An Open Letter to the US of America
When California was on fireplace, Canada despatched water bombers to assist. When our nation is burning… You despatched us a criticism letter. America, we have to discuss.
Expensive United States Congress,
Thanks a lot on your deeply involved letter about our wildfires “ruining your summer time.” Really 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 fireplace 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 associates do.
We routinely ship extremely skilled 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 in regards to the smog drifting north, we ship assist.
When your hospitals had been overwhelmed and out of PPE in the course of 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 may 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 “potential to go exterior and safely breathe.” We’re involved about that too. We’ve been involved for many years as your companies have belched extra carbon into our shared environment than nearly every 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 fireplace.
All of the whereas, we’re truly investing in inexperienced vitality to forestall these fires earlier than they begin. You may attempt it someday as an alternative of burning the planet for marketing campaign money.
You need to discuss what’s “ruining the summer time”? Let’s discuss in regards to the uncooked sewage and industrial waste you’ve been dumping into the Nice Lakes for a century. Let’s discuss in regards to the invasive species that hitch a experience in your ships and decimate our ecosystems. Let’s discuss in regards to the acid rain out of your factories that has poisoned our lakes and forests for generations.
Oh, and let’s discuss that “out of doors recreation” you’re so nervous about. , 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 have got actively lobbied to disregard.
So please, spare us the lecture. Don’t you dare complain in regards to the smoke in your sky when you have got helped construct the fireplace.
You accuse us of “an absence 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 can be clearly in brief provide south of the border as of late. Actual associates present up with buckets, not criticism letters.
Should 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 a substitute of sending snarky letters, how about sending fireplace crews? Or possibly as an alternative of funneling your big protection finances into extra tanks, border partitions, and that Massive Stunning Invoice finances that props up ICE and billionaires, you would 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 are able to 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 associates present up with buckets, not criticism letters.
