CONTENTS
(1) LETTER TO SENATE COMMITTEE
(2) NATIONAL FARMERS UNION INFORMATION ON BILL C-33
(3) COUNCIL OF CANADIANS INFORMATION ON BILL C-33
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(1) LETTER TO SENATE COMMITTEE
I wish I didn’t feel a need to support the people, in this case the Council of Canadians and the National Farmers Union, who initiate action around these various pieces of legislation. I wish they were wrong in their assessment so we wouldn’t have so much work to do! It’s summertime!
While in Halifax I attended a panel presentation about agri-fuels. The panel included people from South America. The idea of “agri-fuels” is part of industrial agriculture. The issues associated with it remind me of the line “I didn’t realize it was so hard to prevent human society from committing suicide.”
Please scroll down to the information from the Council and the NFU for more information on the issues around agri-fuels. My gratitude to these organizations for their hard work and resulting accomplishments.
I have sent the following letter to the Senate Committee. The Bill is unfortunately scheduled to make its final pass through the House of Commons Today Thursday June 26. I am sending the letter to some MP’s but the Senate is our last hope.
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Email sent Wed June 25.
SENT TO: Members, Standing Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources (names appended).
Sent to email addresses: bankst@sen.parl.gc.ca; nolinp@sen.parl.gc.ca; adamsw@sen.parl.gc.ca; brownb@sen.parl.gc.ca; cochre@sen.parl.gc.ca; kennyco@sen.parl.gc.ca; mccoye@sen.parl.gc.ca; milnel@sen.parl.gc.ca; mitchg@sen.parl.gc.ca; sibnic@sen.parl.gc.ca; spivam@sen.parl.gc.ca; trenhm@sen.parl.gc.ca
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Dear Senators,
I urge you to examine the dynamics behind Bill C-33.
From my reading, listening and experience, I believe you will find that action to divert crop production to agri-fuels will accomplish two things, neither of which is in the public interest (which is the business of Government):
(1) It is a rather ruthless way to address over-population by creating a deliberate deficit in the global food supply.
(2) It will be very beneficial for the biotech corporations (Monsanto, BASF, Syngenta, etc.) because the majority of the crops that are or will be used for agri-fuel production are genetically-engineered or muta-genesis-engineered crops. Farmers typically pay a $15 per acre “technology fee” when they buy the seed.
Agri-fuels are another expensive, even calamitous boondoggle. Follow the money and see who’s behind the promotion of it.
The transnational biotech corporations have a very large influence on the Government of Canada, as you will know from Government funding of half of their research costs (I don’t know if that practice has stopped yet? There haven’t been any announcements that it has.).
Also, you may recall that the Government of Canada, through their organization “Biotec Canada” was an intervenor on the side of Monsanto (seller of bioteched seeds engineered to be resistant to applications of their chemicals) in the Supreme Court of Canada (Monsanto vs Schmeiser).
Bill C-33, an Act to amend the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, would allow the federal government to implement regulations requiring 5% average renewable content in gasoline by 2010. Subsequent regulations would also require 2% average renewable content in diesel and heating oil by 2012 on successful demonstration of renewable diesel fuel use under the range of Canadian environmental conditions.
The agri-fuel scheme doesn’t make sense when you compare energy in to energy out. So let’s answer the question, why are we pursuing it? Mandated, no less.
Thank-you for your work on behalf of Canadians.
I am sure your job is not an easy one.
Best wishes,
Sandra Finley
SENT TO: Members, Standing Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources
Senator Tommy Banks
Chair, Standing Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources
bankst@sen.parl.gc.ca
Senator Pierre Claude Nolin,
Deputy Chair, Standing Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources
nolinp@sen.parl.gc.ca
Senator Willie Adams adamsw@sen.parl.gc.ca
Senator Bert Brown brownb@sen.parl.gc.ca
Senator Ethel M. Cochrane cochre@sen.parl.gc.ca
Senator Colin Kenny kennyco@sen.parl.gc.ca
Senator Elaine McCoy mccoye@sen.parl.gc.ca
Senator Lorna Milne milnel@sen.parl.gc.ca
Senator Grant Mitchell mitchg@sen.parl.gc.ca
Senator Nick G. Sibbeston sibnic@sen.parl.gc.ca
Senator Mira Spivak spivam@sen.parl.gc.ca
Senator Marilyn Trenholme Counsell trenhm@sen.parl.gc.ca
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(2) NATIONAL FARMERS UNION INFORMATION ON BILL C-33
Biofuels legislation aggravates food crisis
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE JUNE 25, 2008
BIOFUELS LEGISLATION AGGRAVATES FOOD CRISIS, SAYS NFU
Legislation aimed at mandating 5% ethanol content in all Canadian gasoline will aggravate the global food crisis while offering little or no proven benefit to the environment or farmers, says Colleen Ross, Women’s President of the National Farmers Union (NFU).
