AUTUMN 2015 The Council of Canadians www.canadians.org A Better Canada Is Possible: Envisioning Our Future ALSO INSIDE: FAIR VOTE: THE PUSH FOR PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION | A COMMUNITY FIGHTS FOR THEIR “FREEDOM ROAD” | PRESCRIPTION FOR PHARMACARE MUST BE FILLED | YOUR GO VOTE! WINDOW SIGN Cover image: Stewards of the land young and old: Lawrence Norbert with granddaughter, Meegwun (Little Feather) Makletzoff-Cazon, near Fort Simpson on the Deh cho. Please see the section “A Vision for the North” in our feature “A Better Canada is Possible: Envisioning our Future”on page 8. EDITOR Jan Malek COPY EDITOR Janet Shorten pg. 8 DESIGN Amy Thompson COVER PHOTO Lawrence Norbert PRINTING Plantagenet Printing pg. 7 Past issues of Canadian Perspectives are available at www.canadians.org. ISSN 1188-6897 Publications Mail Agreement No. 40065620 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Canadian Perspectives, The Council of Canadians 300-251 Bank Street, Ottawa, Ontario K2P 1X3 Email: [email protected] Tel: 1-800-387-7177 The Council of Canadians believes that political liter- acy is crucial to regaining control of our communities pg. 23 and our country. We encourage you to copy articles from Canadian Perspectives – most conveniently fit on one or two pages. If you would like to reprint articles, or if you would like to distribute Canadian Contents Perspectives in your community, please contact us at 1-800-387-7177. 3 Letters to the Editor 4 On the Road with Maude Barlow 2015 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Maude Barlow, Leticia Adair, Pam Beattie, Roy Brady, Leo Broderick, 5-9 A Better Canada Is Possible: Envisioning our future John Cartwright, Robert Chernomas, Alice de Wolff, Lois Frank, Andrea Furlong, Lorraine Hewlett, Garry 10-11 Fair Vote: The push for proportional representation John, Ken Kavanagh, Tracey Mitchell, Moira Peters, 12 Why I Am a Council of Canadians Supporter Abdul Pirani, Rick Sawa, Steven Shrybman, Heather Smith, Fred Wilson 13-14 A Community Fights for Their “Freedom Road” ADVISORY BOARD Duncan Cameron, John Gray, 15 Chapter Activist Profiles Eric Peterson, Abraham Rotstein, Mel Watkins, Suzy Coulter and Wendy Major – Chilliwack, B.C. Lois Wilson 16 Chapter Action Updates EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Garry Neil Prescription for Pharmacare Must Be Filled 17 STAFF Meena Agarwal, Mohamed Amano, Tori Ball, 18-19 “Do You Hear the People Sing?” Stopping CETA in Europe Dave Bergeron, Elizabeth Berman, Hélène Bertrand, Michael Butler, Mark Calzavara, Daniella Carpio, Dana 20 In Memoriam – Vi Morgan Chapeskie, Philippe Charbonneau, Kathie Cloutier, High and Dry: Corporate water takings permitted Diane Connors, Brigette DePape, Mark D’Arcy, Roger 21-22 Desjardins, Sujata Dey, Angela Giles, Harjap Grewal, during droughts Andrea Harden-Donahue, Amyn Hyder Ali, Donna Artist Donates Work to Raise Awareness about James, Karen Jordon, Meera Karunananthan, AJ Klein, 23-24 Jamian Logue, Emma Lui, Jan Malek, Leila Marshy, Fracking Water Withdrawals Jeannette Muhongayire, Ailish Morgan-Welden, Brent 25 Five Years Later: Continuing the fight for the Patterson, Dylan Penner, Matthew Ramsden, Carl Stewart, Pamela Woolridge Human Right to Water and Sanitation at the UN 26 Go Vote! window sign Authorized by the Council of Canadians. 27 Chapter Contacts The Council of Canadians believes that political literacy is crucial to regaining control of our communities and our country. We encourage you to copy articles from Canadian Perspectives – most conveniently fit on one or two pages. If you would like to reprint articles, or if you would like to distribute Canadian Perspectives in your community, please contact us at 1-800-387-7177. Letters to the Editor Toilet paper ballot at least the time it takes to make it. Could the Council of Canadians please lobby to change the electoral system? Nicolaas and Maki Hilferink North Augusta, Ontario We are in our sixties and really value our right to vote. We moved to the U.S. from Our “Turtle Pond” (pictured 1989 to 2005 and, being unable to vote, above) Send us your letters! survived two Bushes and a Clinton. As We are long-standing members of the If you have something to say we looked forward to coming home to Council of Canadians. We noticed and about an article you have read the Ottawa area, the ability to vote was admired the photography on the front in Canadian Perspectives, or an very much anticipated. Unfortunately, we cover of the last issue of Canadian issue you think would interest our did not consider this when we decided Perspectives. readers, please write to us. We to buy our 208-acre farm in the riding of reserve the right to edit your letter Leeds Grenville, an hour south of Ottawa. My husband’s hobby is photography for clarity and length. Letters must Being voters in this Conservative