Please find below an urgent letter to Canadians from the Avaaz team.
At the time of this blog posting, 23886 Canadians have signed the avaaz.org petition which can be accessed in the letter below.
Please help us get to 50,000 signed petitions which will be delivered to the White House on Friday, September 2, 2011.
“Dear friends across Canada,
 Obama is close to making a decision on a new cross-border pipeline that would massively increase the flow of Canada’s deadly tar sands oil. American activists are rallying against the pipeline — let’s strengthen their hand with a giant outcry from Canadians calling on Obama to protect the world from our deadly oil:
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Canada mines deadly oil that creates toxic sludge lakes and destroys forests in Alberta — and Harper needs Obama’s help to sell it. Our own government is captured by powerful oil interests, but Obama is wavering on building a new cross-border pipeline. If enough Canadians ask him to protect the world from our deadly oil, we could tip the balance away from pollution.
Within days, President Obama could decide whether to allow a massive tar sands pipeline right through the middle of the U.S. — boosting tar sands production and risking the contamination of major fresh water sources in his own country. PM Harper and his oil cronies have tarnished our country’s beauty and reputation, but Obama has the ultimate say on pipeline approval and he’s keen to strengthen his green credentials. He could override Harper’s stubborn support for deadly oil.
Harper stopped listening to Canadians about climate a long time ago. Now, we have the chance to go South and cut-off deadly oil for good. When we reach 50,000 signatures, we’ll deliver our call directly to the White House. Let’s save Canada’s tarred image — sign now and forward to everyone you know:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/canadas_deadly_oil/?vl
Tar sands oil creates huge tailing ponds so toxic that animals, including migrating birds, die if they touch the water. Teams of people are employed just to scrape the dead animals from the sludge ponds each day. Refining tar sands spreads cancerous heavy metals and sulphur through Canada’s rivers, and many indigenous communities in the area report an increase in rare cancers.
Our government’s push for increased deadly oil production has been relentless. Just weeks ago, when Europe considered applying pollution standards to tar sands oil, the entire Canadian government launched a ferocious counter-attack even threatening trade sanctions. However, the US has a powerful green-friendly leader who is eager to win approval from environmental groups — and his rejection of the tar sands pipeline would, according to one Alberta politician, permanently land-lock deadly oil, gutting the industry and limiting pollution.
Many of Obama’s green bills have faced fierce opposition in Congress, but approving the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline is a decision he makes alone. Let’s join our friends in the US and around the world to place the spotlight on Obama with our Canadian petition to reject deadly oil. It will be delivered to the White House on Friday. Sign now and forward to everyone:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/canadas_deadly_oil/?vl
Canada is repeatedly named the worst country in the world on climate. Still, it is unlikely that our domestic politics will change overnight. Today though, we can still fight to keep deadly oil in the ground and secure a safer climate future. Avaaz members in Britain helped push their government to support a EU initiative to keep tar sands oil out of Europe this summer and we can build on their momentum — together, we can win a North American victory against deadly oil.
With hope,
Emma, Morgan, Iain, Diego, Ricken and the whole Avaaz team”
“SOURCES
Globe and Mail: Without Keystone XL, Oil Sands face Choke Point
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/energy-and-resources/without-keystone-xl-oil-sands-face-choke-point/article2052562/
CBC: Margot Kidder and Tantoo Carinal arrested at Keystone XL protest
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2011/08/23/edm-keystone-xl-oilsands-protest-kidder-arrested.html
The Nation: Naomi Klein, Bill McKibben Call for Civil Disobedience on Tar Sands
http://www.thenation.com/blog/161604/bill-mckibben-naomi-klein-call-civil-disobedience-tar-sands
Oil Sands Background Information”
http://www.dirtyoilsands.org
