Local NGO Best Climate Practice Canada: David Suzuki Foundation

Local NGO Best Climate Practice Canada: David Suzuki Foundation

This Post is submitted by Climate Scorecard Canadian Country Manager Diane Szoller

 

As described on their website,* the David Suzuki Foundation (DSF) was created in 1989 inspired from a winning CBC radio series It’s a Matter of Survival. The theme of the series was that respect for nature and interdependence must be humanity’s top priority. DSF incorporated in 1990 with an office in Vancouver, B.C. Early projects addressed fisheries, forestry, species-at-risk, pesticides, and the economics of sustainability. Its efforts ranged from international projects, to several projects with Indigenous communities on Canada’s west coast. It has grown to become the largest group in Canada that focuses on the country’s role in global ecological crises. With offices in Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto, DSF focuses on evidence-based solutions aimed at climate resilience, ocean health, and biodiversity protection. Through their work in recognition of Indigenous rights and teachings and empowering Canadians to become environmental stewards, the organization gained over $12,400,000 support in 2019.

Currently, the David Suzuki Foundation is advocating for a budget recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic that emphasizes a sustainable, resilient, and equitable future for all. The DSF has 3 priority goals for Canada’s investment strategy for the next three years: to establish the legal right for all Canadians to live in a healthy environment, to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon future, and to protect and restore nature. This means ending fossil fuel subsidies, shifting spending towards a green and just recovery, delivering strong climate legislation, ambitious climate targets and policies that enable climate justice, protecting 25% of the land and ocean by 2025, supporting Indigenous-led conservation, and expanding and leveraging nature-based climate solutions.

DSF supports a multi-approach to move this message forward with staff, the public and partners that includes:

  • Joining other Canadian environmental groups in One Earth One Voice, a campaign to urge the public to contact decision-makers and have the federal government solve two crises at once by prioritizing a green and just recovery.
  • Supporting clear guidelines for government investment to ensure the COVID-19 recovery is a green one in all economic stimulus and recovery efforts.
  • Supporting along hundreds of Canadian organizations a just recovery.
  • Joining the Green Budget Coalition (24 leading Canadian environmental groups) to present analyses of the most pressing environmental sustainability issues with yearly recommendations to the government on strategic fiscal and budgetary opportunities.
  • Signing a letter to the Prime Minister with more than 230 organizations, urging the government to focus on nature-positive measures for Canada’s post-emergency period.

This process has already engaged many contributors across the country and can be adopted in other countries because the cost is low and use of virtual communications is so effective. Consult the contact information below to inquire if policy-makers are interested in supporting and scaling-up these DSF’s efforts.

*This post is largely based on material found on https://davidsuzuki.org/. It has been acknowledged by their staff.

Contact

The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Environment and Climate

Email: Jonathan.Wilkinson@parl.gc.ca

Mail: House of Commons, Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6

Tel: 1 613 995-1225

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