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Please reply to originator: Aaron Koleszar <aaronk@isn.net> ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Thu, 09 Nov 2000 23:50:23 -0800 From: Aaron Koleszar <aaronk@isn.net> Subject: Canadian Health Minister Grilled Over GE Foods EARTH ACTION 81 Prince Street, Charlottetown PEI C1A 4R3 Tel: 902-621-0719 Email: slabchuk@isn.net MEDIA RELEASE - For Immediate Release November 8, 2000 Citizens Question Canada's Health Minister Over Genetically Engineered Foods Charlottetown - Today Canada's Health Minister, Allan Rock, was met by questions from a group of protesters as he left the CBC studio after doing radio and TV interviews. Members of the environmental group, Earth Action, and other citizens grilled Rock about the Liberal government's record on genetically engineered (GE) food. One protester asked Rock "Why does the Liberal government oppose mandatory labelling of GE foods?" Another asked "Why are these crops allowed on the market without testing?" then continued "Why does the Liberal government spend millions of taxpayer's dollars to promote GE food?" Rock replied "You haven't done your homework. We're looking at the issue…" but he avoided answering the questions. He spoke about the need to provide the public with information about GE. That must be why the government has mailed pro-GE brochures to every home in Canada, has financed an insert in Canadian Living magazine to convince women these foods are safe, and has given well over $300 million to the biotech industry and lobby groups in 1999 alone. CBC Radio later played Rock's comments when he learned of the protesters waiting outside. "How the hell did they know I was here? I'll be god damned if I'm going to give them a photo op!" According to the story, sneaking out the back was considered, but it was decided against. The government made their position perfectly clear in October when 84 Liberal MPs (including PEI's Wayne Easter, Lawrence MacAulay and George Proud) voted against Private Members Bill M-230 that would have required mandatory labelling of genetically engineered foods in Canada. Egmont MP Joe McGuire didn't vote. Testing of these crops is virtually nonexistent. A study by Dr. Anne Clark of the University of Guelph showed that of the 42 varieties of GE crops registered in Canada, only 14 were tested for human toxicity, none were tested for allergenic reactions in humans, and none were tested for long-term human health or environmental safety. (http://www.canadians.org/ge-alert/clark-foodsafety.pdf) -30- Contact: Aaron Koleszar (902) 659-2570 Sharon Labchuk (902) 621-0719 ********************************************************************* Aaron Koleszar <aaronk@isn.net> _____________________________________________________________________ "I perceive the divine patience of your people, but where is their divine anger?" - Bertolt Brecht "Environmental issues can never be solved under the overwhelming domination of the world economy by trans-national corporate capitalism." - Michael A. Lewis _____________________________________________________________________ FOR THE REAL NEWS ON PROTESTS AND DIRECT ACTION AGAINST THE WTO IN SEATTLE, THE IMF/WORLD BANK IN WASHINGTON & PRAGUE, G-20 IN MONTREAL, FTAA IN QUEBEC, AND OTHER PAST AND FUTURE ACTIONS, VISIT: http://www.indymedia.org - The Independenat Media Center (IMC) THEN FOLLOW THE LINKS TO LOCAL IMCS _____________________________________________________________________ For details of the PrImE Minister's creaming at the hands of PEI Pie Brigade, visit Les Entartistes Website: http://www.entartistes.ca The Biotic Baking Brigade Website: http://www.asis.com/~bbb/ _____________________________________________________________________ DON'T TRUST THE CORPORATE MEDIA! TV TURNOFF WEEK WAS APRIL 22-30 (KEEP IT OFF!) ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Thu, 09 Nov 2000 23:50:13 -0800 From: Aaron Koleszar <aaronk@isn.net> Subject: PEI Liberal MPs Vote Against Labelling of GE Foods EARTH ACTION 81 Prince Street, Charlottetown PEI C1A 4R3 Tel: 902-621-0719 Email: slabchuk@isn.net MEDIA RELEASE - For Immediate Release November 8, 2000 Island Liberal MPs Vote Against Mandatory Labelling of Genetically Engineered Foods Charlottetown - A PEI environmental group is accusing Island Liberal MPs of promoting the interests of large biotechnology corporations instead of protecting the health of Canadians. Earth Action says that in October Wayne Easter, Lawrence MacAulay and George Proud all voted against a private members bill that would have required mandatory labelling of genetically engineered (GE) foods in Canada. Egmont MP Joe McGuire didn't vote. The bill was voted down by 114 mostly Liberal and Alliance MPs. 61 MPs voted in favour of the bill, including 10 Liberal MPs who went against the party line. Besides mandatory labelling of GE foods, Private Members Bill M-230 would have required studies to determine long-term effects on human health and the environment. "Most Canadians support the labelling of GE foods. The very least the government could do is to allow people the opportunity to decide whether to feed these untested genetic experiments to their families," says Aaron Koleszar, Earth Action spokesperson. "But the arrogant Chretien government is determined to promote this dangerous industry at the expense of Canadians' safety." Bradford Duplisea, Earth Action's biotechnology researcher based in Ottawa says a study by Dr. Anne Clark of the University of Guelph found that of the 42 varieties of GE crops registered in Canada, only 14 were tested for human toxicity. "None of these GE crops were tested for allergenic reactions in humans before they were released into our food supply. And none were tested for long-term human health or environmental safety. Scientists now tell us that pollen from GE corn is killing Monarch butterflies. We really don't know what horrors we've unleashed with this experimental technology." (http://www.canadians.org/ge-alert/clark-foodsafety.pdf) Duplisea says the Liberal government is spending millions of tax dollars on propaganda to promote the safety of GE food. "Canada's federal food regulator - the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) - has a mandate to provide safe food and consumer protection. Yet this agency has mailed pro-GE brochures to every home in Canada, financed an insert in Canadian Living magazine to convince women GE foods are safe, and has become nothing more than an ad agency for the biotech industry. This is clearly an unhealthy conflict of interest." Koleszar wants voters to question their federal candidates on the issue of labelling GE foods. "The Liberals refuse to require proper evaluation of GE foods for health and environmental effects, they refuse to require labeling of GE foods, and they try to fool the public into thinking that genetic engineering is safe. Canadians want this issue to be debated publicly and that scares government and the biotech industry," he says. -30- Contact: Aaron Koleszar (902) 659-2570 Sharon Labchuk (902) 621-0719 ********************************************************************* Aaron Koleszar <aaronk@isn.net> _____________________________________________________________________ "I perceive the divine patience of your people, but where is their divine anger?" - Bertolt Brecht "Environmental issues can never be solved under the overwhelming domination of the world economy by trans-national corporate capitalism." - Michael A. Lewis _____________________________________________________________________ FOR THE REAL NEWS ON PROTESTS AND DIRECT ACTION AGAINST THE WTO IN SEATTLE, THE IMF/WORLD BANK IN WASHINGTON & PRAGUE, G-20 IN MONTREAL, FTAA IN QUEBEC, AND OTHER PAST AND FUTURE ACTIONS, VISIT: http://www.indymedia.org - The Independenat Media Center (IMC) THEN FOLLOW THE LINKS TO LOCAL IMCS _____________________________________________________________________ For details of the PrImE Minister's creaming at the hands of PEI Pie Brigade, visit Les Entartistes Website: http://www.entartistes.ca The Biotic Baking Brigade Website: http://www.asis.com/~bbb/ _____________________________________________________________________ DON'T TRUST THE CORPORATE MEDIA! TV TURNOFF WEEK WAS APRIL 22-30 (KEEP IT OFF!) ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Fri, 10 Nov 2000 19:33:33 -0800 From: Aaron Koleszar <aaronk@isn.net> Subject: GE Election Pamphlets Available!!!! Liberal GE Election Pamphlets Available! (text below) Get yours right away!!! Made for PEI, but easily transformable to be used in any community. This election campaign offers a great opportunity to raise awareness about the Liberals and GE foods. Earth Action has produced a pamphlet meant to do just this. The pamphlet focuses on Liberal MPs voting against Bill M-230 (mandatory labelling of GE foods), and also contains basic info about GE food, handouts to biotech companies and industry lobby groups, a study by Anne Clark, an excerpt from the "Food & Drugs Act", the Starlink corn recall, and government GE propaganda. Get in touch right away if are interested in using this pamphlet, as there's only 18 days left in the election campaign. Pamphets are available in black and white, (and possibly with red too). GE Election Pamphlet #1 - Don't Vote for Wayne Easter GE Election Pamphlet #2 - Don't Vote for Lawrence MacAulay GE Election Pamphlet #3 - Don't Vote Liberal We can - mail you a pamphlet for photocopying - fax a pamphlet for photocopying (not sure how well this would work) - soon we hope to be able to email the pamphlet as a pdf file - email you the text and graphics so you can make your own [but hurry] - you can easily tailor this pamphlet for use in other places, especially ridings with incumbent Liberals. - if you live in PEI we can send you some pamphlets for your area Email <aaronk@isn.net> if you'd like to have the text of the pamphlet emailed to you, or if you'd like more background on the issue or Bill M-230. If you'd like us to mail you anything, please include your mailing address. Please also let us know if you can assist with the costs of this campaign. ------------------------------------------------- Below is the text for "GE Election Pamphlet #2 - Don't Vote for Lawrence MacAulay" Panel 3 (cover) don’t Vote for PHOTO Lawrence MacAuley [Liberal canadian flag] (L)ies! [Note - "Liberal canadian flag" refers to the Liberal Party symbol where a red "L" forms the right half of a Canadian flag with the maple leaf in the middle] Panel 4 (inside cover) On October 19, 2000 Lawrence MacAulay voted against Bill M-230 Lawrence MacAulay and 83 other Liberal MPs voted against Private Members Bill M-230. This bill would finally have required labels on all genetically engineered (GE) foods and exhaustive studies of their long-term effects on human health and the environment. The bill was voted down. Ten Liberals went against their own party and voted for this democratic piece of legislation. Too bad Lawrence wasn't one of them. GE Foods and You If any of the items on your grocery list contain corn, canola, or soy (or their derivatives: corn syrup, vegetable oil, etc.) then you and your family are definitely swallowing GE ingredients. You see, GE crops are mixed with non-GE varieties during processing, virtually guaranteeing that baby food, taco shells, spaghetti sauce, and countless other products contain these untested materials. If this concerns you, you're certainly not alone. National surveys demonstrate that Canadians don't want to risk feeding these untested products to their families. However, the Liberal government has sidestepped public opposition by denying this essential information to Canadians. Without labelling, the public cannot identify the true extent to which genetic engineering has been spread throughout our food system. It's scandalous enough that they let these untested foods onto the market, the least they could do is to make it possible for people to avoid eating them. Most European grocery stores and manufacturers no longer sell GE foods due to public outrage. The few GE foods still sold in Europe are clearly labelled. If the Liberal candidates try to tell you that the government is working on a process for labelling GE foods, they're not giving you the whole story. What they won't tell you is that this labelling will not be mandatory - it will be absolutely voluntary. This industry dominated 'process' is nothing more than a Liberal stalling tactic to buy time and convince the public that government is doing something. Don't be fooled! Panel 5 VIOLATION [large graphic at a slight angle] The Liberal government continues to willfully violate Canada's Food & Drugs Act by allowing unlabelled GE foods to be sold. [made to appear as if on a sheet of paper at a slight angle] >From the "Food & Drugs Act" §4. No person shall sell an article of food that: (a) has in