Previous generations have fought to protect our democracy and made sacrifices to build the Canada we inherited.

This is now our time.

The threats of economic coercion from the United States, our neighbour and leading trading partner, pose serious risks to the well-being of all Canadians and to our sovereign right to determine our political, economic, social, and cultural destiny.

We will meet the challenge as previous generations have done, not by bending to threats but by joining together in common purpose, across partisan, regional, and cultural differences, to look out for one another, to protect our shared interests and assets, and to safeguard our democracy.

Canadians will decide Canada’s future and place in the world.

What is required in this moment is solidarity among Canadians and among our political leaders – federal, provincial, territorial, Indigenous, and municipal. We call on our leaders to work together across partisan divides to forcefully affirm and defend, in word and deed, Canada’s sovereignty, to put in place measures that mitigate the consequences of any unilateral actions on workers, families, and businesses, and to increase Canada’s resiliency in an increasingly turbulent and unpredictable world.

We therefore pledge our commitment to the following principles:

1. We must develop an all-of-Canada approach that is built collaboratively, engages Canadians, and balances to the extent possible our shared and diverse interests. We must also respect and protect our official languages, rights of Indigenous Peoples, and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. No region or sector should seek to secure favour at the expense of the rest of the country.

2. We must unequivocally assert and protect the sovereign right of Canadians to shape their own political, economic, social, and cultural destiny, and protect our democracy from disinformation and foreign interference from both public and private actors such as through the manipulation and capture of online platforms.

3. To enhance Canada’s resiliency in this increasingly turbulent world, we must reduce our dependence on the United States by diversifying our trade and strengthening our collective tools and institutions necessary to defend and build the Canada we want, consistent with our shared commitments to inclusive democracy and human rights, equity and labour rights, environmental responsibility, reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples, and good global citizenship.

4. We must give priority to protecting nature, to preserving control over our lands and water systems, and to resolute action on the climate crisis.

5. We must seek and build alliances with other countries similarly threatened and with other like-minded countries. We must contribute our fair share to international cooperation for global climate action, common defence through alliances of democratic societies, humanitarian response to suffering in the world, and welcoming and protecting those seeking shelter in our lands.

Signatories:

• Acuna, Ricardo, Executive Director, Parkland Institute


• Angus, Charlie, Member of Parliament for Timmins – James Bay


• Axworthy, Hon. Lloyd, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs for Canada


• Babbington, Andria, President Toronto & York Region Labour Council


• Barlow, Maude, Former Chairperson, Council of Canadians


• Bidini, Dave, Musician, writer & founding member of the Rheostatics


• Blackstock, Cindy, Executive Director, First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada & professor in School of Social Work, McGill


• Brouillette, Caroline, Executive Director, Climate Action Network - Réseau action climat Canada


• Brown, Hugh Christopher, Multi-instrumentalist musician & singer-songwriter


• Campbell, The Right Hon. Kim, Former Prime Minister of Canada


• Cappe, Mel, Distinguished Fellow, Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy & former Clerk of the Privy Council


• Cartwright, John, Chairperson, Council of Canadians


• Champ, Paul, Lawyer


• Chang, Lily, Secretary-Treasurer, Canadian Labour Congress


• Clarke, George Elliott, Poet & Scholar of African-Canadian Literature


• Cloutier, Daniel, Directeur québécois, Unifor / Quebec Director, Unifor


• Creeggan, Jim, Bassist, songwriter & founding member of Barenaked Ladies


• Crombie, David, Former Mayor and federal Cabinet Minister


• Deibert, Ronald J., Professor and Director of the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto


• Dexter, Darrell, Former Premier of Nova Scotia


• Donolo, Peter, Advisor, Government and Voluntary Sectors


• Douglas, D., C.M., Executive Director, OCASI-Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants


• Drake, Karen, Associate Professor and former Associate Dean (Students) at Osgoode Hall Law School; member, Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation; former Commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission


