canada’s strong international reputation 

A Green Speech From The Throne

Edited by Peter Karwacki

Our Westminster parliamentary democracy – should be true to our traditions. 

1. Canada is a Constitutional monarchy. 

Canada is a Westminster Parliamentary democracy which is why I read a speech filling the role of stand-in monarch. 

The Speech from the Throne, prepared by the majority in the House of Commons represents the the fundamental principles of legal governance, going back to 1215 and Magna Carta. 

 2. Government is only legitimate by consent of the governed. 

We meet in the Senate chambers, the Canadian version of the House of Lords and purview of monarchy, following the ritual lone walk by the Senate’s Usher of the Black Rod to visit the House of Commons.
The prime minister stands with other Members of Parliament. 

 Democracy lies between corporate rule, totalitarianism and hyper-partisan manipulation. Decisions by a prime minister to shut down the House, prorogation of parliament are unconstitutional. To preserve a real democracy, we need to remember fundamental principles:

1. To be legitimate, government must exist by consent of the governed;
   Parliament is supreme;
2. The prime minister reports to parliament and not the other way around.

“Loyalty” is not to the prime minister, but to Canada.
All MPs are equal, stand as representatives of the people of the communities found in their electoral districts.

Restoring a Healthy Democracy

2017 will be the150th anniversary of Confederation

Lets engage Canadian youth in the life of our nation and in decisions about their future.

The Citizens First Agenda.

Eliminate the the “winner take all” or “First Past the Post” system with a proportional representation.

Repeal changes disadvantage voters without a driver’s license and a stable address who have given up driving. Enumerate eligible voters, and we need to reduce to zero the risk of citizens entitled to vote being turned away from their polling place due to a technicality. 

Place advertising limits on political parties outside of writ periods. 

Prohibit use of the airwaves for paid political advertising, and require broadcasted public interest messages focusing on advancing understanding of the various parties’ positions on issues
The requirement for the leader’s signature on the nomination papers of candidates will be replaced with the signatures of local executives, where an Electoral District Association exists, and where one does not, the signatures of other local members will suffice.

Allow members of an elected caucus of any parliamentary party to initiate a leadership review. These changes are intended to rebalance the powers of leaders of political parties with checks and balances

Set the  budget for the operation of the Prime Minister’s Office as a fixed proportion of GDP.

Justice for First Nations, Inuit and Metis

 First Nations education, housing and provision of clean water remain unfinished priorities. The rights and responsibilities to respect indigenous peoples’ decision-making on their traditional territories requires a serious review. True and meaningful consultation is required.

Tackling the Climate Crisis

Tackle the single biggest threat to our collective future – the climate crisis with a sensible transition to reduced dependence on fossil fuels ending the subsidizing of fossil fuels and we will place a price on carbon.
Diversify the Canadian economy, through more value chains and more value added in relation to all natural resource exports.

Set shared goals for energy security, maximizing jobs, and the transition to a low-carbon economy. Phase out  coal-fired power plants
Make significant improvements in transportation, waterworks, and other key infrastructure.

Restoring Environmental Laws

Restore the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, Fisheries Act and the Navigable Water Protection Act and integrate sound environmental policy in all levels of government decision-making.

Rights to Information

Effective citizens require sound information. This means that citizens have a right to know what is in their foods.
Including:
where the food has been produced and how it was produced.
Labelling to identify genetically modified foods will allow those who wish to eat GMO foods to locate them on their supermarket shelves and those who want to avoid them to do so.
Citizens have the right to review any scientific research conducted by independent government scientists. All such research should be in the public domain.
Restore evidence-based decision-making.
Make the Parliamentary Budget Office a stand-alone and properly funded operation, separate from the Library of Parliament. The Parliamentary Budget Officer will be an Officer of Parliament.

All government operations should be  transparent including all spending by MPs and Senators.
Ensure an independent, professional, non-partisan public service – free of partisan interference. No public servant should fear being pressed to assemble “facts” in support of a previously set course.

Growing a Healthy Economy

Create opportunities in the cleantech sector, and reduce waste of energy. Grow sectors of our economy in many different regions of Canada, while maintaining resource-based activity in Alberta.
Encourage entrepreneurial spirit and assist the commercialization of new technologies. Support for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and small business. Ensure all government bills are assessed for their impact on small business and SMEs.
Reduce the persistent unemployment rate among Canadian youth. Reverse the punitive Employment Insurance changes that make life more difficult for those in seasonal industries.

