As you may know, despite being passed by a majority of the members of the House of Commons, the Senate shocked Canadians on November 16th and defeated Bill C-311, the Climate Change Accountability Act. This is the only time in the past 70 years that the appointed Senate has defeated a bill passed by the elected House of Commons without allowing for full consideration or debate.

Bill C-311 is the single piece of environmental legislation passed by the House of Commons since the 2008 election. Its defeat means that Canada is the only industrialized nation without a clear plan to combat greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions - leaving our nation once again to be embarrassed on the world stage at the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference in Cancun, Mexico.

As you know, the Canadian Nurses Association has been a strong supporter of this legislation and has written to members of parliament (MP) in support of the bill. We ask that you write to your MP to express your disappointment in this bill's defeat at the hands of the unelected Senate, and to send a message that nurses expect the government to set meaningful GHG reduction targets in order to combat climate change and protect the health and safety of Canadians.

Take action now by sending this letter to your MP and the Minister of Environment. It will be copied automatically to the Prime Minister and to opposition party leaders Michael Ignatieff, Jack Layton and Gilles Duceppe.

If you have any questions, please contact nursingmatters@cna-aiic.ca.