Dear friends,

If you type “www.350.org” in your web browser today, you’ll notice that our site has gone dark. Our bright colors and vibrant images have been replaced with a simple message: “we will not be silenced.”

Here’s why: the Canadian parliament is currently considering an omnibus bill that would vastly transform our environmental protections while suppressing transparent public discussion. The new budget bill (Bill C-38) would replace the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act with a process that’s vulnerable to corruption by powerful oil interests — shifting power away from expert review boards and toward backroom lobbyists. What’s more, it would target charities advocating for environmental justice and climate change policy. The stakes are high, and we’re asking you to help us make some noise about it.

Today, we’re joining the “Black Out Speak Out” coalition — a diverse alliance representing millions of people who are standing up to a dire threat to nature and democracy. We’re blacking out our websites and darkening our profile pictures in a new form of 21st century protest. Together, we’ll send a single, unified message to decision-makers: Stand up for our Canadian values. Our land, water, and climate. Our communities. Our human rights and democracy.

Visit BlackOutSpeakOut.ca to join the campaign and to access tools to make your voice heard.  Speak Out on Twitter, Facebook, and through your personal networks. Email or call your MP. In this historic Canadian moment, your voice is vitally important.

So speak out today — because silence is not an option.

Onwards,

The 350.org Team