Some events are just too important to stand by and do nothing, even when we feel that our actions might not change the outcome. This morning, I posted this letter to my Member of Parliament, Hon. Lynne Yelich.
Hon. Lynne Yelich, P.C., M.P.
House of Commons
Ottawa, Canada
April 18, 2013
Dear Ms. Yelich:
This letter has been simmering in my mind for some time, and each time that I witness another of your government’s actions, my temperature rises. The thought that your government is on the verge of signing FIPA, in spite of mounting opposition to it from many fronts, has my blood boiling.
In 2011, I returned to live in Canada after an absence of ten years. The country to which I returned was not the same country that I left and the changes that had taken place are becoming ever more pronounced. With these changes, Canadians can no longer feel pride from living in a peaceable, honourable, democratic country.
As environmental protections are systematically dismantled by legislation rammed through parliament in omnibus bills, this country can no longer consider itself one that demonstrates care for the environment. When taxpayer funded scientific research that could clearly point out flaws in current energy policy is cut and what remains is muzzled by government direction, it is not difficult to see the forces that are influencing such actions.
Canada is no longer a country which can be known to fulfill its commitments and legal obligations. Canada has withdrawn from the Kyoto protocol. It has withdrawn from various UN programs. The omnibus bills, C-45 and C-36, contain various components that will renege on the treaty obligations which Canada has with First Nations. Meanwhile, as we are withdrawing from obligations such as these, your government is preparing to sign FIPA, which will obligate future generations in much more costly ways. Unbelievable!!
Recently I signed an online letter to the PM regarding Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page. You responded and I thank you for that. Today I signed yet another online letter to the government, this time regarding FIPA. I do not know what you feel about such internet generated letters. If you dismiss them as merely an annoying distraction, I hope that you do so at your own peril when the next election rolls around.
Many ordinary Canadians such as myself are becoming more and more displeased with the cavalier attitude taken by your government which puts the interest of large international corporations, especially those involved in the oil and gas industry, ahead of its own citizens. We are not happy that Canada has become a country which is open to be exploited by corporate raiders in order to enable the extremely wealthy to become even wealthier.
Ms. Yelich, you represent a riding in Saskatchewan. May I remind you that ours is a province that in the past was noted for its generousity of spirit – an example of that is the founding of medicare. And while your political beliefs may not allow you to embrace democratic socialism, I would hope that you will not have forgotten the culture of caring for all that our province has demonstrated in the past. The oil and pipeline companies are NOT your constituents – the citizens of the Blackstrap Riding are.
I urge you to withdraw from further discussions regarding FIPA and that you encourage your fellow Conservative MP’s to join you. I call on you to reinstate the provisions for protecting the environment that were dismantled in Bill C-45. I ask you to ensure that your government make a concerted effort to fulfill the legal obligations to First Nations that were clearly set out by Treaty. Finally, I beg you to have the courage to act in accordance with the tradition of our parliamentary democracy, where Members of Parliament act in the interests of their constituents and where those interests come before loyalty to a political party or its leader.
Sincerely,
Village Rainbows 