Urge your MP to support sustainable agriculture

Concerns raised during the Federal Sustainable Agriculture Strategy consultation (including Prevent Cancer Now’s submission) were ignored the following day, in an April 1 announcement of a Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership.

This was no April 1 joke. Agriculture Canada had asked for foundational input into the future of growing food, and the day after presented a fait accompli without including the requested input.

The Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership is a $3.5-billion, 5-year agreement starting April 1, 2023, between the federal, provincial and territorial governments focusing on the image, competitiveness, innovation and resiliency of the agriculture, agri‐food and agri‐based products sector.

Please take a few minutes to send your own email to your local Member of Parliament, expressing your views about sustainable agriculture, the importance of healthy food and soil quality, and broader environmental concerns including climate change.

Compose your own email, or you can customize our “starter” email in any way you choose.

This “starter” draft is copied to the Sustainable Agriculture Strategy consultation, the Ministers of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Health, and Environment and Climate Change. It is also sent to the Agriculture critics for other parties. A copy can be sent to Prevent Cancer Now. You can add or remove any recipients.

If the button does not open your mail software: Click here for all the needed elements to cut and paste into a mail message.

NEXT STEPS:

1. Add your MP’s email address.

2. Use a catchy subject line.

Your own would be great. Here are some ideas.

Healthy food, people and planet – agriculture needs urgent sustainability transformation

Organic agriculture has sustainability answers, but Ag-Can isn’t asking!

Agriculture needs urgent transformations for sustainability

3. Body of your Letter

Be sure to include your address at the bottom so that they know you are a constituent.

Dear [name of your MP];

Add an Introduction

Share a bit about who you are and what is personally motivating you to write to your MP about the importance of Sustainable Agriculture.

Main Points

Use, edit or replace the text in the “starter” email.

Use any or all of further points below to personalize your message. What matters is that you are writing to your elected officials and sharing your concerns.

• The severe threat to organic farming posed by genetically modified organisms (GMOs) will worsen with removal of regulatory barriers and accountability regarding gene-edited plants. This must be stopped.
• Seed preservation is essential. Adapting to accelerating climate change will require use of successful seeds that offer a hope of evolving with the changing times. Genetic diversity in saved seeds is a key to successful adaptation.
• The role of  agrochemical and genetically modified seeds industries should be closely monitored and restricted.

Conclusion

Ask your MP what they will do to address your concerns and views.

Be sure to include your address.

NEXT STEPS

When you receive a response from your MP, WRITE TO THEM AGAIN, addressing their letter and reiterating your concerns and views. These second letters have a powerful impact in terms of how politicians assess the level of public concern about specific issues!

THANK YOU for taking action on this essential issue that is impacting all of us, by making your voice heard.

THANK YOU for working to prevent cancer by promoting healthy, sustainable food and farming!