it or on it any poisonous or harmful substance; (b) is unfit for human consumption; (c) consists in whole or in part of any filthy, putrid, disgusting, rotten, decomposed or diseased animal or vegetable substance; (d) is adulterated; or (e) was manufactured, prepared, preserved, packaged or stored under unsanitary conditions. §5. (1) No person shall label, package, treat, process, sell or advertise any food in a manner that is false, misleading or deceptive or is likely to create an erroneous impression regarding its character, value, quantity, composition, merit or safety. Panel 6 UNTESTED CROPS Of the 42 varieties of GE crops approved for use in Canada... - Only 14 have been tested for toxicity to humans - None have been tested for allergenic reactions in humans - None have been tested for long term human health or environmental impacts >From a 2000 study conducted by Guelph University Professor Anne Clark www.canadians.org/ge-alert/clark-foodsafety.pdf DON’T BELIEVE THE HYPE! GENETIC ENGINEERING does not increase agricultural productivity. GENETIC ENGINEERING does not reduce the amount of pesticides used. GENETIC ENGINEERING will not feed the world's hungry. GENETIC ENGINEERING does not make food tastier or more nutritious. GENETIC ENGINEERING poses a permanent and unpredictable threat to our ecosystem. GENETIC ENGINEERING may be dangerous to your family's health. Only foods labelled "certified organic" are guaranteed to be GE-free. Distributed by: [EARTH ACTION LOGO HERE] 81 Prince Street Charlottetown, PEI C1A 4R3 902-621-0719 aaronk@isn.net Panel 1 Government Paying for GE Propaganda Recently the CBC exposed a scandal whereby Canada's food regulators - the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) - are paying tens of million of dollars to promote GE food. This is clearly an unhealthy conflict of interest. The CFIA should concentrate on regulating and let the billion dollar biotech industry promote itself. Discovery of Unapproved GE Corn in Taco Shells Forces Recall... In October 2000, there was a massive public recall of taco shells and taco chips in supermarkets across the USA. Almost three hundred brands (including Kraft, Taco Bell, and Safeway) were recalled because they contain Starlink, a variety of GE corn that is not approved for human consumption due to health concerns. Starlink corn has entered the Canadian food supply illegally, but our government has taken no steps toward a similar recall. Priorities? The Liberal government has doled out over a billion dollars (over $315 million dollars in 1999 alone*) to biotech companies and industry lobby groups, while cutting everything from Unemployment Insurance and Health Care to environmental protection and education. *Research from the office of Karen Kraft-Sloan, MP [biohazard symbol] BIOHAZARD Why does the Liberal government oppose mandatory labelling of GE foods? PANEL 2 "What can I do?" - Tell everyone that Lawrence voted against mandatory labelling of GE foods - Reproduce and circulate this brochure throughout the riding of Cardigan - Contact Lawrence's political rivals to inform them that mandatory labelling is an important election issue for Island voters - Ask Lawrence why he voted against mandatory labelling of GE foods - Be creative! Make your own 'educational' lawn signs, leaflets, posters, etc. Please don't hesitate to tell Lawrence and his campaign staff how you feel! Cardigan Constituency Office 551 Main St., Montague, PEI Tel: (902) 838-4139 Fax: (902) 838-3790 macaul1@parl.gc.ca [that's MACAUL followed by the number one @parl.gc.ca] Parliamentary Office Room 556 Confederation Building House Of Commons, Ottawa Tel: (613) 995-9325 Fax: (613) 995-2754 macaul@parl.gc.ca http://www.lawrencemacaulay.ca [end of pamphlet] ================================================ -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- The preceding message was posted on Sustainable Maritimes (sust-mar) -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- DOES SUST-MAR KNOW? Not unless you tell us ... To submit a message about the environment/sustainability in the Maritimes, just send it to <sust-mar@chebucto.ns.ca> Messages are prioritised and queued, so please be patient if your message doesn't appear right away.
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