Saturday, November 04, 2006

Support Bill C-283

Please find below a letter from Mr. Bill Jeffery, the Canadian National Coordinator of the Centre for Science in the Public Interest. It has to do with the pending vote (this coming Wednesday!) on Bill C-283 that would require large chain restaurants to have calories listed on their menus.

As I'm sure you've guessed already, I'm all for this Bill.

Unfortunately my piece in support of it that will be coming out in the next Farm Boy flyer will apparently be two days too late.

Below are links to allow you to "Fax" your MP (all you need is your postal code, the wonders of the internet will do the rest) and the means to look up their phone number.

Don't be part of the silent majority. Take two minutes, follow the links and maybe, just maybe, the little guy'll win one vs. Big Food.

"Take 10 minutes, today, to help ensure that labels of fresh meat and processed food, and menus at large chain-restaurants are required to provide key nutrition information! This will complement the information require on many packaged foods since December 2005.

Parliament is scheduled to vote on Bill C-283 this Wednesday, November 8th.

Wednesday's vote is too close to call. All parties are being heavily lobbied by the large chain restaurants. (Mom & Pop restaurants and small chains would be exempt). You can help ensure that your MP thinks first about the public interest, and the health and pocketbooks of your family and the 100,000 or so other constituents in your riding, instead of yielding to pressure from a few self-serving food companies.

You can send a free, Internet-based fax from Fax Your MP to support Bill C-283 (food labelling). As long as you know your postal code, the "Fax-Your-MP" tool will automatically identify your MP's name and correct fax number. Of course, add a few personal words of your own to the model letter we've prepared for you. It will make your letter have even more impact!

If at all possible, send the fax right now. The vote is scheduled for Wednesday, but MPs are very busy and, if they don't receive the fax by Tuesday afternoon, there's a chance they won't see your letter before they cast their vote.

The Centre for Science in the Public Interest has been working hard for nearly four years to convince MPs to support this bill, and now is a critical juncture. You could help even more by following-up on your letter with a quick phone call to your MP's office (in the riding or Ottawa) and the office of Minister of Health, Tony Clement. If your MP is not available to talk to you, leave a voice mail message or ask the staff to tell your MP (and Minister Clement) that you support the bill and you hope all MPs will too! You can find MPs' phone numbers in the blue pages of your local phone directory, by calling 1-800-0-Canada (1-800-622-6232), or by visiting the Parliament of Canada web-site: MPs' Phone Numbers .

I hope you can make the time to help support this campaign at this critical juncture and forward this e-mail to your friends, colleagues and any listerves or newsgroups you think might interested.

-Bill

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Bill Jeffery, LLB, National Coordinator
Centre for Science in the Public Interest
Suite 4550, CTTC Bldg.
1125 Colonel By Drive
Ottawa, Ontario K1S 5R1
CANADA
Website: http://www.cspinet.org/canada (Fax Your MP is also available on our home-page by clicking on the "Fax Your MP" icon near the bottom of our home-page.)

CSPI is a non-profit health advocacy organization specializing in nutrition and food safety issues with offices in Ottawa, and Washington, D.C. CSPI's Ottawa health advocacy office is primarily funded by more than 100,000 subscribers to the Canadian edition of Nutrition Action Healthletter. CSPI does not accept funding from industry or government and Nutrition Action does not carry advertisements.

To join our Action Alert list, visit: http://www.cspinet.org/canada/e_activists.html