Key Action & Message of the Week:

Our message this week: it’s back to school season and we’re getting ready for the largest mass mobilization on climate in history — the climate strikes.

Our Time organizers are planning campus walkouts at colleges and universities across the country to join the September 27 strikes. There are three ways to plug in:

  1. Register or join an Our Time campus walkout for a Green New Deal
  2. Join a strike in your community
  3. Donate to make sure we can run a powerful campaign

To learn more about how the climate strikes and walkouts fit into our plan to win a Green New Deal for Canada, check out the recording of our webinar from last week. With our first round of candidate meetings and nominations complete, we’re also finalizing our first slate of endorsed candidates. More on that next week. 

Highlights from Across the Country:

Welcome Our Time Peel! Climate Justice Peel just burst onto the organizing scene and they are already canvassing for a Green New Deal! They recently canvassed at the Farmer’s Market in Brampton to talk to young people and working families about electing Green New Deal champions this fall. As they were having these conversations, they ran into their member of Parliament, Sonia Sidhu, and asked her some tough questions. You can watch the encounter here. 

Climate Justice Peel at the Brampton Farmer’s Market — Photo Credit: Samina Khaliq

We met our first fundraising goal! As you know, this will be the first election where paid communications related to climate change will be regulated by Elections Canada. That means we will need to resource the entire Our Time campaign with funds that were specifically raised for election work. Luckily, we’re off to a good start. We met our first fundraising goal thanks to generous contributions from people across the country! But we still have a long way to go, so please share our donation page with your networks!

Hitting the Streets: 
Monday was Labour Day and Our Time organizers took to the streets to unite against racism and call for good jobs for all! Together, they signed up hundreds of new Our Time supporters.

Labour Day Canvass in Ottawa — Photo Credit: Lindsey Bacigal

Solidarity with Teachers: Last week, Climate Justice Edmonton partnered with local organizers to organize a rally to fight back against the Kenney government’s decision to delay rolling out updated curriculum by appointing a panel of private school proponents with strong ties to the fossil fuel industry. Organizers with CJE and Our Time Edmonton helped organize the rally to show solidarity with teachers who are on the frontlines of austerity, and who are critical in the fight for a low-carbon economy that works for all.

Our Time Edmonton rallying in solidarity with teachers. — Photo Credit: Bronwen Tucker


Election State of Play:

The election will be called any day now — the CBC is predicting September 14th.  

As for the horse race, one thing is clear: at the local level, if we organize to show our unwavering support for climate action and a Green New Deal, we can build a mass movement that’s ready to elect a slate of Green New Deal champions to parliament.

If you haven’t watched it yet, the most recent episode of the Netflix Show Patriot Act gives a great overview of the stakes for this upcoming election in Canada.

Tools and Resources:

Training on how to Respond to Racism: In our efforts to grow support for the Green New Deal, many of us have come face to face with anti-immigrant rhetoric that’s been seeded by politicians and corporations who are trying to divide us. We’re grateful to have Karen Cocq and Syed Hussan of Migrant Workers Alliance for Change / Migrant Rights Network lead us through an upcoming training on how to respond when these racist ideas emerge in our day to day interactions. The online training will take place online on September 10th, at 6:30pm EST. You can register for the training here.

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