bastion and I write poetry and over the last few include your full name, address is absolutely futile. One could use our bal- years we have combined our talents and phone number. lot as toilet paper and it would be more and produced some rather nice pieces useful in today’s electoral system. of artwork. Send your letter to: Canadian Perspectives We will continue to vote, but this could There is one we have named “Turtle The Council of Canadians be a good reason for others to decide Pond” and it speaks to protecting our 300-251 Bank Street not to bother wasting their time. wetlands. We would be honoured if you Ottawa, Ontario K2P 1X3 would share it with your readers. Email: [email protected] Mandatory voting is not going to help Attention: Editor, until this futile electoral system is Ferelith and Rainer Hoffmann-Taylor Canadian Perspectives changed so that our vote will be worth Tobermory, Ontario www.canadians.org Canadian Perspectives Autumn 2015 3 On the Road with Maude Barlow Maude Barlow speaks at the “Time For Change” public forum in London, Ontario in June. The Council of Canadians co-hosted forums across the country with Unifor aimed at encouraging people to vote in the federal election October 19. Dear friends, a new one based on the principles of We have had many successes over the equality and justice for all and reverence years. When I hear Stephen Harper and We celebrate our thirtieth anniversary this for – and fierce protection of – the planet. Jean Chrétien take credit for not allowing year. Thirty years! I can hardly believe it. the deregulation of the banks, I remember This vision is present in all of our cam- the fight we led to stop the Chrétien gov- I remember the founding of the Council of paigns. We fight not just to stop the ernment from doing just that! Canadians well. I met so many wonderful continued erosion of our public health people I had only known and admired care system, but for an expansion of it to And with our civil society allies – unions, from afar: Mel Hurtig, Marion Dewar, Bob include home care, long-term care, and a environmentalists, First Nations, human White, Pierre Burton, Margaret Atwood, national pharmacare plan. rights activists, students, women, and David Suzuki, Grace Hartman, Walter many others – we have kept alive the Gordon, Ed Broadbent and many more. We don’t oppose bad trade agreements dream of a better Canada and a better because we oppose trade – this is a false world in the face of constant threat. We came together to fight Brian Mulroney accusation. We oppose them because they and Ronald Reagan’s free trade agree- are not really about trade at all, but about I often wonder what Canada would look like ment – the one that would launch NAFTA, challenging the right of governments to without the Council of Canadians and the the WTO and the MAI – and to fight for a protect their people and natural resources. incredible energy and commitment of our different vision for our country and our con- Deals like the Canada-EU Comprehensive many supporters, staff and board members, tinent. So was founded a movement that is Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and chapter activists. I want to thank each and still going strong and growing, and that has and the Trans-Pacific Partnership represent every one of you for the commitment and faith tackled so much more over the years. a model of corporate power that pro- in our organization and movement. I surely foundly undermines democracy. could not do my work without all of you. It was our vision then, and remains so now, that the policies of economic globalization – When we fight fracking or massive pipe- As we pass through this historic federal elec- unlimited growth, corporate-friendly “free” lines, it is because we want to preserve our tion, we face an incredibly busy year, and trade, privatization of essential services, water heritage for future generations, and the rebuilding of our country. In December, deregulation of financial markets, and the we work for sound environmental law that I will proudly represent the Council in Paris gutting of environmental protections to pro- will stand the test of time. for the UN climate summit, perhaps one of mote a free market – would create deeper the most important global gatherings ever. social inequality inside and between nations When we oppose water privatization here You can be sure our vision and values will and devastate the environment. in Canada and around the world, we do be put forward in your name. so by working with local grassroots and Indeed, in the year 2000, there were 111 Indigenous communities to assert their local So thank you for 30 wonderful years – and billionaires in the world; this year there authority and promote their human rights here’s to the next 30! are 1,826. The income gap is widening to clean safe water and sanitation for all.