An Open Letter to the USA 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.
Expensive 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 many years of file warmth, drought, and company deforestation (a few of it by your personal 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 in regards to the smog drifting north, we ship assist.
When your hospitals have been overwhelmed and out of PPE in the course of the pandemic, we shipped masks and gloves south. On the identical 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 strive it someday as a substitute 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 firms have belched extra carbon into our shared environment than virtually another nation on Earth. You lecture us about “energetic forest administration” whereas concurrently gutting your personal environmental protections and subsidizing the very fossil gasoline trade that’s setting our planet on hearth.
All of the whereas, we’re truly investing in inexperienced vitality to stop these fires earlier than they begin. You may strive it someday as a substitute of burning the planet for marketing campaign money.
You need to discuss what’s “ruining the summer season”? Let’s speak in regards to the uncooked sewage and industrial waste you’ve been dumping into the Nice Lakes for a century. Let’s speak in regards to the invasive species that hitch a experience in your ships and decimate our ecosystems. Let’s speak 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 apprehensive about. You already know, the identical outside 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 could have 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 could 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 many years denying local weather change whereas burning coal prefer it was going out of favor.
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 today. Actual pals present up with buckets, not criticism letters.
Should you’re so determined for recent 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 a substitute of funneling your big protection price range into extra tanks, border partitions, and that Massive Stunning Invoice price range that props up ICE and billionaires, you possibly can assist battle 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
Wish to signal this letter too?
Depart a remark beneath with:
“Signed, [Your Name]” (and be happy so as to add the place you’re from!)
Let’s present that actual pals present up with buckets, not criticism letters.
