Oh, and to think you could have one-upped the US on the climate legislation front. Sorry Canadians, I guess your government is just as lame as ours.

Hello, I am a university of Waterloo student. I come with glad tidings and great respect for all the politicians in Ottawa. You do an amazing job day in and day out. I know you have voted down the c-311. As a student I value climate change to be the highest priority of the future. Students, professors, scientist, economics and politicians need to combine their resources if they want to go anywhere in the future. As we know, climate change is single handily going to affect everyone no matter what occurs. We need to take this issue very seriously as the future is upon us. Thank you for your time.

Climate change is very important. Make this issue #1 on the worlds mind. We need to take action ASAP. http://www.350.org is a good website please check it out

I’d like to know the reasons why they voted it out. It’s obviously beneficial but they must see something past that - I can only assume those senators saw the act was either too costly to maintain, or it was blocking the way for another act that has nothing to do with benefitting the environment.

I support cleaning up our air and developing our resources responsibly, but I wasn’t in school when the ideology of “global warming”/climate change was taught as doctrine. We have no business buying into the corrupt U.N.’s plan of mass fraud, moving wealth from the west to the east (mostly corrupt dictatorships) which is proving (e.g. Europe) to do nothing for the environment but manage to do everything to destroy economies. Sorry, don’t agree. I DO think the Senators acted in the best interests of Canada, thank God!

Dear Shan - I agree with you completely. This is very important news and something must be done. If you have any luck with getting the word out please let us know!

Thanks Phil. I also find this news very surprising (to the point where I was reticent to even post about this here). So far no major media has picked up on the vote, making the hurried nature of a Senate vote even more alarming. The audio/video from the vote will be out in a few days. I will post any new information I gather here.

You forgot the contact information for some crucial senators - Senator Marjorie LeBreton is the Cons Leader in the house, and her contact info is:
613-943-0756 or 1-800-267-7362
Fax: 613-943-1493
Email: [email protected]

Senator Richard Neufeld was to speak to the bill. His contact info is:
613-947-4055 or 1-800-267-7362
Fax: 613-947-4065
Email: [email protected]

Also, Senator Don Plett was the president of the Cons party for years, and is in Harper’s inner circle. His contact info is:
613-992-0180 or 1-800-267-7362
Fax: 613-992-0186
Email: [email protected]

Thanks for this great information, Christine! I am going to update my article to include the latest information in your post. Keep up the great work. And for anyone interested, Christine offers hints on contacting Senators here: http://350orbust.wordpress.com/action-not-apathy/information-on-contacting-senators-re-bill-c311-the-climate-accountability-act/

Thanks for the link, Joanna. And I just wanted to add in defense of Elaine McCoy (a Mulroney Progressive Cons Senator) she seconded Bill C311 in the Senate, and I’m sure she voted to support it, not against it.

The unelected quash something urgent and important. I find out about it here. Why was this not in the Globe and Mail?

Oh, right. Because they’re a third-rate provincial rag. Well done, Canadian print media.

[...] Surprise Vote knocks down Bill C-311, Canada’s Climate Change Accountability Act! Speak up now! http://adoptanegotiator.org/2010/11/17/bad-move-canada/ [...]

Sent after reading this article- thank you for the link to emails:

Dear Senator Patterson and Senator Lang,

I am writing you both,Senators from Northern Canada, as a very concerned Northern citizen. I am a resident of Whitehorse, Yukon and after the outcome of the Senate vote on Bill C-311 I felt compelled to write my first note to a Senator. I know little of senate politics. However, from now on I will certainly be paying more attention. I do not understand why this bill was defeated in the Senate. If both of you voted it down I feel you were not serving the public interest. I believe this bill was passed in the House of Commons. This is what the people wanted. If you don’t believe that this bill was, in fact, what the people wanted then you should be advocating for a reform of the electoral system. Otherwise, I can only think it would have been your duty to support it.

As a Northern citizen I am worried about the significant effects of climate change on this vulnerable part of the world. I am saddened by the Senate choice and feel compelled to let you know I am more than dissappointed.

After speaking to some Senators officers I find that it was almost intentionally killed, having been tabled not by a Conservative at a time when there were few in the room to support it. In the long run - if Canada goes again to COP talks with no plans it will enhance opposition & outrage to the vacuous Canadian climate policy. Might be good in the long run. Better build another shelf for the “climate fossil of the day awards”

[...] http://adoptanegotiator.org/2010/11/17/bad-move-canada/ [...]

Marlon, I really enjoyed reading your letter and I am so glad to know that you sent it off. Did you receive a reply? This has been quite a sad day because of the vote, but seeing our collective response is also a source of courage. Here’s to all of our continued efforts — for the long haul!

Melissa - think we can set up a Fossil Booth in Parliament Hill? :)

Thanks for posting this Jo. I’ve got my dialing finger out, my skype is warming up and I’m getting ready for a round of pre-bedtime phone calls. As my mother would say, “This is NOT okay with me…”

Joanna- I have not received a response yet. I did call SEnator Comeau’s office (I have never called a senator before) and I expressed my dissappointment to the assistant on the phone.

Just have to ask… Where were the Liberal Senators?

I’m very sad to hear the out come of the vote, but I think it’s pretty obvious that decisions are made by those who show up. I think absentee Senators need to be added to this list.

@Jmw: Canada still needs a way to show that we are all for “clean air” on a global scale as well. Even if you still consider Global Warming to be an unproven theory, the smog from cars in Toronto to the smoke screens coming from large industrialized areas are not just staying in Toronto or just Canada. The emissions spread to other countries as well, and letting this happen without any action on our part is not exactly what a responsible first world nation should do.

Again, if the act was a money drain, then it should at least be debated that it is. Furthermore, if they truly do care about Canada’s air quality and environmental future, I would like to see why they think having NO act [to limit carbon emissions] is better than having at least ONE act.

I just called 2 SK senators, Wallin and Tkachuk. Wallin’s office took my name and number. Tkachuk’s assistant had to be pressed to take my co-ordinates! Grrr!

@Regina Mom, I know the calls can be so hard! I experience the same thing when I call. But all of our calls combined should still send a message that the vote, at the very least, has not been unnoticed by us. In spirit!

Emile Franco is not a senator!

@Mf - thanks. Emile is the assistant to Senator Tkachuk.

I guess 17 Liberal Senators should have showed up for work.

[...] the most salient and recent climate offense, Canada’s first place award is granted for killing the Climate Change Accountability Act. Our second place award goes for Federal efforts to gut climate change programs, [...]

[...] describing a sudden event that recently went down on Parliament Hill. You can read her article here. Photo courtesy of Hicker [...]