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CANADA ACTION PAGE
GE Free BC | GE Free PEI | Saskatchewan vs. Big Ag | Greenpeace's GE Campaigns |
Council of Canadians | National Farmers Union
The GE Free movement already has incredible momentum in Canada. Across the country, coalitions have sprung up to oppose GE crops and fight for locally based, sustainable food systems. In BC, Salt Spring Island and Powell River have passed municipal resolutions declaring themselves GE-free crop areas. Prince Edward Island is currently holding legislative committee hearings to decide whether to make the province GE-free. Numerous communities across the prairies have passed municipal resolutions banning GE wheat. The Canadian government and food companies refuse to label GE products even though polls repeatedly show Canadians overwhelmingly support mandatory labeling.
GE Free BC
In the province of British Columbia, the Coalition for a GE Free BC is planning to get 20 resolutions passed declaring municipalities GE-free crop growing areas. The Southern Gulf Islands Trust and Powell River have already passed resolutions and are inspiring others with their success. In Powell River, going GE-free in June 2004 is proving to have side benefits as new businesses have sprung up focusing on sustainable organic farming and gardening, and the local seed exchange has seen its membership grow. Powell River has even been presented with the provincial agricultural achievement of the year award for being declared the first GE-free crop zone in Canada.
For an article about Powell River's achievements, please visit www.organicconsumers.org/biod/powell111204.cfm.
10 Things You Can Do For A GE Free BC
- These action ideas were prepared by the Coalition for a GE Free BC, but they're great suggestions for any region.
- Check your grocery store and restaurant. Ask: Is this food genetically engineered? Where is it from? Buy food labeled organic and/or GE-free. Push for labeling of all GE ingredients. (95% of us want it; Europe has it.)
- Get and share information. The Coalition for a GE Free BC will provide you with information. Tell your family & friends. Staff a table at an event with a buddy from our list of volunteers.
- Show "The Future of Food" film. Screen it in your club, high school, Home Ec class, church, and community centre.
- Encourage your school to adopt a GE-free policy in its cafeteria & vending machines. Approach your local PAC (Parent Advisory Council).
- Host a 100-Mile GE-free Potluck. Serve only GE-free foods produced within 100 miles of your home.
- Sign the GE-free Pledge: You, your family, your organization pledge to never knowingly buy or serve food with GE ingredients.
- Talk to local and federal politicians & candidates. Write, email, or call them. Attend and host candidates' meetings before elections, and bring up the GE-free issue.
- Ask your workplace and local businesses to support the GE-free campaign, to join the Coalition for a GE Free BC and make GE-free an election issue.
- Grow GE-free seeds and plants in your garden.
- Volunteer with the Coalition for a GE Free BC. Get together with people working on fundraising, municipal resolutions, ethical businesses, or outreach & media.
For more information on GE Free BC, please visit www.gefreebc.org.
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GE Free PEI
The entire province of Prince Edward Island is considering becoming GE-free, with Premier Pat Binns initiating public hearings on the subject in December 2004. The premier put forth a motion asking the Standing Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and the Environment to decide whether banning genetically engineered food, crops, products, and animals would benefit PEI. Interested parties from around the world enthusiastically responded to the call for public input and the committee is slated to release its findings soon.
 Image courtesy of Greenpeace
What does Greenpeace recommend to ensure that PEI becomes an authentic GE-free zone?
- Ban GE crops on the island.
- Eliminate GMOs in animal feed.
- Ban GE fish.
- Institute mandatory GMO labeling, as in Europe.
- Adopt policies to foster ecologically and socially sustainable agriculture.
- Publicize the GE-free zone and encourage other governments to follow suit.
For more information and ways to support a GE Free PEI, please visit www.greenpeace.ca/e/campaign/gmo/depth/pei_ge_free/index.php
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Saskatchewan Farmers Sue Big Ag
Saskatchewan organic farmers have targeted some of the biggest names in the agriculture biz - Monsanto and Bayer - in a class action lawsuit that seeks compensation for crop losses due to contamination by GE canola. The farmers argue that they are increasingly unable to grow certified organic canola in the province of Saskatchewan, and want to establish liability for the costs of cleanup and maintenance to their crops from transgenic pollution. Although the courts originally denied the farmers' class action certification, on August 30, 2005, the Saskatchewan Court of Appeals granted them leave to appeal that decision and press forward with their case. Needless to say, the coalition of over 1000 farmers will continue to fight for sustainable agriculture and the rights of farmers in Canada.
For more information, please visit the Saskatchewan Organic Farmer's Directorate (SOD) at www.saskorganic.com.
THE FUTURE OF FOOD opens in Saskatoon December 2 featuring Marc Loiselle of the SOD (also appeared in the film!) as an opening night speaker.
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Greenpeace's Genetic Engineering Campaigns
Greenpeace has launched several campaigns to combat genetic engineering, including publishing a "How to Avoid Genetically Engineered Foods" shoppers guide that catalogues GE foods sold across Canada. They have also joined forces with INFACT Canada, a mother-and-infant consumer rights group, to release a survey of baby food companies that use GE ingredients. Greenpeace is now pressuring Loblaws (Canada's largest grocer), along with Nestlé, Mead Johnson, Kraft and Ross Products, to stop selling GE-contaminated baby food and putting the well-being of babies, infants and children at risk.
Find out how you have become part of a genetic experiment - without your knowledge or consent. For more information and details on all Greenpeace's GE campaigns, please visit: www.greenpeace.ca/e/campaign/gmo/
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The Council of Canadians
The Council of Canadians' GE-Free Canada Campaign is a nationwide grassroots effort by farmers, environmentalists, and ordinary Canadians concerned with issues of food safety and food sovereignty.
For more information, please visit www.canadians.org.
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National Farmers Union
The National Farmers Union (NFU) is made up of farm families who share common goals and work together to benefit their farms and communities. The NFU works toward the development of economic and social policies that will maintain the family farm as the primary food-producing unit in Canada. They believe that agriculture should be economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable. The decimation of rural communities, growing environmental problems, declining farm numbers, and the present farm income crisis cast doubt on the sustainability of the current high-input, export-oriented, expansionist model. The NFU has taken a lead in advancing and implementing affordable, effective alternatives to current agricultural policies. They issue reports, publish magazines and newsletters, and have started a Seed Saver Campaign.
For more information, please visit www.nfu.ca.
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