Trade and investment

Define“national security” in the Investment Canada Act with exacting cost-benefit analysis of the class of agreements called Foreign Investment Protection and Promotion Agreements (FIPAs). Ensure a clear communication of Canada’s interests and pursue trade, without sacrificing sovereignty through flawed FIPAs.

A Fairer Society

Review all legislation and particularly the Criminal Code to remove mandatory minimums. We will enhance law enforcement resources, freeing up limited time and money by legalizing, regulating and taxing cannabis. We will restore the Law Reform Commission and ask for a review of the recent changes in criminal law as well as immigration and refugee law to ensure they are charter compliant.
We will work with the national Ombudsman for Victims of Crime to improve supports for victims of violent crime and we will improve the rigor of laws to protect investors from white-collar crime bringing to justice those who set out to cheat seniors of their savings.
Launch a national inquiry into the missing and murdered aboriginal women of Canada. Without waiting for the results of that investigation we will create better tools for law enforcement, such as a national DNA data bank for victims of crime, to be cross-referenced with data banks of the missing.

Protecting Canadian Health Care

Hold talks with the provincial and territorial governments to find ways to reduce rising costs, particularly through controlling the price of pharmaceutical drugs. A national pharmacare programme, and aTherapeutics Initiative.

Restoring our global reputation

My government commits to multilateralism, engaging, rather than shunning the world, diplomacy, peace-keeping and human rights around the world.

The elimination of poverty is critical with  0.7% GDP to Official Development Assistance.

Putting Citizens First

Reduce partisanship and competition in political discourse and finding ways to work together for the betterment of all is central.

Kipawa Rare Earths project request for a provincial environmental assessment and public consultations (BAPE)‏

• Kipawa Rare Earths project request for a provincial environmental assessment and public consultations (BAPE)‏

Christina Moreau (savekipawalake@gmail.com)

yfblanchet-john@assnat.qc.ca

ministre@mrnf.gouv.qc.ca,

kipawa@mrctemiscamingue.qc.ca,

arnaud.warolin@mrctemiscamingue.qc.ca

harrystdenis@wolflakefirstnation.com

madeleine.paul@evfn.ca

Minister@ec.gc.ca

meallaire@snapqc.org, apart@tlb.sympatico.ca

info@miningwatch.ca, ramsey@miningwatch.ca

sierraclub.qc@gmail.com

gchapadeau-rnt@assnat.qc.ca

info@actionboreale.org

webmaster@cape.ca

info@aqlpa.com

ere@uqam.ca

fr@fondationrivieres.org

info@atquebec.org

conservons@naturequebec.org

svp.pollution@gmail.com

Mr. Yves-François Blanchet

Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment

Wildlife and Parks, Province of Quebec

Marie-Guyart, 29^th Floor 675 boul. René-Levesque East

Quebec, Quebec G1R 5V7

In regards to: Request for a provincial environmental assessment and public consultations (BAPE) for the proposed Kipawa Rare Earths project by Matamec Explorations Inc.

Dear Mr. Blanchet:

Please find attached the signatures and comments from the petition http://www.change.org/petitions/minister-of-natural-resources-quebec-protect-kipawa-lake. This petition states that the risks of the proposed Kipawa Rare Earths project are too great to allow it to proceed. Currently 2,543 individuals (Abitibi-Temiscaming residents, business owners, cottage owners, seasonal residents, tourists and other lake users) agree and have signed online, in addition we have received 55 paper signatures (also attached) giving a total of 2598 signatures to date in opposition of this project.

The company, Matamec, has claimed and continues to claim social acceptability. This petition, the peaceful protests which took place on September 4^th, 2013 in Laniel, Kipawa and Temiscaming, the petition by A.P.A.R.T. (association pour l’avenir des ressources temiscamiennes)  as well as a large Facebook community (over 1,000 ‘likes’ on https://www.facebook.com/SaveKipawaLake and almost 4,000 members of https://www.facebook.com/groups/ProtectKipawaLake/) prove otherwise. This project is not socially accepted.

