Canadians, concerned about environmental issues can bring these issues to the attention of the federal government and obtain formal responses be completing an Environmental Petition. The Environmental Petition does not require multiple signatures, detailed reviews and can be as simple as a letter.
"By submitting an environmental petition in writing to the Auditor General of Canada, residents of Canada can ask certain federal ministers and their departments to explain federal policy, investigate or take action on an environmental problem, or examine their enforcement of environmental legislation.
The Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development oversees the environmental petitions process on behalf of the Auditor General of Canada. Once a petition is received and accepted, it is forwarded to the appropriate minister(s). Federal ministers respond to petitions on behalf of departments and agencies. When they receive a petition, they are required to provide a response to the petitioner(s) within 120 days. This time period may be extended with notice.
As an integral part of our mandate, the Commissioner's petitions team monitors department responses and reports annually to Parliament on the petitions process. In addition, the Commissioner's team or other audit teams in the Office of the Auditor General conduct audits of issues and commitments raised in petitions responses and report on them to Parliament (Getting Answers: A guide to the environmental petition process, March 19, 2008)."
Attached is an Environmental Petition on DECT Phones, recently submitted to the Auditor General of Canada. It is asking that DECT phones be banned in Canada. Indeed they should be banned globally. Feel free to circulate this petition to those who may be interested and may be able to use it to initiate similar requests in other Countries.
-magda
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Dr. Magda Havas, B.Sc. Ph.D.
Environmental & Resource Studies,
Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, K9J 7B8
phone: 705 748-1011 x 7882 fax: 705 748-1569
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