Write your Member of Parliament instantly from http://www.cban.ca/474action.
Bill C-474 is a one line Private Members Bill that would support Canadian farmers by requiring that "an analysis of potential harm to export markets be conducted before the sale of any new genetically engineered seed is permitted."
The Bill is a critical opportunity to stop dangerous GE crops. If the Bill is passed it would stop GE wheat and GE alfalfa. It has spurred the first real debate in Parliament over the impacts of GE crops. Your actions are making a huge difference. The Bill was introduced by Alex Atamanenko, the NDP Agriculture Critic and MP for British Columbia Southern Interior. For more information on the Bill see
http://www.cban.ca/474.
The final debate on Bill C-474 will be February 8 in the House of Commons, with the final vote likely scheduled for a few days later.
Your actions before Feb 8th 2011 will make a difference:
1. Write to your Member of Parliament one last time to ask them to vote for Bill C-474, and ask them to participate in the debate on Feb 8! Tell them you will be watching.
http://www.cban.ca/474action
2. Write the Liberals instantly from
http://www.cban.ca/liberalact474 The Liberal Agriculture critic said he will vote against the Bill but many other Liberal MPs are ready to support Bill C-474. The NDP and Bloc already support the Bill, and most Conservatives oppose.
3. Join the rallies February 7-11 as MPs travel to Calgary, Saskatoon, Guelph, Quebec City, Charlottetown, Truro in their pro-biotech tour
http://www.cban.ca/events
Join the action! Your action now will have a long term impact, especially if an election is called soon.
This action alert was issued by the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network http:www.cban.ca/474.
RESPONDING TO LETTERS FROM YOUR MP:
Many people have already written to their MPs (Over 10,000 of you!). There are many important arguments that can be made but below are four major points you could add into a response letter:
Please speak up in the final debate in the House of Commons on February 8th. The final debate on Bill C-474 will be up to 5 hours which is an unprecedented debate on genetic engineering. This is a great opportunity for you to represent my concerns.
The reality is that we know some GE crops will cause major economic harm to farmers. For example, conventional alfalfa growers told the Agriculture Committee that GE alfalfa will ruin their businesses, especially because GE alfalfa will inevitably contaminate all other alfalfa. We know that farmers who use alfalfa, particularly organic farmers, are at risk because of GE alfalfa. Organic farming prohibits the use of GE seeds, and GE alfalfa actually puts the entire organic food and farming system at risk. What are you going to do to help alfalfa growers and protect organic farming?
Bill C-474 would simply require the government to assess the potential harm of a new GE seed to our export markets. The government should already be doing this basic economic research and informing farmers.
Our government should know what the impact of new GE seeds will be on our economy. This information is necessary for making good economic policy. We should not introduce new GE organisms without knowing what their impacts will be.
The new biotech study being conducted by the Agriculture Committee does not look into the important problem that Bill C-474 identifies.
The Agriculture Committee is touring universities to ask about how to support the biotech industry instead of talking to farmers about the impacts of genetic engineering. The purpose of the biotech study is to look into ways to better help the industry, but our government should focus on what farmers need. We need better policy on genetic engineering to support farmers and a strong farming economy in Canada.
UPDATES ON BILL C-474:
Victory for Democracy in Canada on Genetic Engineering! Unprecedented debate on Bill C-474 for February 8: Your actions are working! Despite biotech industry shutting down hearings, on December 1st in the House of Commons the New Democratic Party secured a new 5-hour debate on Bill C-474 and the impacts of genetic engineering for February 8. This type of debate on genetic engineering in the House of Commons has never happened before! Now every MP will have a chance to participate in the debate on Bill C-474. Email your Member of Parliament one last time to ask them to support the Bill and speak up in the debate - you can send your letter instantly from
http://www.cban.ca/474action Stay tuned to www.cban.ca for updates and to follow the final debate with CBAN.
Hearings on Bill C-474 shut down by Conservatives and Liberals: On October 27, a procedural motion to extend the debate on Bill C-474 was defeated in the House of Commons. The motion would have extended Agriculture Committee hearings on Bill C-474 but was defeated 134 yea, 139 nay because too many Liberals were missing from Parliament, including Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff! Hearings that were scheduled for the morning after the vote were abruptly cancelled and the President of the National Farmers Union, who was scheduled to testify, was turned away from Parliament. The hearings were shut down to protect the biotech industry.
Liberals look for a way to vote against Bill C-474: The Liberals let the Conservatives shut down the hearings on Bill C-474 and the Liberals cooperated with the Conservatives to set up a new (and useless) study on the biotech industry. MPs will tour universities as part of the study. The study gives industry a new public relations platform and distracts MPs from the problems with genetic engineering: "That the Standing Committee on Agriculture & Agri-food conduct a study on the status of the Canadian biotechnology sector, in which it travels to the universities across Canada where this technology is primarily being undertaken, and that it recommend, where necessary, legislative, policy and regulatory changes in order to foster an innovative and fertile biotechnology industry in Canada." Join the rallies: February 7-11 as MPs travel to Calgary, Saskatoon, Guelph, Quebec City, Charlottetown, Truro
http://www.cban.ca/events.
Thank you for your ongoing action on this important issue. To donate to support the campaign, see
http://www.cban.ca/donate.
Lucy Sharratt, Coordinator
Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN)
Collaborative Campaigning for Food Sovereignty and Environmental Justice
431 Gilmour Street, Second Floor
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K2P 0R5
Phone: 613 241 2267 ext. 25
Fax: 613 241 2506
coordinator@cban.ca
www.cban.ca
Bill C-474 is concrete action! Your actions are working!
http://www.cban.ca/474
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http://www.cban.ca/About/CBAN-e-News