I am Canada and so can you

Twice this week representatives of our government have suggested that it’s unpatriotic to disagree with the government while abroad. Certain media at home have picked up this line of argument and run with it.

Like the other Canadians here, including Jim Prentice and Stephen Harper, I love my country. It’s one of my principal reasons for being here. Through WWF’s unparalleled global reach, I want fellow members of our species to know that there are other points of view in Canada than the ones espoused by our government.

Canadians want a fair global deal struck here this week. Last year, no country participated more broadly in WWF’s Earth Hour. The majority of our citizens have elected provincial governments that have acted aggressively on climate change. Our three largest cities are governed by people who can proudly count themselves among the most progressive environmental leaders in the world.

The many Canadians assembled here to raise their voices with the thousands who have gathered from all over the world want a better country and a better world for their children and grandchildren.

What is more Canadian than that?

Gerald Butts
President and CEO