$7,000,000. Thats a big number. Its how much Canadas largest logging company, Resolute Forest Products, is suing us for. By us I mean me. And my colleague Shane. And Greenpeace Canada too.
Why? Well, our jobs are to expose forest destruction, tackle it head on, and work to get socially just and environmentally strong solutions in place instead. So, whos a leading destroyer of forests in Canada? Resolute Forest Products.
The words forest destroyer sound radical. Are they? Really?
In my opinion, using millions of cubic metres of wood from the last remaining wilderness areas in Ontario and Quebec, and the dwindling habitat of woodland caribou herds like the Brightsand and Pipmuacan herds is radical. Operating on First Nations traditional territories, like the Cree and the Algonquins, without their consent is radical. Greenwashing your company with weak FSC certificates and jeopardizing the FSC brand is radical. Amassing over $1 million in fines for breaking forestry regulations over years is radical.
Some people think I am a ‘radical’. Ive been called one before. Greenpeace certainly has been called the R word hundreds, if not thousands of times, all over the world. But we arent the radical ones.
Whats radical is doing all of the above and then suing for $7,000,000 to distract attention from these issues. Radical is being seemingly unwilling to collaborate on real solutions (as demonstrated here).
Resolute is the one using radical tactics.
Saving forests isnt radical, destroying forests is. This is what we are trying to stop. Now.
Do you work for an NGO and are concerned about corporations attempting to silence organizations and want to support Greenpeace? Please email Ioana at[email protected].– Richard Brooks likes the letter R when used appropriately. He’s Greenpeace Canada’s forest campaign coordinator.
