You have one job today -

We’re going to ask you to do one thing today. One task only.

Forward this email to a friend, and ask them to sign up for our weekly Suits and Boots emails. They can do it right here. It will take 30 seconds.

This is really important. And urgent. More so now than ever.

Because, and make no mistake about it, pressure from environmental groups is ramping up against the federal government’s planned aid package to the energy sector.

This story in today’s Calgary Herald sums it up nicely. The voices opposing this aid are now starting to far outweigh those of us who are defending the energy sector. So, it’s clear – we need more voices from Suits and Boots.

A few days ago, we highlighted the opposition to federal aid to the oil and gas sector from a group called SumOfUs. You can see that on the Home Page of our website here: suitsandboots.ca.

Today, we want to highlight a list of all the activist groups that are supporting Greenpeace Canada in the same effort. These organizations recently signed a recent letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Finance Minister Bill Morneau stating the following:

“Giving billions of dollars to failing oil and gas companies will not help workers and only prolongs our reliance on fossil fuels. Oil and gas companies are already heavily subsidized in Canada and the public cannot keep propping them up with tax breaks and direct support forever. Such measures benefit corporate bottom lines far more than they aid workers and communities facing public health and economic crises.”

Here are all the groups, more than 100 in total, behind this letter:

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE), Climate Action Network Canada, Nature Québec LeadNow, Équiterre, Wilderness Committee, Environmental Defence, Council of Canadians, Greenpeace Canada, 350 Canada, Stand.Earth, ENvironnement JEUnesse, North99, SumofUs, Climate Strike Canada,The WaterWealth Project, Shift, Burnaby BROKE, R.A.V.E.N. Trust, Sierra Club BC, Georgia Strait Alliance, Leap Montreal, Friends of the Earth – Canada, Canadian Engaged Buddhism Association, West Kootenay EcoSociety, Trinity St Paul’s United Church, PIPE UP Network, CREW, Glasswaters Foundation, Mississauga Climate Action, Ecologos, Canadian Unitarians for Social Justice, Earth Day Canada / Jour de la Terre, Centre de ressources sur la non-violence, Gazoduq, parlons-en! Green Wave West, ClimateFast, Association québécoise de lutte contre la pollution atmosphérique (AQLPA), Le Pacte pour la transition, Green 13, MediCorner, Équipe de la Déclaration d’urgence climatique – DUC, Extinction Rebellion Québec, Manitoba Energy Justice Coalition, Extinction Rebellion Ville de Québec, Les Pollués de Montréal-Trudeau, Parkdale High Park for Climate Action, Mouvement écocitoyen UNEplanète, Eau Secours, Oil Change International, Transition Capitale-Nationale, Fridays for Future Guelph, Climate Justice Montreal // Justice climatique Montreal, L’Assomption en transition, Climate Justice Edmonton, MistEarth, Divest UVic, Noor Cultural Centre, Sustainabiliteens Vancouver, La Planète s’invite au Parlement, Fridays For Future Whitby, Sustainable Durham, Coalition Fjord, Climate Justice Saskatoon, Climate Justice Ottawa, Creating Healthy and Sustainable Environments, Coalition Anti-Pipeline Rouyn-Noranda, Sipekne’katik Grassroots Grandmothers Circle, Solidarity with Alton Gas Resistance, Extinction Rebellion Vancouver, Toronto Environmental Alliance, Extinction Rebellion Nova Scotia, Sierra Club Canada Foundation, Ontario Clean Air Alliance, Fondation Rivières, People’s Climate Movement (Toronto and GTA), People’s Climate Movement, MiningWatch Canada, La planète s’invite en santé (LPSS), Coalition solidarité santé, Green Economy Network / Réseau pour une économie verte, TerraVie, Association pour la Taxation des Transactions financières pour l’Aide aux Citoyens (ATTAC), Canadian Interfaith Fast for the Climate, The Healthy Forest Coalition, le Conseil central du Montréal métropolitain-CSN.

It’s hard to say how many people are behind these groups. But they are well organized, financed and active. They have more – much more – people, money and voices than we do at Suits and Boots.

Standing between them and the workers and families on the ground in the energy sector are only a few small groups. Energy industry trade associations and the Alberta gov’t do what they can, but what counts in this battle are voices from the ground. Our voices are more powerful, and more credible, than industry’s and government’s. Simply because we are from the grassroots, on the ground.

We’re not using corporate or taxpayer money to defend the livelihoods and jobs of men and women in the energy sector.

So let’s do our part. Let’s add more voices in support of meaningful measures to support Canada’s energy sector. All you need to do is one thing. Send an email to a friend – just one. You can do it right here.

Today we have 2,500 followers across Western Canada. Let’s take that number up to 10,000. If you ask one friend, that’s a start. Maybe ask two. Or three. The more you ask, the quicker we get there.

And if you can chip in $5 or $10 to help us launch campaigns as well, you can do so here: please click here

Thanks for your help and support.

Rick Peterson
Founder, Suits and Boots