An Open Letter to the US of America
When California was on hearth, Canada despatched water bombers to assist. When our nation is burning… You despatched us a criticism letter. America, we have to speak.
Pricey United States Congress,
Thanks a lot on your deeply involved letter about our wildfires “ruining your summer season.” Actually touching.
We apologize that our forests, after a long time of document warmth, drought, and company deforestation (a few of it by your individual timber giants), had the audacity to catch hearth and interrupt your BBQs and lake weekends.
However because you’re so involved, let’s assessment the scoreboard:
When California was engulfed in flames, Canada despatched water bombers. No letter. No whining. Simply assist. As a result of that’s what pals do.
We routinely ship extremely educated Canadian firefighters to California, Oregon, and Washington when your forests are burning down sooner than a rant out of your president. We don’t ship a letter complaining concerning the smog drifting north, we ship assist.
When your hospitals have been overwhelmed and out of PPE throughout the pandemic, we shipped masks and gloves south. On the similar time, Trump threatened to chop us off. No letter. Simply assist.
When 9/11 occurred, we took in 33,000 stranded passengers and fed them in Gander, Newfoundland. We didn’t ship a letter complaining about our tourism season. We opened our doorways. You would possibly attempt it someday as an alternative of burning the planet for marketing campaign money.
In the meantime, you ship us… a letter.
You write with concern about your “skill to go outdoors and safely breathe.” We’re involved about that too. We’ve been involved for many years as your firms have belched extra carbon into our shared ambiance than nearly some other nation on Earth. You lecture us about “lively forest administration” whereas concurrently gutting your individual environmental protections and subsidizing the very fossil gas trade that’s setting our planet on hearth.
All of the whereas, we’re truly investing in inexperienced vitality to forestall these fires earlier than they begin. You would possibly attempt it someday as an alternative of burning the planet for marketing campaign money.
You need to discuss what’s “ruining the summer season”? Let’s speak concerning the uncooked sewage and industrial waste you’ve been dumping into the Nice Lakes for a century. Let’s speak concerning the invasive species that hitch a trip in your ships and decimate our ecosystems. Let’s speak concerning the acid rain out of your factories that has poisoned our lakes and forests for generations.
Oh, and let’s discuss that “outside recreation” you’re so anxious about. You recognize, the identical open air you’ve been paving over with pipelines, fracking, and oil rigs. The identical air you’ve been fortunately polluting for many years, accelerating the local weather disaster that makes these wildfires worse.
Your letter mentions arson, however conveniently ignores the first accelerant for these fires: local weather change. A disaster you will have actively lobbied to disregard.
So please, spare us the lecture. Don’t you dare complain concerning the smoke in your sky when you will have helped construct the hearth.
You accuse us of “a scarcity of forest administration”? Please. Our forests are twice the dimensions of the state of Texas. And guess what? We didn’t spend a long time denying local weather change whereas burning coal prefer it was going out of fashion.
We Canadians love our summers, too. We additionally love having the ability to breathe. However most of all, we worth friendship and reciprocity. Issues which are clearly in brief provide south of the border as of late. Actual pals present up with buckets, not criticism letters.
In the event you’re so determined for contemporary air, possibly cease voting for politicians who suppose the one inexperienced coverage value supporting is the colour of their marketing campaign donations.
As an alternative of sending snarky letters, how about sending hearth crews? Or possibly as an alternative of funneling your large protection price range into extra tanks, border partitions, and that Massive Lovely Invoice price range that props up ICE and billionaires, you possibly can assist combat precise world threats. Like local weather change?
Subsequent time there’s a disaster, possibly look within the mirror earlier than you look north.
With all of the well mannered Canadian sincerity we will muster,
Canada and The Planet D
Need to signal this letter too?
Depart a remark under with:
“Signed, [Your Name]” (and be at liberty so as to add the place you’re from!)
Let’s present that actual pals present up with buckets, not criticism letters.
