What do Canadians have to protest? We don't have it that bad.

This question seemed to be a recurring theme on websites about the Occupy Toronto movement. And to me the answer is, We are that bad, and we can be a lot better. In Canada, as around the world, we support an economic system that is unsustainable and ultimately self-destructive. The effects of this economic system are felt on the planet and on the world's poorest people.

As I logged onto the Occupy website, I encountered a fundraising ad for the starving children of Somalia. What better juxtaposition, for Canadians do feel for the people of Somalia. Yes the famine is related to decades of severe political instability, but - like many crises in the developing world now - it's also related to unjust food and trade policies, and to desertification related to climate change.

In this country, we have a terrible track record on climate change. Our politicians often stand up to impede agreements that would help to lower emissions. It is most likely that we will not make our (drastically inadequate) Kyoto commitments. White Water, Black Gold is one recent film that shows the impacts of climate change in our country (unreliable waterways, melting glaciers, unpredictable weather). In Africa, the South Pacific, parts of the Indian subcontinent, China, and Australia, the effects are already much more dramatic - flooding, drought, and heat waves, and costing uncountable lives. Yet the federal government continues to invest $1.5 billion of our tax money every year in the Alberta tar sands. Do you really want your tax dollars going to the tar sands?!

While some scientists fear that it is too late to preserve the climate we depend on, it is only going to get later. The Occupy movement is the opportunity to act now.

I am hopeful that Canadians will call for change, and will keep calling until we are heard. I am hopeful that we will care enough not only for our own children and grandchildren, but for our neighbours around the world, and for the planet we depend on. I am hopeful that we can change from a growth economy to an enough economy - based on justice, life and wellbeing for all, for the 100%.