This is an image from the film This Changes Everything. The film shows how climate Avi Lewis: change is affecting people all over the world, causing droughts, wildfires, intense Why We Should All Leap summer heat, violent storms and more. Partners in life and partners in conviction and social activism, Avi Lewis and Naomi Klein make a formidable team. Through documentary film and writing, the two combined their talents to create This Changes Everything – a film and book by the same name. Then came the “Leap Manifesto” a political document meant to change how people think and act on climate change and economic inequality. Avi Lewis spoke with us recently about This Changes Everything and the Leap Manifesto. CP: The book, the documenta- causes of the climate crisis in extractivist ry and the Leap Manifesto – capitalism) that emphasizes emotion and you did it as a three platform people on the front lines. When I was approach. Why did you choose finishing the film I felt very strongly that to present it this way? the political demands that came out of AL: We set out almost eight years ago on our thesis needed to be in the movie, but this sprawling multi-platform initiative with every time I tried to put them in it felt like the conviction that to really introduce big, a pamphlet or a laundry list, so in the end bold ideas into a very cluttered culture we I took them out of the film because they needed to come at people from as many just weren’t convincing as narrated argu- angles as possible. The book provided the ments. But then we had the crazy idea to opportunity to really lay out the master try to launch a political manifesto at the narrative and very detailed arguments same time as the film, and as soon as that with lots of proof. The film is a streamlined was proposed it felt completely right. The take on the thesis (examining the root Leap Manifesto, as a political document, 8 Canadian Perspectives Autumn 2016 The Council of Canadians has its own language and its own cadence we are clearly empowering everyone else. pretend we can avoid the actual clash of and its own social and cultural form, and And that strikes me as exactly what social interests in society. Look at the fossil fuel that’s where the demands really belonged. movements ought to do. industry – the most powerful and wealthiest As soon as we made that decision we industry in human history. It has trillions realized it wasn’t our job to make up the CP: What in this message is reso- of dollars of future profits to lose and it’s demands for a movement of movements. nating with people so much? fighting like its life is on the line. So that’s And so that’s when we convened a historic AL: People know in their bones that we are what we are up against. That’s why we have meeting in May 2015 where we brought really screwed as a species unless we have to build a movement of movements and together activists from all different causes, transformative change immediately. We can connect the dots between all the different from all around the country and laid the see with our own eyes every single day issues that people are fighting for so that groundwork for what would be a con- around the world that the climate catastrophe we can build a much larger group of people sensus document, which is what the Leap is unfolding even faster than scientists have who have everything to gain – a better, fairer Manifesto is. predicted. And that science was already really world with more justice for everyone. scary so most people are dealing with a latent CP: And what has the response level of panic. When they look at government CP: What advice would you give been like? responses they either get flowery words – to somebody who wants to be AL: There has been a tidal wave of response. which is what we have in Canada since we involved? There have been two very different kinds. changed governments a year ago – or they AL: I think the Leap Manifesto is an invita- The response from the establishment: the see incremental approaches and market mea- tion to look around at the different issues corporate media, most of the political class, sures like cap and trade plans in Ontario and and struggles in your own community and although not all of it, and the entire political Quebec, or paltry carbon taxes like in B.C. see how they are connected and then to try pundit class has been entirely, overwhelm- that don’t get anywhere near the level that to make your activism into the living connec- ingly negative and fear-mongering. Some would be required to actually reduce carbon tive tissue that will unite movements across of those responses really show how this emissions. People are smart and they perceive the spectrum. In downtown Toronto, where document has gotten under the skin of the a vast chasm between the urgency of the I live, we have a terrific movement coming people who benefit so mightily from the crisis and the level of ambition that is on offer from labour and other allies around the fight status quo. Brian Mulroney was trotted out from our governments in terms of a response. for $15 – the $15 minimum dollar wage. from retirement to tell a business audience So the Leap Manifesto, which treats the crisis This already brings together precarious and that the Leap Manifesto is “a new philos- as one requiring transformative change, has non-unionized workers with trade unions ophy of economic nihilism” that “must resonated for that reason. But also, and I and other social forces. We have a divest- be resisted and defeated.” The Globe and think more importantly, the Leap Manifesto ment movement on campuses – young Mail editorial board called it “madness,” tells a story about the kind of world we people trying to get their universities to Rex Murphy milked like four columns bash- want – so rather than try to scare people into divest from fossil fuels, churches doing the ing the Leap Manifesto, but of course, as action, it seeks to inspire them with an ambi- same. So I’m lucky to live in a big city with probably Canada’s foremost climate denier, tious and positive agenda. And that agenda a large population with a lot of activism, but that’s not all that surprising from him. isn’t just to respond to the climate crisis, but we have to be able to see the threads that Conrad Black was rushing into the fray to to the sick economic system that is creating connect the dots among all the issues we smear us. All of these mainstream respons- it, as well as with a host of related crises like see around us. So as far as the “what can I es completely mischaracterized the Leap our relationship with First Nations, our callous do?” question goes, I think where the Leap Manifesto. But the responses were to a treatment of migrants and refugees, deep can help is to serve as an invitation to look clichéd version of environmentalism and inequality and structural racism in society – all at your own local landscape of causes and nothing could be further from what the the intersecting crises that we know need see how they are brought together by an Leap Manifesto actually is. urgent response. analysis of climate change, inequality and racism in society and to get out there and The other main response was from people CP: What do you think the big- help out in all the different ways that activists – from Canadians. We’ve been absolutely gest challenges are to get this do. I think what the Leap adds to the work overwhelmed by the chord that this has change? of specific issued-based struggles is a sys- struck with many people who live on Turtle AL: There is a tremendous amount of temic analysis, a way of seeing the causes as Island. More than 40,000 have signed power and wealth invested in maintaining connected, and a meeting place for people now, more than 200 organizations have the status quo. So just like with corporate to come together beyond their silos. signed, and every day our inboxes have trade deals, just like with the right to water – more requests from community groups thinking of other great Council of Canadians CP: Are there next steps for the who want to do public discussions, who causes – just like with First Nations struggles, Leap Manifesto? want to volunteer and help out, who want in order to win these necessary victories for AL: Big time! [laughs] After a truly extraor- to get involved in the many struggles that people we have to confront the most pow- dinary roller coaster of a first year the peo- make up the constellation of the Leap. I erful actors in our society: corporations and ple who continue to do organizing around find this extremely heartening because we the governments that serve them. There is the Leap Manifesto – we are a team of are clearly frightening the powerful and no shortcut. The Leap Manifesto doesn’t four or five people – we took a breath over www.canadians.org Canadian Perspectives Autumn 2016 9 Avi Lewis (front right) and cinematog- rapher Mark Ellam film This Changes Everything in New York City. Ed Kashi the summer and looked each other in the where we bring together people to launch and to the Leap Manifesto.