The company has not been very forthcoming in explaining the risks of the project to the public when questioned. In addition, rare earth mining is new to Canada. It poses additional risks to the environment, animals, plants, fish, air and water quality. In additional to those risks present with other types of mining the fact remains that the dangers of the rare earth ores themselves are not yet understood. One thing is clear, to date, rare earth mining has never been carried out in a safe manner. In both China and the United States there have been major environmental consequences and disasters associated with this type of mining and in China also extreme human health issues. For scientific and objectively sound information on the risks of rare earth mining I encourage you to see the United States EPA publications which can be accessed via the following links http://www.miningwatch.ca/sites/www.miningwatch.ca/files/epa_reportonrareearthelements1.pdf and http://www.miningwatch.ca/sites/www.miningwatch.ca/files/epa_ree_report_dec_2012.pdf

For these reasons it is imperative that the public be completely informed and have the maximum opportunity for input. This cannot be done without a full provincial environmental assessment and public consultation process in Quebec (BAPE).

Regardless of the amount of ore extracted per day, whether 4,000 or 7,000 the effects are likely to be similar, the difference is simply a matter of scale. In addition, allowing this project to proceed without the full studies is a legal loop-hole whereby the company can open with a less rigorous approval process and then increase their production after the fact. Matamec has already alluded to the fact that they may do so in the following press release http://www.proactiveinvestors.com/companies/news/48409/matamec-aims-to-boost-kipawa-project-economics-as-rare-earths-dynamics-improve-48409.html Where Mr. Miller states “.. there is potential to increase production higher”

In addition the Metal Mining and Effluent regulations do not limit the release of several of the potentially harmful substances that could be released during rare earth mining. At the time that many of these mining laws were written rare earth mining was not being carried out.

Furthermore the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Environment, Wildlife and Parks and the Province of Quebec have recently announced their plans to proceed with the creation of the Opemican Park project situated on the Kipawa Lake and Lake Temiscaming, both of which are located downstream of the proposed mine site. For this park to be worth the investment, it must attract visitors. How many individuals will want to vacation downstream of a potentially toxic and radioactive rare earth mine? If you take a moment and look through the comments provided by the petition signers many tourists are already stating that although they love the Kipawa area and have been visiting for generations, should this mine project be allowed to proceed they will take their families and money elsewhere. Tourism is one of the few long term stable industries in the area. Kipawa Lake is one of the most beautiful lakes in Canada. It would be devastating for it to be lost due to a short term economic gain to few from a potentially destructive mining operation that will benefit few of the local population.

Kipawa Lake is an important tourist destination, an important source of drinking water to local communities and those downstream along the Ottawa River. It also has a strong cultural and historic significance to local First Nations communities. I beg that you put these very important uses ahead of a potentially devastating short term financial gain for few. The first step in doing so Mr. Blanchet is to give the public more information and a voice. You can do so by requiring the project to undergo a full environmental study and public consultation. Please take into consideration these signatures in support of and in addition to those received from A.P.A.R.T.

Sincerely,

Christina Moreau, BSc, BEd

MSc in Fisheries and Aquatic Science (in progress)

savekipawalake@gmail.com

cc:

Martine Ouellet, ministre des Ressources naturelles du Québec

Pauline Marois, première ministre du Québec

Leona Aglukkak, Minister of Environment, Government of Canada

Norman Young, Mayor, Municipality of Kipawa

Arnaud Warolin, Préfet MRC Temiscamingue

Madeleine Paul, Chief, Eagle Village First Nation

Harry St-Denis, Chief, Wolf Lake First Nation

Christine Moore, Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Member of Parliament, Deputy critic for energy and natural resources

Association pour l’avenir des ressources temiscamiennes (APART)

Coalition pour que le Québec ait meilleure mines

Ottawa River Keeper

Mining Watch Canada

CPAWS Ottawa River Valley

Les amis de la rivière Kipawa

Sierra Club Québec

Gilles Chapadeau, député de Rouyn-Noranda-Témiscamingue

Action boréale Abitibi-Témiscamingue (ABAT)  

Association canadienne des médecins pour l’environnement (ACME)

Association québécoise de lutte contre la pollution atmosphérique (AQLPA)

Centre de recherche en éducation et formation relatives à l'environnement et à l'écocitoyenneté

Fondation Rivières

Les AmiEs de la Terre du Québec

Nature Québec

Société pour la nature et les parcs (SNAP-Québec)  

Société pour vaincre la pollution (SVP)