Key Action & Message of the Week:
Our key message this week is: The election will be called any day. Join the world’s largest climate mobilization to make sure climate is on the agenda.
We have two key actions this week:
- We are meeting with candidates across the country to narrow down nominations for Green New Deal champions ahead of the election. Know a candidate who will use their power and work with communities to tackle the climate emergency? Nominate them by September 1st. Click here for everything you need to know.
- We are gearing up for the world’s largest climate mobilization, the Global Climate Strike. There’s a webinar Thursday night with Our Time organizers, student strikers and Bill McKibben to share our plans in the lead up to the climate strikes, including how Our Time groups are organizing cross-country campus walkouts. We’ll also share information about the massive events being planned in cities all across Canada. Click here to RSVP for Thursday’s webinar, click here to register a walkout, and click here to see the global strike map with events across the country.
Highlights from across the country:
This past weekend, Ottawa Our Time organizers hit the streets for Capital Pride to spread the word about the Global Climate Strikes and to share pride-inspired swag with the people. Check out the bedazzled buttons they created:
Many queer and trans communities are on the frontlines of climate change and at the leading edge of building the alternative futures we need. Read more about why queer liberation is integral to climate justice organizing.
And make sure you check out this powerful read by Our Time Toronto and Climate Justice Toronto organizer Simran Dhunna on lessons from high-school organizers fighting Doug Ford’s education cuts. Simran brings it all back to the struggle for climate justice: “The forces behind the climate crisis and cuts to education are one and the same: the capitalist imperative for profit at the expense of workers, communities, and the planet.”
Election State of Play:
Last week, we were waiting to see if the latest SNC Lavalin news would impact the national polls, and this week’s updated polls seem to show little to no change. With the election coming soon, parties are running more and more ads, so keep your eyes peeled to see if the writ drop shakes anything up.
We also recently learned that Maclean’s is hosting an election debate on September 12th in Toronto. Our Time will push to make sure climate is on the agenda. We know climate needs its own debate and if Maclean’s can host one, so can the CBC.
Help us find Green New Deal Champions: As we mentioned above, we’re looking for candidates will go above and beyond to champion a Green New Deal. Know someone? Nominate them by September 1!
Tools and Resources:
There’s an upcoming webinar that you won’t want to miss.
This week: Our Time to Strike for Climate – w/ Bill McKibben
Thursday, August 29th 2 PM PT/ 5 PM ET
Join us for a conversation with Bill McKibben, student climate strike organizers and Our Time leaders to hear about September’s Global Climate Strike, and how young Our Time organizers are mobilizing their communities during this whirlwind moment and channeling that energy towards getting out the climate vote for the 2019 Federal Election! Make sure you register.
In solidarity with the Global Climate Strikes from September 20th to the 27th, Our Time hubs across the country are canvassing their campuses and communities. You can find the canvassing materials you need for Global Climate Strike recruitment here.
If you want to nominate a candidate in your riding to be a Green New Deal champion, make sure to read the Candidate Nomination Toolkit here.
Missed our “Grounding the Green New Deal in Climate Justice” webinar panel this week? You can watch the recording here. To build off this incredible webinar, panelists Hussan and Karen from the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change will lead us through an in-depth training on Tuesday, September 10th to equip us with the skills and speaking points needed to respond to racism during canvassing. Register for the webinar here.
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