Tell your MP: Livable Futures for All!

We are asking MPs to:
– support a just transition off fossil fuels and on to clean energy
– invest in public infrastructure and programs that will ensure a just and sustainable future for everyone
– support the adoption of a Climate Accountability Act to ensure we get there. (see: https://ecojustice.ca/canada-needs-climate…/)

Three actions you can take:

1. SEND A PERSONAL EMAIL OR MAIL A LETTER TO YOUR MP.
(If you already sent a letter about a Livable Futures/Just Recovery remind them you want to hear back about their commitment to action!)
A.) Cut and paste the letter template at the end of these instructions. (scroll down.)
B.) Find your MPs email address here: https://www.ourcommons.ca/Members/en.
C.) If you use regular mail:
Your MP’s name
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada
K1A 0A6
Note that letters mailed to the House of Commons in Ottawa do not require postage!
D.) Follow up by posting to social media: “I wrote to my MP [name] demanding they support a Livable Future for All and a Climate Accountability Act as part of the #JustRecoveryforall. I want to see them commit to action.” Share this action!

2. VISIT YOUR MP’S OFFICE, TAKE A PHOTO, & POST A MESSAGE ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
If you feel safe to do so, go to your MP’s office, take a photo of yourself with your letter, or a sign, or a chalked message eg. “Livable Futures for All/Just Recovery for All.”
Then post to social media. Use these hashtags: #NOTGOINGBACK and #JustRecoveryForAll. Share your post here:

a. FACEBOOK: Fridays for Future Toronto Supporters; Climatefast; For Our Kids Toronto; Parents for Future Toronto.

b. TWITTER: tag your MP and tag @TOforfuture, @Climatefast, @ForOurKidscda

c. INSTAGRAM: @fridaysforfutureto, @greenteensto, @climatefast, @for_our_kids_climate

d. *You can also send your photo to [email protected] for inclusion in a photo/video collage to be created in support of a Just Recovery!*

3. TWEET DIRECTLY AT YOUR MP.

Use or adapt this tweet template:
“@YourMP We’re #NOTGOINGBACK. Please support Livable Futures for All and #JustRecoveryforAll. Adopt the #ClimateAccountability Act and build a more just and sustainable future for all. #ClimateAccountabilityNow @TOforFuture, @Climatefast, @ForOurKidsCda”

HAVE FUN! THANK YOU FOR JOINING THIS ACTION! SPREAD THE WORD!!

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Letter Template for letters to MPs:

Dear [Your MP’s name]

I am a constituent in your riding of —.
September 21 – 25 is Climate Week and I am taking this opportunity to write to urge you to take action on the climate crisis and to support a Just Recovery from the pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shed a light on the gross inequities that exist in Canadian society: Indigenous and racialized communities have been disproportionately impacted by the virus while continuing to suffer from police brutality, colonial violence, and economic marginalization. At the same time, the pandemic has shown that our government can act in the face of an emergency.

The climate crisis is an emergency. Climate breakdown will also disproportionately affect the marginalized and the poor – indeed it already is. As we recover from the COVID-19 crisis, we need our government to invest in solutions that will bring down greenhouse gas emissions and lift up those who have been oppressed. In short, we need Livable Futures for All – a core pillar of the Just Recovery.

[Personalize this] As a (parent/grandparent/aunt/uncle/teacher/student/), this is a matter of great personal concern to me. When I think about my (children/nieces/nephews/friends/neighbours/future,) I worry about the world they/we will inherit. The continued use of fossil fuels is already unleashing unprecedented devastation on our climate. People all over the world and here in Canada are already facing deadly heat waves, intensifying wildfires, violent hurricanes and devastating floods. Millions are suffering, existing inequities are being exacerbated, and this situation is only going to get worse. This is not the future I want for my child/friends/community/. This is not the future any child should have to face.

[Adapt as you wish.] Fortunately, there are solutions. It is still possible to build a better future. The scientific consensus is that if we halve emissions by 2030 we still have a chance at avoiding irreversible climate catastrophe. This will entail far-reaching changes, but by investing in a Just Recovery we can ensure Livable Futures for All. I therefore urge you to support a transition off fossil-fuels and promote government investment in clean energy; regenerative agriculture; the retrofitting of all public, commercial, and residential buildings; the expansion of public transit; the strengthening of our public health and education systems; and good training programs in marginalized communities. I also urge you to support the full adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous people as well as Indigenous-led initiatives on restoring lands, waterways, and biodiversity. These investments will create good, clean jobs and lead us all to a more just and sustainable future.

Lastly, in order to establish a legislative framework for the Just Recovery, I am asking you to read and respond to The Canadian Climate Accountability Act. This proposed Act would build the legal foundation necessary to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. As a constituent, I want to see more than just promises, I want to see a plan and a legal framework to ensure we get there.

We all want a Livable Future for ourselves and our children/neighbours/communities. Now we need to get to work on the policies to make sure we achieve it. I look forward to your response.

Sincerely,
Your name

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Notes:
Livable Futures for All: The environmental crisis threatens the most fundamental human rights and exacerbates conditions for those already trapped in cycles of poverty and state violence. We call on governments and other powerful institutions to guarantee a livable and safe future by investing resources into universal public services and infrastructure to build resilience in all communities and for all people. We urge governments to ensure that global temperatures stay below 1.5°C of warming and ensure climate action is immediate and transparent.

The Climate Accountability Act proposed by Ecojustice and the Canadian Climate Action Network et. al. is based on five pillars:
– Long-term legislated GHG emissions targets for 2030 & 2050
– Five-year national and sub-national carbon budgets, or medium-term targets
– Five-year impact reports which set out the risks climate change poses to Canadians
– An iterative planning & reporting system that mandates plans to meet the targets and adapt to the risks, and reports on our progress on those plans
– An arms-length expert committee comprised of climate change experts and Indigenous knowledge-keepers with both advisory and reporting responsibilities.