In a presentation to the Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources on Bill C-33, an Act to Amend the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999, in Ottawa June 25, Ross said the legislation is likely to accelerate the diversion of grain from food to fuel markets. Any benefits to farmers from short-term increases in grain prices will quickly be wiped out by steep hikes in input costs.
“The small window of opportunity farmers have to make any real money from our crops will quickly close as input suppliers and grain traders siphon off the profits,” she stated. “Already farmers have seen the cost of inputs like fuel, fertilizer and chemicals rise considerably. In fact, the massive increase in input costs have forced farmers to go to the bank for short-term loans just to put this year’s crop in the ground. Meanwhile, seed, fertilizer and chemical companies are boasting of new record profits.”
Ross said there is also growing recognition that the environmental benefits of agro-fuels have been overstated. She cited a recent report to the UN General Assembly evaluating the impact of biofuels on the Right to Food calls for a five-year moratorium on biofuel production to review production technology and create regulatory structures to protect against negative environmental, social and human rights impacts of biofuel production.
The Harper Government claims mandating higher percentages of biofuels in gasoline, diesel and heating oil will lower prices, reduce environmental emissions and stimulate economic investment in rural communities. But Ross said pinning hopes that Bill C-33 will fix the farm income crisis in rural Canada is “a naïve fantasy.”
“Bill C-33 actually undermines any potential for real positive change because it continues to feed into the coffers of corporations, and does absolutely nothing to restore sustainable, resilient, locally-based food systems across this country,” she concluded.
“The only way to increase farmers’ incomes is to strengthen their market power.”
Ross concluded that “the biofuels train left the station a long time ago. History tells us that there are some trains that we are better off not getting on board. This is certainly one of them. Funds designated for Bill C-33 would be far better spent on public research to create ways to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.”
Ross was accompanied at the Senate Committee hearing by Pat Mooney, Director of the ETC Group.
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Contact: Colleen Ross, NFU Women’s President (613) 652-1552 or (613) 213-1522
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(3) COUNCIL OF CANADIANS INFORMATION ON BILL C-33
ACTION ALERT: Demand a full examination of Bill C-33 on biofuels
June 25, 2008
The Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN) has noted that Bill C-33, An Act to amend the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, would allow the federal government to implement regulations requiring 5% average renewable content in gasoline by 2010. Subsequent regulations would also require 2% average renewable content in diesel and heating oil by 2012 on successful demonstration of renewable diesel fuel use under the range of Canadian environmental conditions.
A position paper from Via Campesina states, “The current massive wave of investment in energy production based on cultivating and industrial processing of vegetal materials like corn, soy, palm oil, sugar cane, canola, etc, will neither solve the climate crisis nor the energy crisis. It will also bring disastrous social and environmental consequences. It creates a new and very serious threat to food production by small farmers and to the attainment of food sovereignty for the world population.” To read the full position paper, please go to… Via Campesina position paper on biofuels »
Additionally, the Beyond Factory Farming Coalition notes, “When soil acidification, fertilizer use, water use, biodiversity loss and toxicity of agricultural pesticides are taken into account, the overall environmental impacts of ethanol and biodiesel may well exceed those of gasoline and diesel. It is unlikely that crop based biofuel can deliver a major contribution to the energy demands of the transport sector without compromising food prices and the environment.” To read their brief on C-33, go to…- Beyond Factory Farming Coalition brief on Bill C-33 »
TAKE ACTION
Bill C-33 is due to be passed this Thursday June 26. Write to the Senate Committee today to ask for a full examination of Bill C-33 in the Fall, in order to give Canadians more time to become involved in this critical debate. Email addresses for the members of the Standing Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources can be found at http://www.cban.ca/Resources/Topics/Agrofuels/Senators-contacts
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The Council of Canadians