At Woodbridge College today, students were introduced to the realities of environmental issues and political literacy. They were made aware of the state of environmental legislation, or lack thereof, In Canada, and the new retroactive powers of the Prime Minister to veto, retroactively, environmental reviews that he deemed to be detrimental to the "economic security" of Alberta, and by extension Canada.
They were taught to get information that was peer reviewed, by practising scientists in their field of expertise, and currently published in reputable journals. They were taught to triple check their sources and learned that The Fraser Institute and Sun Media were the last places to go to get valid information.
They learned to balance information from reputable environmental foundations like the Suzuki Foundation and The Pembina Institute, with business oriented organizations like the well respected C.D. Howe Institute. They were taught how to separate the junk science sponsored by extreme right wing organizations sponsored by the oil, chemical, and agricultural industry against the legitimate science of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the muzzled scientists of Environment Canada.
They were also taught how to write a letter to their municipal, provincial, and federal representatives. No one had a clue that they could send a letter to the Prime Minister without a stamp – a national right! Business letter, proper address, positive opening, views expressed clearly and with respect, and with a response or action required. The website, How to write a letter to an MP, by Citizens for Public Justice, provided an excellent resource for informed students. Julian Fantino MP, Conservative Reform Alliance Party, will be getting some interesting letters.
Mail may be sent, postage free, to your federal Member of Paliament at:
House of Commons, Parllament Buildings, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1A 0A6
For more personal letters, also try their constituency offices, available at <www.parl.gc.ca/MembersOfParliament>
They would love to hear from you. This is, after all, still a democracy….but remember our history lesson, and how quickly The Night of the Long Knives changed a democracy into a dictatorship.
For Woodbridge students your provincial rep is Greg Sorbera MPP, Liberal, who can be reached at Rm. 241, North Wing, Legislative Building, Toronto, ON M7A 1A4
Municipal rep for Ward 2 in Vaughan (that's Woodbridge College) is Councillor Tony Carella (your Mayor is Maurizio Bevilacqua), Tony can be reached by e-mail at <tony.carella@vaughan.ca>
Let them all know what you think. You are about to inherit the 21st Century.
Skid Crease, Caledon