3 forwarded messages... GE foods

Date: Mon, 13 Nov 2000 08:30:18 -0400 (AST)
From: Paul A Falvo <pfalvo@chebucto.ns.ca>
To: Sustainable Maritimes <sust-mar@chebucto.ns.ca>
Precedence: bulk
Return-Path: <sust-mar-mml-owner@chebucto.ns.ca>

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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]
================================================



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