Copenhagen: Canadian youth outraged at Canadian government lying about their future

Canadian Youth Outraged at Canadian Government Lying About Their Future


ClimateInsider Copenhagen, For Immediate Release – December 15, 2009

Leaked documents by the CBC late last night have slashed hopes that the Canadian government would take leadership on climate change in the second week of the international climate negotiations in Copenhagen. The documents revealed a proposed secret framework that would weaken sectoral commitments laid out in the 2007 Turning the Corner plan, exposing the Canadian government's lack of intention to meet its national reduction target of 3% below 1990 levels by 2020, and to truly act on the climate problem.

Canadian youth are outraged at this lowering of ambition at such an urgent time; this is compromising their future. "Climate impacts are already being felt - in the North, on our coasts, in our forests. Climate change is the greatest risk posed to the security and prosperity of present and future generations. By their conscious failure to act on the climate crisis, the Canadian government is knowingly committing us to climate chaos," said Megan McKeen.

Young people are further disappointed in the lack of transparency, and genuine participation of the  conservative government in Copenhagen, who have been negotiating at a level above what the domestic plan would accomplish: "these leaked documents show that the Canadian government is lying to Canadians about our climate targets, and lying to the international community about our willingness to negotiate," said Devon
Willis, a young Canadian from Quebec. "It is abundantly clear that the Government has been keeping secrets from Canadians and lying to the international community."

"Despite the increased awareness, clarified science, and immense global action on the climate problem that the past three years have seen, the Canadian government is moving backwards, and completely free of accountability," summarized Rhiya Trivedi, a member of the Canadian Youth Delegation. "By lying about something of such grave importance, the Canadian Government is breaking the fundamental agreement that
exists between a government and its people."

In response, Canadian youth in Copenhagen organized a "lie for a lie"; a silent lie-in of international youth  inside the Bella Center where negotiations in Copenhagen are taking place. Through silence and physical presence, participants from hundreds of countries were able to communicate their true frustration with the Canadian government; as a member of the ten emitters of greenhouse gases (both net and per capita), continued emissions growth from Canada will seriously damage prospects of limiting global climate change to 2 °C.

For More Information: Devon Willis, +45 50 11 56 97; Matthew Carroll, External Communications Coordinator, mobile Denmark: +45 5010 3621 (COP 15 only), mobile Canada: +1 289 244 9930,  email: matthew@youthclimate.org ,  skype: matthew.f.carroll, online: http://carroll.org.uk/contact