• Easter, Wayne, Former Solicitor-General of Canada


• Edugyan, Esi, Writer


• Gardner, Dan, Writer


• Go, Amy, President of Chinese Canadian National Council for Social Justice


• Gray, Tim, Executive Director, Environmental Defence


• Hancock, Mark, National President, CUPE


• Harmer, Sarah, Singer, songwriter & environmental activist


• Harris, Jack, Former Member of Parliament for St. John’s


• Hassum, Jen, Executive Director, Broadbent Institute


• Himelfarb, Alex, Former Clerk of the Privy Council of Canada


• Homer-Dixon, Thomas, Executive Director, Cascade Institute


• Hurtig, Barbara, dedicated Canadian


• Ignace, Marianne, FRSC, Distinguished Professor, Linguistics and Indigenous Studies, Simon Fraser University; Director, Indigenous Languages Program and Indigenous Languages Centre, SFU


• Kerr, Don, Musician & producer


• Klein, Seth, Author of A Good War: Mobilizing Canada for the Climate Emergency


• Lachemi, Mohamed, President and Vice-chancellor, Toronto Metropolitan University


• Lagacé Dowson, Anne, journaliste et animatrice de radio


• Lam, Vincent, MD, Addiction Medicine & Author


• Laverdière, Hélene, ex-diplomate canadienne, ex-députée de Laurier—Ste-Marie, porte-parole de l'opposition officielle pour les affaires étrangères (2011-2015)


• Leslie, Megan, Former Deputy Leader of the Official Opposition and former MP for Halifax


• Lindeman, Tamara, Singer, songwriter, & actor


• Liu, Laurin, Communications director, non-profit sector & former Member of Parliament for Rivière-des-Mille-Îles


• MacLean, Jason, Chair, Canadian Health Coalition


• McKenzie, Kwame, MD, CEO, Wellesley Institute


• McGowan, Gil, President, Alberta Federation of Labour


• McQuaig, Linda, Author


• McKennitt, Loreena, Singer-songwriter


• Mangan, Dan, Singer-songwriter


• Maize, Andy, Singer-songwriter and co-founding member of the Skydiggers


• Moscrop, David, Writer


• Murley, Mike, Saxophonist/composer & Professor of Music Emeritus, University of Toronto


• Neve, Alex. International human rights lawyer/professor & Senior Fellow, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Ottawa


• Nevin, Andrew, Director, Brainomics Venture, Centre for Brain Health, U. Texas, co-author of Flourishing in Canada: How to Get the Good Life & retired PwC partner


• Palmater, Pamela, Mi'kmaw lawyer & Chair in Indigenous Governance, TMU


• Parry, Evalyn, Theatre creator & songwriter, director, writer, and performer


• Parry, Richard Reed, Composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist with Arcade Fire


• Pate, Hon. Kim, Senator


• Payne, Lana, National President, Unifor


• Perry, Mike, Former Legal Advisor, Métis National Council


• Phillip, Grand Chief Stewart, President of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs


• Picard, Magali, Présidente, Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec (FTQ)


• Possian, Amara, Canada Team Lead, 350.org


• Richler, Noah, Author


• Robillard, Lucienne, ancienne ministre de l'Immigration, des Réfugiés et de la Citoyenneté, Canada


• Rock, Allan, President Emeritus, uOttawa; former Attorney General of Canada & former Ambassador to the U.N.


• Saul, John Ralston, Writer & President Emeritus of PEN International


• Saunders, Vicki, Founder, Coralus


• Scott, Craig, Professor, Osgoode Hall Law School, & former MP for Toronto-Danforth


• Segato, Lorraine, Singer-songwriter


• Sexsmith, Ron, Singer-songwriter


• Shaker, Erika, National Office Director, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives


• Shingray, Amir, Visual artist & digital marketing consultant


• Solberg, Janet, Former Senior Advisor, Stephen Lewis Foundation


• Stanford, Jim, Economist and Director, Centre for Future Work


• Suzuki, David, Environmentalist, geneticist, broadcaster


• Swinghammer, Kurt, Musician & Painter


• Tait, Holly Star, Chairperson, Canadian Federation of Students


• Taylor, Julian, Singer-songwriter


• Teillet, Jean, Author, artist, retired Indigenous rights lawyer


• Tewksbury, Mark, Athlete, Chef de Mission of Canada’s 2012 Summer Olympics Team, LGBTQ+ advocate


• Whitely, Ken, Folk, blues, and gospel musician


• Williams, Danny, Entrepreneur & former Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador


• Wong, Joseph, Past Chair, United Way of Greater Toronto


• Wynne, Kathleen, Former Premier of Ontario