Council of Canadians: Today We Celebrate Canada

Below is a brief message to Canadians and other progressives around the world from Canada’s biggest progressive citizen’s organization. Founded in 1985, the Council of Canadians has members and chapters across Canada. It works “to protect Canadian independence by promoting progressive policies on fair trade, clean water, energy security, public health care, and other issues of social and economic concern to Canadians. The Council does not accept money from corporations or governments, and is sustained entirely by the volunteer energy and financial assistance of its members.

The message:

Friends,

Today is a day to celebrate this truly magnificent country of ours.

We celebrate Canada’s natural beauty, water and environmental treasures – and our commitment to protecting them. We celebrate the progressive values of social, economic and environmental justice – and our commitment to acting on them. We celebrate Canadian democracy – and our commitment to defending it.

On Canada’s 145th birthday, we also celebrate Tommy Douglas, a founding member of the Council of Canadians, on this 50th anniversary of medicare – Maude Barlow on receiving the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in recognition of her contribution to Canada – and all of you, for your own important and often unsung individual contributions to making Canada a better place.

So today let’s celebrate what you and I and tens of thousands more have achieved, and will achieve, united under the banner of the Council of Canadians: a powerful collective voice of the people, working to bring hope and positive change for the even better Canada we know is possible.

Happy Canada Day!

Gary Neil
Executive Director